In the first five months of this year, the Anne Green Free Clinic has provided over $700,000 worth of medical assistance to local residents in need. This week, members of the community will have an opportunity to give back and help support this vital local health initiative, all while enjoying a fantastic meal at the same time. That’s because on Thursday, July 17, Community Helping Place (CHP) will host their 18th annual Tomato Sandwich Supper from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.
The special meal, which includes a BLT, chips and a homemade dessert, will be available for dine-in or carry out at four local churches: Dahlonega Methodist Church, Dahlonega Baptist Church, St. Luke Catholic Church and Saint Peter Lutheran Church.
There will also be an after-dinner concert in Hancock Park from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., featuring live music from Kurt Thomas.
According to CHP Executive Director Melissa Line, the Tomato Sandwich Supper is the only annual fundraiser in which all proceeds exclusively benefit the work of the Anne Green Clinic.
“It’s the operating money, because grants will sometimes give us money for programs, nutrition or counseling, but they won’t necessarily give us operating money. So that’s what keeps the lights on and makes it possible for us to be over here,” Line said.
To get a better idea of how the CHP Anne Green Free Clinic benefits Dahlonega’s citizens, The Nugget was invited to speak to a patient whose quality of life was dramatically improved after seeking out the clinic’s assistance just a few months ago.
MODEL PATIENT
Anne Green Free Clinic Outreach Manager Erin Cook said Jackie Newton came to the clinic desperate for help.
“He came to us about two or three months ago with wounds on his lower legs that were not healing,” Cook explained.
Newton said he had been to the hospital 19 times in the past two years for his heart and various other health issues.
“Just walking from the parking lot to here, I couldn’t breathe. My mom was like ‘They’re going to put you into the hospital, they’re going to put you in the hospital.’ But I said, ‘Whatever they’ve got to do, they’ve got to do,’” Newton recalled.
Clinic nurse Rita Aboulafia said she would never forget the day Newton came in for the first time.
“He had big, heavy legs full of fluid,” Aboulafia recalled.
First, Aboulafia fitted Newton’s legs with Profore multi-layer compression bandages.
“They dressed them, really nice and neat,” Newton said. “They wrapped both legs all the way from my feet up to my knees. My britches were so tight I had to take them off and my mom had to go buy shorts for me to wear home after they treated my legs.”
“That was something,” Aboulafia added.
Newton said his heart problems were causing fluid to collect in his legs until the clinic recommended a combination of prescription medicine and dietary restrictions.
“They’ve gotten my heart issues taken care of, and gotten me on the right medications. They’re great up here,” Newton praised.
He noted that he weighed about 380 pounds when he first started coming to the clinic, but in a matter of only a few months he has dropped down to around 350 pounds. Now, Newton says he can even bend over and touch his toes.
“I’ve got ankles,” Newton exclaimed proudly. “You couldn’t even tell I had toes when I came in here, that’s how big my feet were swelled up!”
Aboulafia said that in this case, a lot of the credit goes to the patient for following orders.
“He has been one of the best patients we have ever had,” Aboulafia noted. “He takes his medication. We told him ‘Don’t have salt.’ We found he was diabetic, and put him on a diabetic diet and fluid restrictions. He can’t drink whenever he wants to, and he can’t drink soda or sweetened iced tea.”
Still, Aboulafia said all the recommendations in the world are meaningless without the full cooperation of the patient.
“We can tell you to ‘Do this and do that.’ It doesn’t mean you’re going to do it. And not everything we told him to do was easy, like cutting back on what you eat,” Aboulafia added.
Newton admitted that keeping his new diet is a difficult challenge.
“No bacon? Growing up, we’d eat bacon every morning for 50 years,” he said.
But Newton is quick to acknowledge that his dramatic progress would not have been possible without the help of the Anne Green Free Clinic.
“I’d probably be in the grave right now if it wasn’t for them,” Newton said solemnly.
“I think you definitely would have been back in the hospital,” Aboulafia replied.
RAISING FUNDS
CHP Director of Development and Operations Paula Payne said Newton’s story is a shining example of the type of compassionate care that the Anne Green Free Clinic regularly provides to members of the community.
“Our staff stepped in with one-on-one education—not just about diabetes, but also about managing edema through diet and daily monitoring. Jackie now checks his blood pressure, blood sugar and weight every day. He wears support hose and has stayed out of the hospital. Jackie’s story is just one example of how your support changes lives. Without insurance or income, he had nowhere else to go. Our clinic became his lifeline—and today, he’s walking tall on two healthy legs,” Payne said.
For those wishing to enjoy a great meal while supporting the clinic’s mission to help people like Newton live a happier, healthier life, Thursday evening’s Tomato Sandwich Supper is a win-win situation.
Individual meal tickets can be purchased online for $12 each, while family tickets (good for five meals per ticket) are available for $35 each. For more information or to purchase your tickets, visit communityhelpingplace.org and click on the “Events/Fundraisers” tab.