James Jenkins, family man extraordinaire, has made his life in Griffin with his wife and 12 children ranging in age from 7 to 33 years old. His blended family is not uncommon. But what makes him and his wife special is their adoption of a crack baby that was abandoned at the hospital by his mother. Jenkins says he simply cannot see someone suffer and not do something to help. That makes him perfect for service as The Salvation Army Griffin Corps advisory board chairman. He has held the position of chairman for four years and has volunteered on the advisory board for the past 18 years.
As one whose life revolves around food and the food industry, he brings a wealth of service experience to The Salvation Army. He is the store manager for Piggly Wiggly and has worked for the company for 40 years. Jenkins says he began working for the CNS Wholesale Group right out of high school and liked it so much, he made a career of it. He notes that when you are in the food business, the issues of hunger and feeding spill over into many other aspect of your life.
He started a tradition of having his Piggly Wiggly store involved in the Red Kettle campaign annually. Each year that the Griffin Salvation Army rings the bells at Piggly Wiggly, the kettles gross between $18,000 and $21,000 to help support Griffin’s Salvation Army programs like the food pantry, homeless shelter, youth programs, and disaster services that assist those most in need. Although Griffin suffers from 15% unemployment rate, people are incredibly receptive to The Salvation Army and want to do what they can to support its mission. Loyal supporters helped The Salvation Army in Georgia serve over 666,225 meals to the hungry last year. In addition to approving his store as an annual location for the kettles, he engages his Rotary Club members who adopt the kettles at his store, providing an all-volunteer bell-ringer force.
The Red Kettles campaign is his favorite Salvation Army activity. However, he equally loves supporting the children’s programs. Referring again to his 12 children, he reiterates how important he thinks it is to take care of children because they are the future and have their whole lives ahead of them. His passion is seeing disadvantaged children receive opportunities that can make their lives promising for the future. Of all the things one can accomplish in life, Jenkins says, “You’ve really done something if you can turn a life around.” With that said, children plus The Salvation Army is a winning combination that he can’t help but be part of. He is a shield for The Salvation Army by integrating his career of proving food for the community and leveraging the power of his partnerships to feed those who are emotionally, physically, and spiritually hungry.
