Lanier County Family Connection

08/31/2026

Lanier Family Connection is looking for volunteers to help us in the office on Monday, September 14 and Monday, September 28. Shifts are 9:00 to 12:00, 12:00 to 3:00, and 3:00 to 5:00. Take one shift or take the whole day, whatever works for you.

You do not need any special experience. If you can answer a phone, sort paperwork, stuff folders, or help us get organized, you can help us. It is a good way to see what we do and who we serve.

Interested? Email [email protected] or call 229-234-7714 to grab your spot. Spread the word to anyone who has been looking for a way to get involved.

08/28/2026

240 plates. 22 volunteers. That’s Street Feed for you.

Today we served the Lakeland community at the Farmers Market, and it wouldn’t happen without Amy Bennett and the Downtown Development Authority for starting this and bringing Lanier Family Connection in to partner. We joined Street Feed as part of our food access initiative because access to good food shouldn’t be complicated.

Thank you to TruthPoint for sending food and coming out to pray with families. Special thanks to Emory Music for bringing pound cake and serving families.

Street Feed happens every 2nd and 4th Thursday at 5pm at the Lakeland Farmers Market. Come eat, come volunteer, come see what community looks like. Call us for more information at 229-234-7714 or message us here.

08/26/2026

Lanier Family Connection is officially a Family Resource Center.

The Georgia Family Support Network has recognized us as a Family Resource Center aligned with the National Family Resource Center Model. That's a mouthful, so here's what it actually means for Lanier County families.

A Family Resource Center is a community hub. A place families can come to for support, connection, and answers before small challenges turn into big ones. No referral needed. No crisis required. Just families getting help close to home.

To earn this recognition, we had to show we're doing the work the way it's meant to be done: parenting activities and education, information and referrals to real resources, and community engagement that puts families at the table. This isn't a name we gave ourselves. It's a standard we met.

We're proud to join Family Resource Centers across Georgia doing this work. And we're even prouder to do it here, for you.

Stop by, call, or message us to see how we can help your family.
4 N. Brantley St, 229-234-7714, [email protected]

08/26/2026

Week 4 - Cooking Matters

This week’s Cooking Matters class was all about vegetables. Participants learned what produce is in season during different months and why that matters for eating fresh and saving money.

Then everyone got hands on and made homemade salsa from scratch. Fresh, simple, and a hit with the group. Then everyone went home with a box of fresh fruits and vegetables from Farmer Browns.

Three weeks left in this series. Grateful for our partnership with Open Hands Atlanta and for families showing up ready to learn.

08/24/2026

Shoutout to Bella Hunt! She just completed Trauma 101: Understanding the Impact of Trauma on Children/Adolescents and Brain Development.

Bella is in her second year serving with Lanier Family Connection and is a senior at Lanier County High School. We are so proud of her dedication to learning how to better support the kids and families in our community.

Way to go, Bella!

08/18/2026

Shantell Lambert, our Safe Care Program Manager, is in Athens today for the Georgia Home Visiting Institute.

It brings together home visiting professionals, program leaders, state agency staff, and community partners from across Georgia. A full day of presentations, workshops, and conversations about what's actually working for families and what's coming next in this field.

Shantell will come back with practical strategies, new ideas, and connections that make our work stronger.

That's the whole point. The better we get, the better we serve the families in Lanier.

08/15/2026

Come see us at the Lakeland Farmers Market! We are learning all about watermelon! The first 5 kids get a watermelon (1 per family)!

08/12/2026

August Events! Mark your Calendar!

08/10/2026

Kids Club is back! 🍉 Join us this Saturday, August 15th from 10-12 at the Lakeland Farmers Market for the first Kids Club of the school year!

This month we're all about watermelon — kids can jump into a watermelon seed spitting contest and find out why watermelon is one of the best ways to stay cool and hydrated all summer.

And here's the best part: the first 5 kids will get a FREE watermelon to take home (one per family, while supplies last).

Bring the kids and come see us at the market!

08/10/2026

Literacy starts way earlier than most people think — like, birth. GPB's new Raising a Reader episode breaks down simple, age-appropriate ways to build language and early reading skills from infancy through age 5, and it's exactly the kind of work we're passionate about here at Lanier Family Connection.

Our Birth to Five strategy exists because those early years matter so much for a child's development, and we know families do their best work when they've got support and simple tools in hand. If you're a parent, caregiver, or just someone who cares about kids in our community, we'd love to have you involved. You can do that by joining our Birth to Five Strategy Team, as a volunteer, or just spreading the word.

Check out the video here: https://www.gpb.org/education/learn/raising-a-reader/birth-5

Want to get involved with our Birth to Five work? Send us a message — we'd love to talk.

The journey to literacy begins at birth. In this episode of Raising a Reader, discover age-appropriate strategies, activities, and resources that help build language, communication, and early reading skills from infancy through age five.