A man drives into the parking lot of the Lord's Warehouse. A queen-size bed with full headboard fills his pickup's bed. He parks in front of the Warehouse, silently noting the number of vehicles ringing the white building, a one-time school house located east of Albany. He walks inside and sees Donald Whittington, a familiar 
figure, a man for whom the Lord's Warehouse is a passion. . "Good afternoon, brother," offers Donald, a huge smile breaking. "What can we do for you today?" The man says he has a bed he wants to donate but does not know how to go about it. "Do I bring it in here?" he asks Donald. Donald smiles. "No, son. You just unload it on the grass out front. It will be gone within an hour. I promise you that." The man thanks Danald and returns outside to unload the mattress set. But before he reaches his pickup a young woman exits the Warehouse. She overheard the conversation and asks if she can have the bed. The man says yes, of course. She backs her pickup to the rear of his and the two simply slide the bed from one truck to the other.
The Lord's Warehouse is located on east US Highway 136 next to Albany Country Club's No. 3 green. It serves up to 300 family members a week, a considerable number considering it is operated by volunteer labor. It is open three afternoons a week, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 1-4 p.m. The Lord's Warehouse is open and available to anyone. Everything in it is free for the taking. You must sign the registry upon entering, then you are free to browse shelves and racks looking for clothing, household items, and food. It's purpose is to serve anyone in need, or temporarily down on his or her luck
Here are a few figures based on the Warehouse's 2002 calendar year, figures that prove its impact on the Albany-area community.
~Served 25 families that were victims of fire.
~Provides sweaters, shoes, and lap robes to local nursing homes if available/needed.
~Donated 25 hospital beds to Harrison County Health & Hospice and Chillicothe Baptist Home.
~Holds an annual Christmas toy giveaway.
~Donates to St. Joseph s Women s Abuse Center and St. Joseph State Hospital.
~Donates clothing to missionaries going to Haiti, etc.
~Donates unusable clothing for rags to mechanics for shop work, and weavers for rugs.
~Purchased bibles to give away, many going to prison ministries.
~The Lord s Warehouse has its own clothing ministry and has helped: St. Joseph clothing ministries, Amish community, and sent new shoes all over the world, including Bangladesh, New York City, and various children s homes.
The Warehouse s food pantry includes "Share the Harvest" donation with a lot of deer meat donated.
Lord's Warehouse organizers thank the public for its participation and ongoing donations. It received $3,000 in cash donations during 2002. Most recently, the Pamida Foundation donated $500.
The Warehouse's vision is a larger facility. It is nearly bursting at the seams in its present location. "We need a bigger building so that furniture can be made available," said one. "We'd like to have a 24,0000 square-foot building.".
"Albany Ledger Article"
