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WEST POINT — During the noon hour in Thursday, Jared Elmore talked about a new charitable organization he has started in the local area. He calls it the Bobby G. Elmore Foundation in memory of his late father. It carries on the ideals once championed by his dad.

Jared works for 4 Seasons Heating & Air and often sees the kind of people his dad would bend over backward to help. “Bob would all but give away appliances to some people,” said his widow, Jody Elmore, a member of West Point Rotary. “If an elderly person needed a new refrigerator but couldn’t pay for it Bob would have it installed for them and work out a payment plan they could afford. They would pay 20 or 25 dollars a month. Bob was the kind of man who would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it.”

At one time, Bob Elmore ran a local Sears outlet on Fob James Drive.

Jared wants to continue on that kind of generosity through a foundation named for his dad.

Working for 4 Seasons Heating & Air, Jared has seen many situations where people have needs that can’t be met. “There are elderly and homebound people in our area who can’t afford basic items like hot water heaters, refrigerators, stoves and the like,” he said. “I have seen it every day. I saw a woman who heated water on her stove to take a bath because her hot water heater had gone out and she could not afford a new one.”

Jared talked to friends about a particularly dire situation he had seen. Word got around about an elderly woman’s need for a new HVAC unit she could not afford. Out of the goodness of their heart, someone purchased that unit for her to heat and cool her home.

Jared said the Greater Valley Area is a place where people will help their neighbors in need, but there’s a lack of organizational structure to get this done. That’s where a foundation comes into play.

“I want to help our community in any way I can,” he said. “I have seen needs going unmet, and something needs to be done about it. Some people are in bad situations because they have made mistakes in life. Others work hard all their lives and have nothing to show for it.”

The Bobby G. Elmore Foundation has 501(c)3 status, and a web site is being set up. There’s an application process where people can seek help. A golf tournament is being planned for this summer to help get fundraising off to a good start. “Right now, we are just trying to get the word out about what we are doing,” Jared said. “We appreciate any coverage we can get in the local media, and we will be posting on social media. It’s a new process. It won’t be perfect, but we will do what we can to make a difference in people’s lives. It will be ministry based. Kim Roberts with the Chattahoochee Fuller Center has helped us out with the vetting process.”

Banners soon will be going up about the upcoming golf tournament. Sponsors are being sought to support it. Some t-shirts are being made to promote the foundation.

“Our church (Hopewell Methodist) is getting the word out for us,” Jared said. “Feedback has been positive. It’s been great seeing people who want to help coming together. I named the foundation for my dad. I want to follow in his footsteps. I believe this foundation can do good work in Chambers County and in the West Point area. I want to get moving on this to help people.”