When Regina Jackson hit a $1 million jackpot last month, so did Reach Out Lakota.

Jackson was laid off in 2008 and sought help from the food pantry for about seven months. From that experience, she remembered that toilet paper is a sparse commodity at food pantries, so she planned to give the pantry a truckload of toilet paper. She then reconsidered and thought about giving money, instead.

Procter & Gamble heard about her generosity and donated 5,000 rolls of Charmin tissue in Jackson’s name to Reach Out Lakota. Jackson still plans to donate $5,000.

“We were very happily surprised that she would remember us and that she would be so grateful,” said Lourdes Ward, CEO/executive director of Reach Out Lakota. “That is what we do with a lot of families. That’s why we say it’s a hand up, not a hand out, because it’s just helping people through the rough patch until they get back on their feet.”

Reach Out Lakota serves needy residents of West Chester and Liberty townships and the Lakota School District.

“We are entirely community supported,” Ward said. “We’re not a government or Shared Harvest agency. We’re proud that the community gives us everything that we turn around and give back out to the community.” Ward said.

People can visit the pantry for groceries three times a year, a month in between. Usually, they leave with a week to 10 days’ worth of groceries, plus everything from personal hygiene items to clothing to housewares. The pantry sees 50 to 100 families in a week.

While laid off, Jackson, who lived in West Chester Twp. at the time, was bringing a co-worker to the pantry. Ward had to convince her to sign up for assistance, too.

“She’s pretty typical of the people that we see,” Ward said. “They always say, ‘No, I’m sure there’s somebody that needs it more than I do’ … We’ve got people that get laid off because there’s less production certain times of the year, and Regina was one of those.”

Jackson had told Ward that that when you’re unemployed, toilet paper is pretty expensive, but it’s something people really need. And not all food pantries provide those kinds of items, Ward said.

“People were asking me if I was happy that she won the lottery,” Ward said. “To me, just the fact that she got back on her feet and didn’t need our services anymore, that’s a success, in my eyes. That she won the lottery is just an extra bonus for her and, now, for us.”

For more information, visit Reachoutlakota.org.