Newspaper Page Text
FAITH
Church collects canned goods
to fight human trafficking
BH MELISSA WEINMAN
melissaweinman@reporternewspapers.net
At first glance, collecting canned food
may seem like an odd way for a church
to help stop human trafficking.
But Greg Chevalier, the chairman
of outreach ministry for Brookhaven
Christian Church, explained that there
are many things that can make children
more susceptible to becoming victims of
commercial sexual exploitation, includ
ing hunger.
“When a child is hungry, they’re
more vulnerable to receive a gift from a
stranger and that builds trust,” Cheva
lier said.
On March 16, Brookhaven Chris
tian Church will host an event on behalf
of the statewide Street Grace ministry
to assemble “blessing bags” - backpacks
filled with non-perishable food items to
give to children in the Tri-Cities High
School cluster over spring break.
According to Street Grace, 58 per
cent of kids in Georgia public schools
receive free or reduced lunches.
Chevalier said the Tri-Cities school
cluster, in south Fulton County, has a
high number of students receiving free
or reduced lunches, many of whom may
not have access to regular meals outside
of school. “That cluster has the highest
degree of potential vulnerability,” Che
valier said.
With spring break coming up, Che
valier said, those children will have a
week without lunches at school.
“Our objective is to pack lunches,
non-perishable food items, into back
packs and provide them to students
at Tri-Cities schools that are going on
spring break,” Chevalier said.
Several churches in the Reporter
Newspapers communities of Buckhead,
Brookhaven, Sandy Springs and Dun-
woody participate in the Street Grace
ministry.
“We are an alliance of Christian
churches, and our main focus is to orga
nize churches to get mobilized, and ed
ucate them about commercial sexual ex
ploitation of children,” said Street Grace
Programs Director Amy Walters.
Walters said the organization was
formed four years ago by church leaders
who were concerned about the number
of children and teenagers becoming vic
tims of the commercial sex trade in met
ro Atlanta.
The organization aims to generate
awareness about the commercial sexual
exploitation of children and provide re
sources for nonprofit organizations that
help victims.
“The church is full of people who
care. They just didn’t know what to do
and where to go,” Walters said. “As we
help educate people to what they can
do, we point them in directions where
they can have a positive impact.”
Walters said in addition to fighting
hunger, the organization has several oth-
“It’s supply and it’s
demand. In order to fulfill
the demand of individuals
that purchase children for
sex, there has to be supply.
And in order for there to
be supply, one must entice
a child into the program.”
- GREG CHEVALIER
BROOKHAVEN CHRISTIAN
CHURCH
er initiatives for 2013.
Street Grace is working with the De
partment of Education to train speakers
who will reach out to parent-teacher orga
nizations to educate them about ways kids
can be lured into the commercial sex trade.
“It really can be as simple as my child
goes to a shopping mall and someone
approaches them with a business card
and says, ‘Your makeup looks great. I
want to hire you,”’ Walters said. “We al
ways think it’s the white van that’s going
to drive up and drag our child off. It’s
not going to happen like that.”
Chevalier said it’s important for peo
ple to learn what a big problem human
trafficking is in Atlanta.
He said there’s a misconception that the
problem is confined to Hartsfield-Jack-
son International Airport. In fact, Cheva
lier said, a large percentage of transactions
happen outside the Perimeter.
“It’s not the degenerate individual
down by the airport living in the streets.
It’s not the international businessman
with no ethics or morals traveling in.
That’s a nominal part of the issue,” Che
valier said.
Chevalier said it’s a large and com
plex issue to tackle.
“It’s supply and it’s demand,” Cheva
lier said. “In order to fulfill the demand
of individuals that purchase children for
sex, there has to be supply. And in order
for there to be supply, one must entice a
child into the program.”
Chevalier said Street Grace hopes
that by providing food for kids over
spring break, it may help to make them
less vulnerable to predators.
On March 16, volunteers are invit
ed to Brookhaven Christian Church to
help assemble the blessing bags from
9:30 a.m. to noon. Volunteers are asked
to register online at http://streetgrace.
org/ events/quarterly-serve-learn-volun-
teer-day/ to bring an item to donate.
“Anybody can volunteer with us,”
Walters said. “Just because we are a
group of churches doesn’t mean you
have to be affiliated with a church to vol
unteer.”
Before you buy or sell a car, call us!
• Local family owned and operated
• Complete Satisfaction Guaranteed
• Over 100 cars in stock
^ Mert.tn
AUTO GROUP
Experience the Best
www.merlinautogroup.com | 770-457-2699
Among the fascinating people who
live and work at Canterbury Court:
WM*. TJ. & Lois
ANDERSON
Residents since 2012
Composer • Conductor
Orchestrator • Professor
Volunteer • School Librarian
Book Reviewer
We appreciate spirited discussions and connecting with
NEW INTERESTING FRIENDS.
The idea of retirement community living never really occurred to
the Andersons. Their daughters wanted them close by and willingly
did the research, visiting several communities, and eventually
choosing Canterbury for its welcoming feeling. With T.J. actively
composing most days, their newly renovated apartment had to
provide a gracious home for his piano, as well as expansive art and
book collections. That it also offered a great view of Peachtree
fireworks was icing on the cake.
The Andersons invite you to discover theii Canterbury Court.
} Canterbury Court
Life is better among friends
3750 Peachtree Road, N.E. - Atlanta, Georgia 30319 - (404) 261-6611
canterburycourt.org
Atlanta’s premier non-profit continuing care retirement community
Reporter Newspapers on Twitter
Follow and RT
ReporterNewspapers.net
www.ReporterNewspapers.net | FEB. 22 —MARCH 7, 2013 | 17
