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BBUSBQIt the locavore
Feeding the Hungry
LOCAL GROUPS STEP UP TO HELP THOSE IN NEED
By Dan Jackson news@flagpole.com
When COVID-19 struck in March, the economy stumbled,
and the local unemployment rate shot up to more than
11%. Many residents found themselves unable to pay for
food and other necessities. In response, Athens-Clarke
County and the Athens Community Council on Aging cre
ated a robust partnership with several other nonprofits to
meet these needs with prepared food, grocery deliveries
and other services. These organizations came together to
form Athens Eats Together, a collaboration that is respond
ing to the crisis with a well-organized food distribution
system designed to feed up to 10,000 people.
and health guidance for women, infants and children) pro
grams; and food-waste diversion, which identifies sources
of fresh food that otherwise would be wasted. Bailey has
synced up the many moving parts of Athens Eats Together
using an online platform called Give Pulse, which coordi
nates volunteers, supplies and customers.
Other organizations also play a significant role in deliv
ering food to those who need it.
Tim Johnson, executive director of Family Connection-
Communities in Schools, says that its network of 16
“Neighborhood Leaders,” who through a lucky break were
Vicki Long, an Athens Community Council on Aging employee, prepares a meal bag for distribution.
Faced with a quickly mounting crisis in those early days
of the pandemic, the ACC government worked with the
ACCA and its wide network of volunteers to help manage
the distribution of food through the Meals on Wheels pro
gram, a free food-delivery service previously available solely
to seniors. Thanks to funding from the federal CARES Act,
the ACCA has eliminated the age requirement and is offer
ing to help anyone in need with packaged meals and gro
cery bags, as well as vouchers to purchase fresh produce at
the Athens Farmers Market. ACCA Executive Director Eve
Anthony says that the number of clients served by Meals
on Wheels has jumped from 200 pre-COVID to more than
2,000 six months later. Anthony expects the number will
continue to climb as the pandemic wears on.
Pre-COVID, Meals on Wheels was organized out of the
ACCA office in the old depot off College Avenue, but the
dramatic increase in demand required new space, leading
Anthony to explore other avenues. Enter Daniel Epting of
the catering company Epting Events, who early in the crisis
wrote letters to the county and several organizations to
volunteer help. Working with ACCA and the county, Epting
offered the use of the Cotton Press, the company’s event
facility now on hiatus due to the crisis, as a point of distri
bution to handle the huge increase in volume. Epting’s staff
is now preparing food for Meals on Wheels clients as well.
Using a combination of federal and county funds,
Athens-Clarke County Manager Blaine Williams says
Athens Eats Together can serve up to 10,000 people
through the end of January.
Stephen Bailey, the county’s assistant director of public
works, is leading the county’s efforts. He says Athens Eats
Together works on three fronts: direct food assistance; help
signing up for the SNAP (food stamps) and WIC (nutrition
starting work the first week of March, are busy introducing
their communities to the new benefits. The Neighborhood
Leaders program was the first component implemented in
ACC’s $5 million “Prosperity Package,” with the establish
ment of 16 Prosperity Zones corresponding to the areas
served by local elementary schools. Shawanda Johnson,
Winterville’s neighborhood leader, says she delivers food
to about 150 residents and helps them complete forms for
unemployment insurance, food stamps and the school dis
trict’s application for food delivery.
The Athens Area Food Bank continues to accept dona
tions of food at its 640 Barber St. location. The organiza
tion’s director, Kim Ramos, says that all canned, fresh or
frozen food is welcome. She is concerned that the annual
Can-a-Thon donation drive, normally operated in area
schools, has been canceled this year, which may lead to
shortages in 2021. The drive is essential to the organiza
tion’s mission, bringing in 15 tons of food each year, or
roughly half of the food necessary to serve the 50 families
that use the food bank each week. Ramos says she has seen
many Athenians contributing their federal stimulus checks
to the organization.
The Clarke County School District is continuing to
implement the U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded
National School Lunch program, which normally provides
free breakfast and lunch to children at their schools. Since
schools are currently closed, students can now receive
deliveries by school bus at their usual bus stops, or par
ents can pick up meals curbside 10:30-noon Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays at Clarke Middle, Hilsman Middle
or Whitehead Road Elementary. As of the end of August,
the district had delivered more than 832,000 meals. For
more information, visit clarke.kl2.ga.us. ©
10 FLAGPOLE.COM | OCTOBER 7, 2020
AMY LANCASTER