East Cobb Community Service

MUST Ministries receives $15K grant from Atlanta financial advisor

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MUST Ministries $15K grant

Submitted information and photo:

Each year, Northwestern Mutual recognizes financial advisors who go above and beyond in giving back to local communities through its Community Service Awards program. Earlier this year, through its Foundation, the company announced a donation of more than $310,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations on behalf of the 2020 recipients.

As part of the award, 16 company financial advisors are each recognized with a grant to benefit a nonprofit he or she is involved with. Local resident Mike Hendley, a financial advisor for Northwestern Mutual in Atlanta, has been recognized as a 2020 recipient of the award, receiving a $15,000 grant for MUST Ministries.

“Our Community Service Awards program honors advisors who go above and beyond in an effort to lift up their communities nationwide through action,” said Eric Christophersen, president, Northwestern Mutual Foundation. “Fueled by passion and commitment to service, these advisors continue to better the lives of others through volunteerism.”

MUST Ministries addresses the basic needs of individuals in the Atlanta area by providing food, housing, jobs, healthcare and clothing. Hendley first became involved with the organization 25 years ago, when a friend suggested they begin regularly volunteering together at a local organization. This became a lasting tradition, as Hendley continues to serve meals at MUST’s homeless shelter every month, in addition to serving on the organization’s board of directors and regularly participating in other volunteer activities.

“As a father of four, my biggest heartache is seeing the increasing number of homeless children at the shelter,” said Hendley. “I’m thankful to say that the funds from this grant will be used toward the construction of a new homeless shelter, designed to accommodate more women and children. It is our goal to build a shelter that provides dignity and respect to all who come to MUST needing our services while on the path to stability.”

To support those impacted by the global health crisis, MUST Ministries has converted 50 food pantries into curbside pick-up programs, where boxes of groceries are provided to every family that visits. In just eight weeks, the organization has fed over 42,000 people and helped 585 people find housing.

Since 1995, the company has donated more than $6 million to nonprofits through the Community Service Awards program. The 2020 winners were announced at the company’s regional meetings earlier this year, with grants to be presented to nonprofits throughout the country.

Send Us Your News!

Let East Cobb News know what your organization is doing, or share news about what people are doing in the community—accomplishments, recognitions, milestones, etc.

Pass along your details to: [email protected], and please observe the following guidelines to ensure we get everything properly and can post it promptly:

Send the body of your announcement, calendar item or news release IN TEXT FORM ONLY in the text field of your e-mail template. Reformatting text from PDF, JPG and doc files takes us longer to prepare your message for publication.

We accept PDFs as an accompaniment to your item. Images are fine too, but we prefer those to be JPG files (more than jpeg and png). PLEASE DO NOT send photos inside a PDF or text or any other kind of file. Of course, send us links that are relevant to your message so we can direct people to your website.

 

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Week-long Tommy Nobis Center virtual silent auction starts Friday

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Tommy Nobis Center silent auction

We noted last month that the Tommy Nobis Center was accepting items for its silent auction, and that’s starting on Friday in virtual format.

Angela Christian, the center’s project manager and board coordinator, said the auction gets underway Friday at 9 a.m. and ends next Friday, July 17, with a Facebook Live event. Here are the details:

A wide range of items will be available for bid including an Atlanta Braves package, a State Farm Arena experience package, a Dan Reeves autographed football, a New York Prime Steak House four-course dinner and wine pairing, a one-year membership to the High Museum of Art, and Chick-fil-A for a year.

Auction items may be previewed in advance and accessed for bidding at www.tnc20.givesmart.com.

The auction will conclude with a Facebook Live stream hosted by TNC program participants on July 17 at 4:30 p.m.

Visit https://www.facebook.com/TommyNobisCenter to attend. Funds raised through the auction directly support Tommy Nobis Center’s programs and services for youth and adults with disabilities. 

Send Us Your News!

Let East Cobb News know what your organization is doing, or share news about what people are doing in the community—accomplishments, recognitions, milestones, etc.

Pass along your details to: [email protected], and please observe the following guidelines to ensure we get everything properly and can post it promptly.

Send the body of your announcement, calendar item or news release IN TEXT FORM ONLY in the text field of your e-mail template. Reformatting text from PDF, JPG and doc files takes us longer to prepare your message for publication.

We accept PDFs as an accompaniment to your item. Images are fine too, but we prefer those to be JPG files (more than jpeg and png). PLEASE DO NOT send photos inside a PDF or text or any other kind of file. Of course, send us links that are relevant to your message so we can direct people to your website.

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Lassiter PTSA, Sprayberry Community Group holding food drives

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A couple of organizations in Northeast Cobb communities are continuing efforts to help feed families in need during the summer.

The Lassiter PTSA food pantry is holding its next food distribution day next Friday, June 26, and organizers are saying you can provide a monetary donation as well as food items.

Organizers say around 60 families in the Lassiter community (including its feeder schools, Davis ES, Garrison Mill ES, Rocky Mount ES, Mabry MS, and our neighbors Tritt ES, Shallowford Falls ES and Pope HS) rely on the pantry to meet family food needs every week.

More information is available by e-mailing [email protected]. You can also use this link while out shopping if you want to contribute items.

The Sprayberry Community Group is collecting and distributing food every week to anyone who needs it, and details are at the flyer below.

If you want to drop off food, come by the Piedmont Church (570 Piedmont Road) Tuesdays between 3-7 p.m. If you need food, come to the same location Wednesdays from 4-6 p.m.

The group provides regular updates on its needs and activities on its Facebook page.

Sprayberry Community Group Summer Food Drive

 

 

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Tommy Nobis Center accepting bids for July silent auction

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From Angela Christian, Project Manager and Board Coordinator of the Tommy Nobis Center, comes the information below about the non-profit’s annual silent auction, which is coming up July 10-17.

The event will raise money for the Northeast Cobb-based center’s work providing job training and other services for people with disabilities.

You can place your bids for the auction now and get related information at TommyNobisCenter.org.

Tommy Nobis Center silent auction

Send Us Your News!

Let East Cobb News know what your organization is doing, or share news about what people are doing in the community—accomplishments, recognitions, milestones, etc.

Pass along your details to: [email protected], and please observe the following guidelines to ensure we get everything properly and can post it promptly.

Send the body of your announcement, calendar item or news release IN TEXT FORM ONLY in the text field of your e-mail template. Reformatting text from PDF, JPG and doc files takes us longer to prepare your message for publication.

We accept PDFs as an accompaniment to your item. Images are fine too, but we prefer those to be JPG files (more than jpeg and png). PLEASE DO NOT send photos inside a PDF or text or any other kind of file. Of course, send us links that are relevant to your message so we can direct people to your website.

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Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

East Cobb Rotary partners with YMCA in hunger relief effort

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East Cobb Rotary YMCA hunger relief

Submitted information and photo:

The East Cobb Rotary and The YMCAs of East Cobb both stand out as leaders in the hunger relief efforts of our community. The Cobb YMCA facilities have always been about growing a stronger community through feeding programs year round, but with the help of the prompt, proactive East Cobb Rotary’s partnership, The Y began distributing much-needed meals to food-insecure households from school age children to seniors. Since the beginning of the health crisis, the East Cobb Ys have been responding in new and unique ways because of the unwavering support of the East Cobb Rotary.

This impactful donation of $15,000 has been vital to sustaining The Ys operations to deliver hunger relief programs serving over 1150 families each week. Before the official start of the school’s out summer break, The East Cobb Ys had already served more meals than we served all of last year. Unprecedented needs in our community, were met with unprecedented generosity from the East Cobb Rotary members. The ability to expand our already robust summer feeding program throughout Cobb County at this urgent time allows us to provide emergency relief, and the ability to provide ongoing help through one of the busiest time – the summer months.

 

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Georgia House passes MUST Ministries-inspired sandwich bill

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State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick

Both houses of the Georgia legislature have easily approved a bill by an East Cobb lawmaker that would allow non-profit organizations to make sandwiches in church and similar kitchens as part of their efforts to feed those in need.

The House on Monday passed SB 345, the so-called “Save Our Sandwich Bill” by a 150-12 vote, after passing the Senate 53-0 in March, before the legislative session was shut down due to COVID-19.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, an East Cobb Republican, changed a provision in state law that allowed only sandwiches that had been prepared in certified, licensed kitchens.

Sponsored in the House by Rep. Bart Reeves of Marietta, the bill still prohibits the distribution of sandwiches made in private homes.

(You can read the bill here.)

The bill will be sent to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature. The legislature, which returned to action Monday, still has to pass a state budget.

Last summer, right before its summer lunch program began, Cobb-based MUST Ministries was told by the Georgia Department of Public Health it could not distribute homemade sandwiches, even those that had been made for years in church kitchens, and by other civic organizations.

MUST scrambled to raise money to purchase sandwiches made in approved kitchens, and is doing the same this summer.

Since COVID-19 shut down schools in March, MUST has teamed up with the Cobb County School District to provide meals for students, and is continuing that program through the end of June.

MUST also is providing summer meal kits through July in East Cobb at Blackwell Elementary School (Mondays, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church (Fridays, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.).

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Cobb Community Food Fleet rolls out to feed those in need

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Cobb Community Food Fleet
Volunteers load up cars for food distribution at the Reflections of Trinity pantry in Powder Springs.

Submitted information and photos:

Cobb Community Foundation (CCF) is pleased to announce the Cobb Community Food Fleet, an initiative where they have brought together Noonday Association, Athena Farms, the Atlanta Braves, Ryder Trucks, S.A. White Oil Company, Mobilized Fuels, and numerous Cobb County non-profits to ensure that lack of storage space does not hinder Cobb non-profits’ food distribution efforts to those in need.

This initiative began, unnamed, in mid-March when CCF reached out to United Way of Metro Atlanta – NW Region and Cobb Collaborative to assist in pulling together a group of non-profit, school district and county government leaders to share the challenges each group and their constituencies were facing, make known the resources each group had available, and determine the best path forward to meet needs in Cobb County. The original group, labeled the Cobb Crisis Response Team, began with daily 7:55 a.m. calls on March 23rd which have been slowly whittled down to one call a week. One of the many outcomes resulting from this group’s efforts is that in an environment where over 100,000 Cobb Countians have lost their jobs, more than half of them being in the lowest paying industries, Cobb’s non-profits are providing boxes of food to over 5,000 families each week.

Howard Koepka of Noonday coordinates the communications among twenty-plus separate organizations distributing food in Cobb County, ranging from MUST Ministries to the two school systems to Cobb Senior Services to smaller organizations such as H.O.P.E. Family Resource Center in Mableton. “Many of these organizations did not know that each other existed,” Koepka says. “Now, they not only are aware of each other, they are eliminating duplications of services, identifying and serving areas unserved, and literally sharing food, box trucks and other resources to make sure that everyone in Cobb County has access to food, regardless of whether or not they can pay for it.” 

One of the greatest challenges facing these organizations is limited access to large quantities of food as a result of the disruption to the supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the USDA’s new Farmers to Families Food Box Program has created an abundance of certain foods, primarily produce, which Cobb’s food providers want to take full advantage of. The issue, according to Koepka, is storage. “Produce needs to be refrigerated, and no single organization has enough space to accommodate the two and soon three thousand boxes that are now coming in each week from Athena Farms.”

Athena Farms, located in Forest Park, is one of over 40 contractors in the South East Region that was awarded funds from the USDA to distribute food boxes. Jessica Brantley, Director of Purchasing for Athena Farms, explains why they reached out to Cobb Community Foundation. “We really liked that they are working to help resource non-profit food providers serving Cobb, so working through them is helping to feed much more than just the clients of a single organization.” Last week, Athena delivered 2,000 boxes of produce, and even larger shipments will be coming at least through the end of June. As is the case for many farms, Athena’s primary customer base is restaurants. “The Farmers to Families Food Box Program has put all of our employees back to work,” says Brantley. 

“While at least some of the immediate food shortage challenges have been resolved, we had to resolve the storage issue if food was going to make its way to those who need it,” says Shari Martin, President and CEO of Cobb Community Foundation. “Our mission statement includes the phrase, connecting donors who care with causes that matter.” She continues, “The Atlanta Braves stepped up to provide the refrigeration space that avails all of Cobb’s non-profit food providers of the produce coming in, at a time when members of our community need it most.”

The one remaining need, however, was to be able to accommodate the scarcest item of all right now: meat. Poultry, pork, beef and fish all require a freezer, and the Atlanta Braves’ storage space was already full. What was not full, however, was their loading dock.  Enter Kim Gresh, owner of S.A. White Oil Company and Cobb Community Foundation board member. “So many of our customers want to help right now, so we reached out to one that we knew would want to be involved.” Enter Huddle House and one of their vendors, Ryder Trucks. Ryder has made available a 53’ freezer container and trailer which Huddle House transported to the stadium. Alongside was Mobilized Fuels, S.A. White’s sister company, that will provide the diesel fuel needed to keep the freezer running between now and the end of August.

Over these next two months, Noonday will be coordinating the logistics of food delivery by Athena Farms and other providers and the subsequent pick-up by five of the larger food non-profits: 

MUST Ministries, Storehouse Ministries, Reflections of Trinity, Sweetwater Mission, and Family Life Restoration Center. These organizations will be picking up food not for their clients, but also for other smaller non-profit food providers. The involvement of the for-profit community, the non-profit community, and even the local and Federal governments to provide, store and deliver food throughout Cobb made Cobb Community Food Fleet the ideal name for the initiative.

In the meantime, Cobb Community Foundation continues to identify resources, financial and otherwise, to help feed Cobb. “Thanks to the Cobb Board of Commissioners grant of $1 million for food last month,” notes Martin, “these organizations will be able to purchase additional food needed in bulk.” Martin says this will allow the non-profits greater access and preferred pricing. “And thanks to these great partners, we’ll have a place to store it.”

Frozen meat and canned and dry goods remain in demand, and Martin and her team are on the hunt. “This is just another opportunity to connect donors who care with causes that matter.”

Learn more by contacting Shari Martin at [email protected], or by visiting www.cobbfoundation.org.

Cobb Community Food Fleet
Tyler Holley of the Atlanta Braves Foundation moves food boxes to refrigeration.

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First responders treated to lunch by East Cobb realtor

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East Cobb realtor first responders lunch

Submitted information and photo:

On Thursday, May 21st, The Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team held an appreciation barbeque lunch to honor local police, firemen, and EMTs. The Capital City Home Loans grilling food truck served up burgers and hotdogs with a variety of sides sponsored by other local partners. Attendees were welcome to use the “social distancing patio” to enjoy their meal or take it on the road. Event sponsors and members of the Janice Overbeck Team had a great time serving guests and appreciating them for what they do day-to-day. Additional sponsors for the event included: Arrow Exterminators, First American Home Warranty, Amerispec Home Inspection, Chick-fil-A East Lake and Perrie & Associates. Local Cobb County and surrounding area first responders, police, fire, and detective units were all invited. Lunch was also packed up and delivered to Cobb County 911 dispatch. For more information on community events at the Janice Overbeck Team office, visit: www.JaniceOverbeck.com.

 

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East Cobb realtor to treat first responders to BBQ luncheon

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East Cobb realtor first responders luncheon

Submitted information and photo from 2019 event:

On Thursday, May 21st from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, The Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team will host an appreciation barbeque lunch to honor local police, firemen, and EMTs. A grilling food truck will serve lunch and attendees are welcome to use the “social distancing patio” to enjoy their meal or take it on the road.

Event sponsors, and members of  the Janice Overbeck Team look forward to serving guests and appreciate them for what they do  day-to-day. Sponsors for the event include: Capital City Home Loans, Arrow Exterminators, First American Home Warranty, Amerispec Home Inspection, Chick-fil-A East Lake and Perrie &  Associates. Local Cobb County and surrounding area first responders, police, fire, and detective units are all invited.

Attendees are encouraged to rsvp to [email protected]. 

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Kincaid ES student granted Make-A-Wish to stay connected

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Kincaid student Make-A-Wish

From Make-A-Wish Georgia comes word that a student at Kincaid Elementary School in East Cobb has been granted his special wish during these days of social distancing.

Brandon Long is 11 years old and since he was three has been living with chronic pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas that gets worse over time.

According to Amy Alvarez, vice president of marketing and communications at Make-A-Wish Georgia and who provided the information and photos, Brandon has already missed a lot of school due to his illness.Kincaid student Make-A-Wish

Classroom instruction was closed in March due to COVID-19, and Brandon’s wish was for virtual communications tools that kids and adults alike are turning to these days.

Last week Make-A-Wish Georgia wish granters presented Brandon with an iPhone 11 and iPad, a wish he says “will help him stay connected to community and feel less lonely while he works hard to stay healthy.”

He also received a special visit from his grandparents and an uncle whom he had not seen since the pandemic began (photo below).

“While the world has been disrupted, this new normal of isolation is something that Brandon is sadly all too familiar with,” said Jennifer, Brandon’s mom. “But then Make-A-Wish Georgia reminded us that isolation doesn’t mean that we can’t still have connection.”

“These unprecedented times have given Make-A-Wish Georgia an opportunity to reimagine the way we bring wishes to life for local wish kids,” Alvarez said. “In times of fear and isolation, we are here to bring hope and joy.”

Kincaid student Make-A-Wish

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If you have Coronavirus-related event changes, business openings or closings to share with the public, e-mail us: [email protected].

Contact us at the same e-mail address for news about efforts to assist those in need, health care workers, first responders and others on the frontlines of combatting Coronavirus in East Cobb.

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East Cobb PPE Makers group gives boost to medical workers

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East Cobb PPE Makers group

Reader Ariel Starke passes along information and photos about a group of East Cobb residents who’ve quickly formed to make masks and scrub caps for workers at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital and other local medical facilities.

The East Cobb PPE Makers Facebook group scrambled into action after responding to a local nurse who posted on the East Cobb Mom’s Exchange group about needing a scrub cap.

Kim Deuster, who started the PPE Makers, takes the story from there:

“She is a nurse in the emergency department at Kennestone Hospital, and the hospital was requiring their staff to wear the caps as one more barrier to being exposed to COVID-19. When I told her I could do it for her, another nurse sent me a message asking if I could make 100 caps. When I realized the man hours and material needed, I knew I could not do this alone. I reached out to several friends, asking for material donations and sewing volunteers on every board I belong to. Within 3 days I had a basement full of supplies, 20 sewers and multiple volunteers offering to run material and caps all over the East Cobb area. We were able to produce over 300 caps for 7 local healthcare facilities within two weeks.”
East Cobb PPE Makers group

 

 

East Cobb PPE Makers group

 

East Cobb PPE Makers group

 

 

East Cobb PPE Makers group

 

The East Cobb PPE Makers continuing to produce PPE items, as the group’s membership has grown to more than 125.
Maxwell’s husband is a critical care doctor at the Kennestone Pulmonary Group, and posted this video of their PPE items being put to rapid use.

 

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Kids Care collecting ‘Kindness Cards’ for COVID-19 workers

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Kids' Care Kindness Cards

Submitted information from Kids Care, a youth-oriented community service and volunteer organization that’s sending “Kindness Cards,” notes of appreciation to local COVID-19 frontline workers:

To date, 400 Kindness Cards of encouragement and thanks have been collected by KIDS CARE & given to Cobb County Hospital Staff, Fire, EMS, Police & 911 Dispatch Personnel during this challenging time.

Please bring your home-made offerings of “Thanks” to any of the business locations listed on our website as a Kindness Card Drop Off Location. We will be collecting Kindness Cards for a few more weeks.

In addition, email [email protected], your message and a greeting card with your written message will be delivered to a Frontline worker for you.

All details can be found at https://www.kids-care2018.org.

FYI: There is an East Cobb dropoff location, at the entrance to Williams-Sonoma store at The Avenue East Cobb (4475 Roswell Road, Suite 800).

You can drop off cards there from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday curbside, weather permitting. During inclement weather the box will be placed under the store awning.

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Cobb schools, MUST to provide student meals through June

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New East Cobb Middle School

The joint effort between the Cobb County School District and MUST Ministries to provide student meals to those who need them will continue into the summer.

The district announced Friday that it would extend food distribution of weekday breakfasts and lunches that began in March, when schools were closed due to the Coronavirus crisis.

East Cobb Middle School is one of eight sites in the Cobb district that has been a pickup point for those student meals.

“What most people don’t know about distributing food to students is local taxpayer dollars aren’t spent on food for students, Federal dollars are. These eight sites were selected because they allow us to be reimbursed by the Federal government, many of our schools across Cobb don’t allow for that option,” Cobb schools chief operations officer Marc Smith said in a statement issued by the district.

Pre-K students, rising kindergartners, recent graduates under 18, and new students to the district are eligible to receive the food, which is handed out by MUST volunteers at the designated schools each Monday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The students must be present in order to receive the food.

More than 217,000 meals have been distributed thus far, according to the district, which estimates that another 225,000 meals will be provided the next couple of months.

While the Cobb schools summer vacation goes until Aug. 1, the school district’s fiscal year 2021 budget takes effect July 1.

Normally the district and Cobb school board would be working on the new fiscal year budget in April and May. However, they cannot because the Georgia legislative session was suspended before the state budget, including education funding appropriated to school districts, was finalized.

A date to resume the legislative session hasn’t been announced, but some leading lawmakers are suggesting mid-June at the earliest, when Georgia’s extended public health emergency is due to expire.

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SCENE IN EAST COBB: Messages of hope on Johnson Ferry Road

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Johnson Ferry Road messages of hope

Motorists heading south along Johnson Ferry Road can see a steady stream of signs as they pass the Episcopal Church of St. Peter and St. Paul.

From the church’s driveway at the intersection of Bishop Lake Road to its back parking lot, the intermittent signs read “Don’t Give Up!” (and its Spanish equivalent, “No Te Rindas,”),  “You Are Not Alone,” “One Day at a Time” and “You Got This!”

(In the background of the first and last photo is Mt. Zion United Methodist Church.)

The messages are meant to comfort during the Coronavirus crisis, but they also extend to part of the broader ministry of St. Peter and St. Paul. The church conducts a monthly food box pickup event in conjunction with There’s Hope for the Hungry, a North Georgia ministry that also includes Mt. Zion and Noonday Baptist Church as participating congregations in East Cobb.

Those in need can pick up a free box of food can come to St. Peter and St. Paul (1795 Johnson Ferry Road) on the first Tuesday of each month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The next pickup event is this coming Tuesday, May 5.

Tom Martin, head of service ministries at St. Peter and St. Paul, said the food distribution program started in early 2019. When visitors come by, they’ll get a box with enough food to feed a family of four for two weeks.

The church also has provided voluntary spiritual counseling sessions for those needing help getting back on their feet. Martin said that won’t be happening in May because of the COVID-19 situation, and food distribution also will be done in accordance with social distancing guidelines.

On Tuesday, those picking up food are asked to pull into the main driveway and follow signs to the back of the church. Once there, they’ll receive a food voucher and delivery of the food box in their trunks, without having to leave their vehicles.

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Got a story tip, photo or other news item about East Cobb? Send it to us and we’ll share it with the community. E-mail: [email protected].

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Cobb DA’s office seeking support for liveSafe Resources

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liveSafe Resources

Submitted information:

Cobb District Attorney Joyette M. Holmes asks community members to help provide hope to Livesafe Resources by stocking the shelves for victims of domestic violence, as part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.

While pandemic precautions have strained our community and locked many into violent homes, Marietta-based liveSAFE Resources remains at work, caring for domestic-violence survivors and performing sexual-assault exams.

You can help by purchasing items on Amazon and having them sent directly to liveSAFE’s offices. A wish list can be found at: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/PPBY3HHZ9MMW…

Monetary donations to liveSAFE can be made here: https://4agc.com/donat…/e4e1e5c5-f1e4-4920-8e40-ee2277d0bfd1

Help is available for anyone suffering abuse in an intimate relationship. liveSAFE Resources’ 24-hour crisis line is 770-427-3390, and they are on the web at www.livesaferesources.org

This ‘Stock the Shelves’ event is hosted by the Cobb DA’s Office as part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. Events have been extended and moved online this year as a result of current health guidelines.

First designated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, National Crime Victims’ Rights Week increases general public awareness of, and knowledge about the wide range of rights and services available to people who have been victimized by crime. The theme for 2020 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is “Seek Justice, Ensure Victims’ Rights, and Inspire Hope.”

For additional information about 2020 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week activities or about victims’ rights and services in Cobb County, please contact the Victim Witness Unit in the DA’s Office at 770-528-3047 or visit our website at www.cobbda.com.

For information about national efforts to promote 2020 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, please visit the Office for Victims of Crime website at www.ovc.gov.

The National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators is a non-profit organization that represents the 56 state agencies that distribute money from the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Crime Victims Fund to more than 4,000 direct victim assistance service providers. The money in the Crime Victims Fund comes from fines collected from offenders convicted of federal crimes and not from U.S. taxpayers.

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Cobb pastors urge commissioners to fund emergency food aid

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Cobb non-profit funding delayed
Rev. Ike Reighard

A request from Cobb non-profits for $1 million in county funding for emergency food aid during the Coronavirus crisis got an extra push Tuesday from pastors.

Several members of the clergy told members of the Cobb Board of Commissioners that food needs for those thrown into chaos and in many cases out of work in the last few weeks is greater than ever.

The Cobb Community Foundation has made the $1 million request on behalf of various non-profits around the county, and lined up a variety of speakers to plead for the assistance.

At a work session on Monday, Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce said he would delay the request after objections from Commissioner Keli Gambrill over how to determine those needs.

At Tuesday’s first regular board meeting in nearly a month—partially via teleconference—Boyce also said the delay was necessary for the county attorney to draw up a document stating how the food would be distributed if commissioners approve.

Some speakers were phoning in and others were present.

“We’re seeing people who don’t know how to ask for food because they’ve never done it before,” said Rev. Roger Vest of First United Methodist Church of Powder Springs.

“They are looking simply to survive.”

His church is among those in the South Cobb area that’s been seeing a major increase in the number of people seeking food, whether it’s at churches or via other non-profits.

Dr. Ike Reighard, pastor at Piedmont Church in Northeast Cobb and the CEO of MUST Ministries, said his non-profit’s Food Rapid Response Program has provided more than 227,000 meals since it was formed six weeks ago.

In addition, more than 16,000 people have been fed already this year, compared to more than around 10,000 in all of 2019.

“That’s how rapid the growth has been for people who need food,” he said.

MUST will be conducting its 25th summer lunch program for students in Cobb and Cherokee counties, feeding around 5,000 children a day, a project Reighard estimates will cost around $750,000.

Rev. John Hull, senior pastor of Eastside Baptist Church in East Cobb, told commissioners that at the Mosaic Church in Marietta, an Eastside ministry located on Austell Road, more than 500 boxes of food are being picked up every week, as are “hundreds of snack lunches” for students.

But the needs for food will continue to increase as the summer months approach. Some of the issues he’s facing, Hull added, are about preparing and serving warm meals for those in need, providing meals for seniors with special dietary needs and getting food to those who can’t get to grocery stores or other distribution points.

“We are going to be in this for the long haul,” Hull said.

He also referenced the work of the Noonday Association, which comprises nearly 130 churches in Cobb and metro Atlanta that provide general assistance to those in need.

Howard Koepka of the Noonday Association said the amount of food his non-profit is providing “three to four times” what it had been before the crisis.

Excess food provided by grocery stores is no longer being provided due to supply chain disruptions and stores not having some food available since the crisis.

He also said donations made to the non-profit also are down.

Cobb Chamber of Commerce CEO Sharon Mason also phoned in to urge the commissioners to provide the funding. Even after the worst of the crisis is over, she said, “Cobb’s most vulnerable populations will continue to be hit hard.”

Boyce said there will be a special-called meeting to take up the funding request, but he did not give a date, saying only it will be “sometime in the very near future.”

He said he wants to have “something to take to the board in a format that they can vote on.”

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East Cobb, Northeast Cobb YMCA help to provide food relief

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East Cobb Northeast Cobb YMCA food relief
Misty Latham, Northeast Cobb Family YMCA staff

Submitted information and photos:

The YMCA of Metro Atlanta is serving the community amid the coronavirus outbreak by providing hunger relief for children and families. To date, the Y has distributed 26,180meals and more than 6,264backpacks of food.

In Cobb county, McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA and Northwest Cobb Family YMCA have packed over 2,464 backpacks supporting Marietta City School students and families. Additionally, nearly 1,480 grab and go meals have been served from four Early Learning Centers – one of which is Chattahoochee Early Learning Center in Cobb county.

Northeast Cobb YMCA/ Marietta City Schools

Northeast Cobb YMCA serves as a delivery site for the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Volunteers package 250 bags of food each week to be delivered to school district families with their lunch.

Chattahoochee Early Learning Center

All snacks and meals are distributed through drive-thru pickup to maintain social distancing. Early learning families can pick up their lunch and backpack meals at Chattahoochee Early Learning Center from 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Mount Paran North Church

All donations given to Mount Paran North Church are being delivered by Cobb YMCA staff and volunteers to the following nearby hotels and apartment complexes: Green Roof Inn, Superior Creek Lodge, Woodlands of Kennesaw, InTown KSU and InTown Marietta.

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Kettle Krush 5K becomes virtual Race in Place broadcast

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Kettle Krush 5K

Submitted information:

Due to current coronavirus shelter-in-place restrictions, the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary has revised plans for its annual Kettle Krush 5K walk/run fundraiser so the race can go on – just in a different format. 

The event will now be a Race in Place awards event broadcast on Facebook Live (www.Facebook.com/KKAtlanta5K) on May 16 at 9 a.m. that can be viewed from the comfort of everyone’s own homes, according to east Cobb resident Cindy Theiler, the auxiliary’s president and event co-chair. “We decided not to postpone or cancel the event because The Salvation Army needs our financial support more than ever now – particularly during this COVID-19 crisis – to help “krush” poverty, homelessness, and sex trafficking, and support veterans and youth enrichment in the metro Atlanta area, including in Cobb County. 

“Any participant can now win the top race awards in our awards drawing because no running or walking is required,” said Dawn Menear, east Cobb resident and event co-chair. “We will still promote individual and team participation and have a drawing for top male and female runners and top male and female masters runners as well as 16 age groups from 10 & under to 80 & over.” 

In addition, drawings for special giveaways and team awards for the top 2 teams that have the most participants registered (minimum 10) will be provided. Alicia Roberts, CBS46 news anchor, will emcee the event once again this year.

Registration is available at ItsYourRace.com; $30 per participant if received by May 6 and $35 through May 14. Donations can also be made by check payable to The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary with “Kettle Krush” on the bottom “for” line of the check and mailed to Kettle Krush c/o Salvation Army, 1000 Center Place, Norcross, GA, 30093. 

The auxiliary, that includes about 40 east Cobb women, annually coordinates the Kettle Krush 5K. Mt. Bethel UMC is the title sponsor for this year’s event. 

Anyone is invited to tune into the broadcast, which will feature the awards drawing for race awards and giveaways as well as information about The Salvation Army’s initiatives, including during COVID-19. 

If you have any questions about Kettle Krush Race in Place, please contact Menear at [email protected] or Theiler at [email protected]. 

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Center for Family Resources gets COVID-19 emergency funding

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Submitted information:Center for Family Resources

The Center for Family Resources (CFR) announced today that it has received funding to provide emergency financial assistance for Cobb County families, including assistance with rent, mortgage and utility payments to ensure housing stability. The CFR is providing access to basic needs for families who currently fall below 200% of the Federal Poverty guidelines. Funding has been provided through grants from Cobb Community Foundation through the Cobb COVID-19 Response Fund, Cobb EMC Foundation, and the Greater Atlanta COVID-19 Recovery and Response Fund.

“Stabilizing families and providing a safety net during challenging times ties directly into our mission,” says Lee Freeman-Smith, Vice President of Operations for the CFR. “This critical funding will immediately impact families in critical need of services throughout Cobb County. With more than 22 million Americans filing for unemployment and lower wage earners disproportionately impacted, the need for financial assistance will be tremendous,” she continued.

Currently, the CFR has over $170,000 in financial assistance available. However, it anticipates the requests for assistance are easily triple that amount. Many of those impacted were already living on a limited income, and any reduction to hours and pay can cause a huge disruption to a family’s budget. The CFR serves over 12,000 people a year and helps more than 700 families with housing and rent assistance. In the past two weeks, they have received over 160 calls for assistance related to COVID-19. Those calls are in addition to the inquiries from individuals who were already in need of services prior to the pandemic.

Melanie Kagan, CEO at the CFR, adds, “Keeping families stably-housed and with access to basic needs is imperative. Our goal is to help families stay as current as possible with rent and mortgage payments. What we don’t want is for these families to be 2-4 months behind in paying these expenses, and have no way of climbing out of that hole. The financial impacts on our community and many others are going to be severe.”

For people seeking assistance, contact the CFR at (770) 428-2601. All inquiries are being taken over the phone, and the agency is not open to walk-ins in an effort to maintain a safe environment for staff and clients. Anyone who would like to donate to the emergency assistance fund at the CFR can make their tax-deductible donation at www.thecfr.org/give. 

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East Cobb’s Meadowgrove Club to hold MUST food drive

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Meadowgrove Club food drive

Thanks to Kirsten “KT” McClellan for the above photo and details about a food drive at the  Meadowgrove Club this weekend to help MUST Ministries feed the needy during the Coronavirus crisis.

The dates are Saturday and Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day in the club parking lot at 2850 Meadow Grove Way.

That’s in the Grove Meade neighborhood, located off Terrell Mill Road near East Cobb Middle School and Brumby Elementary School.

Kirsten says they’re accepting dry canned and food donations with social distancing and disinfecting protocols in place.

Here’s the list of items they’re collection to be turned over to MUST Ministries, which is continuing its Food Rapid Response drive that began in March with school and business closings.

Also on the first link is a traffic flow map to follow for a safe and expedient collection process.

Send Us Your News!

If you have Coronavirus-related event changes, business openings or closings to share with the public, e-mail us: [email protected].

Contact us at the same e-mail address for news about efforts to assist those in need, health care workers, first responders and others on the frontlines of combatting Coronavirus in East Cobb.

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