Sweet Tea: What neighbors are for

Happy November, and Happy Dia de los Muertos. It’s a time to make friends with death, to keep those who have passed through the veil close to our hearts. It’s interesting that such a holiday falls at a time when the South is seeing dropping temperatures and crumbling leaves — the first signs of the long winter ahead. But as days get colder there rises a deathless sense of gratitude for life’s most basic gifts: family and friends, the smell of the house the first time you turn on the heat, a nourishing meal. How do you pay that gratitude forward to those who go without?

Hey there, I’m so glad you’re here. Welcome to Sweet Tea by the AJC, a newsletter for refreshing, positive stories from around the South. Sit and stay awhile. We have so much to tell you.

NEIGHBORS IN NEED

Volunteers pack food at the Hunger Action Center at the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Around the South, people are taking care of their neighbors who lost SNAP benefits Saturday.

We take care of each other here. Isn’t that the point of it all? Today is the first day millions of people across the country will be living without Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, an essential lifeline for underprivileged families and people facing unimaginable challenges. Everywhere you look, people are stepping up to make sure their neighbors are cared for during this difficult time.

💵 Pay what you can, give what you can

In Raleigh, North Carolina, a pay-what-you-can restaurant called A Place at the Table has been serving meals and coffee to people in need since 2018. As SNAP cuts loomed, the restaurant sent a message to the Raleigh community:

“We are here. We’re here to offer a warm meal, good conversation, and a space to take the load off when the rest of the world feels heavy.”

To help out, the restaurant suggested people visit and pay for a meal or give what they can to pay for others. Read more from A Place at the Table

🍎 Share your bounty

In Bellevue, Tennessee, a local farmer is offering his food to hungry Tennesseans, and says he knows what it’s like to go without.

Shaun Daugherty runs S.E. Daugherty and Sons Farm. He knows firsthand that farm life has its ups and downs. Now that he’s established, he’s giving away fresh food — like bread, apples, potatoes and other produce — to families that have lost SNAP benefits.

“I don’t think as a community you wait on people who are in those positions to take care of you,” he told WTVF. “I think you take care of each other.”

🤝🏼 Join forces

In Gulfport, Mississippi, several groups joined forces to give away 50,000 pounds of food to stock people up before SNAP benefits ran out. To the charity leaders and businesses who contributed, it’s just how Mississippi does.

“Mississippi is one of the most charitable, giving states in the nation, and now we need to lean in on that,” said Jeffrey Hulum, a state representative and CEO of Extend a Hand, Help a Friend. Read more from WLOX

🫶🏽 Want to help people in your community? Here are some ideas.

ATLANTA’S JAMAICAN COMMUNITY STEPS UP

Evette Taylor-Reynolds is one of many in the Atlanta Jamaican community connecting people and organizing supplies for victims of Hurricane Melissa.

I have a rule here: If AJC reporter Ernie Suggs writes it, it’s worth a read. He has a beautiful write-up about how the Jamaican community in Atlanta has stayed connected to the island during the devastation of Hurricane Melissa.

• Jamaican Georgians have connected with embassies and created an information network to get friends and relatives to safety on the island, even a country away.
• Did you know Newton County, east of Atlanta, has one of the highest percentage Jamaican populations in the country? It ranks behind the Bronx and Brooklyn in NYC, and Florida’s Broward County.

💚 READ MORE: Jamaican Atlanta population ‘may be small, but it’s powerful’

SIPS FROM AROUND THE SOUTH

🕺🏾 Lexington, KY: Happy Halloween, indeed! Hundreds of “zombies” showed up for an elaborate “Thriller” parade featuring Michael Jackson impersonators and impressive dancing. The best part, one participant said, was seeing younger generations enjoying the iconic music. More from the Kentucky Kernel

🧡 Atlanta, GA: Couples got spooky and sweet with Halloween weddings at the Fulton County Probate Court. The probate judge who hosted the ceremonies, complete with costumes and dramatic details, says it’s one of her favorite things to do. More from the AJC, including sweet photos

🛻 Selma, AL: A classic car cruise-in (which is like a show, but without competition) and trunk-or-treat event raised money for Arise Services Male to Man Mentoring. The organization pairs vetted men with young people who don’t have a male role model in their lives. More from Black Belt News Network

🌳 Appalachian Mountains, NC: Billionaire Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney is one of the largest landowners in North Carolina, and it’s all for conservation. He’s purchased tens of thousands of acres to contribute to “conservation corridors,” swaths of natural land protected from development. He’s also donated thousands of acres to the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. More from The News & Observer

🦪 Gulf Shores, AL: The Little Lagoon Preservation Society hosted an oyster harvesting day to educate people about the environmental importance of the little mollusks. The harvested oysters were used to boost habitat restoration in the area. More from Gulf Coast Media

TELL US SOMETHING GOOD