Free food, by the numbers:
Food: 35,000 pounds, including 180 cases of cranberry juice, 105 cases of cream of chicken soup, and 100 cases of 10- pound bag of chicken leg quarters.
Estimated value of groceries given to each family: More than $100
Volunteers: 103, including 16 inmates from the county jail
Households served: 985
Individuals served: 2,657
Clayton: 696 households and 2,128 people
Henry: 105 households and 205 people
DeKalb: 45 households and 68 people
Fulton: 64 households and 140 people
Spalding: 26 households and 31 people
Fayette: 13 households and 19 people
Gwinnett: 12 households and 22 people
Chatham: 2 households and 6 people
Cobb: 10 households and 12 people
Douglas: 12 households and 26 people
Source: Community Outreach In Action Inc.
Early Saturday, when most people would be sleeping in, hundreds of cars snaked through the parking lot of the Harold Banke Justice Center in Jonesboro, waiting to load up on free groceries.
“There’s such a need in Clayton for food,” said Janice Dixon, head of Community Outreach in Action, a community-service nonprofit she founded four years ago.
But Saturday’s giveaway drew not only Clayton residents but families from as far as Gwinnett County and as early as 4:30 a.m. — five hours before the event was scheduled to start. The event actually began around 9 because there were so many people waiting in double lines in their cars. At one point, the lines stretched at least a half mile.
More than 100 volunteers — including 16 inmates from the county jail — distributed 35,000 pounds of fresh produce, chicken, canned goods, bread and other items. The food was donated by the Atlanta Community Food Bank and Midwest Food Bank in Peachtree City as well as Publix, Wal-Mart, Kroger and Sam’s Club. Although people filled out questionnaires about size of family and income, no one was turned away. Saturday’s giveaway is one of four the nonprofit does during the year and is conjunction with the USDA/TEFAP program.
“This means a lot. It helps make ends meet,” said Calvin Matthews, who drove up from Griffin.
Hunger is prevalent on the southside, especially now, as many families start to see their food stamps stripped away, Dixon said. With school set to end in a couple of weeks, the need is even greater, she added.
“People have problems feeding their kids during the summer so we want to offer them a hand,” Dixon said. “We want to help kids and parents during the summer.”
She estimates one in seven families south of I-20 rely on some sort of food assistance such as a food pantry.
The need became clear to Dixon in 2012. Unemployed at the time, she decided to start a small school pantry. From there, the organization — and demand — grew and spread out into the community. Even after she went to work full-time, Dixon continued to run Community Outreach.
“There’s a food desert in Clayton. I started this to bridge the gap,” Dixon said.
On Saturday, volunteers worked with the precision of fast-food workers taking orders at a drive-through. They quickly loaded cars with boxes and bags of food, depending on whether they had a slip of paper with the number 1 or 2 on their windshield. That let volunteers know how many families were represented in the car.
Hampton resident Charles Webb arrived about three hours before the giveaway started. The lines of cars was already growing. Webb is 52, disabled and on a fixed income. For Webb, the bag of chicken, spaghetti, canned corns and peas were welcomed.
“It’s a blessing.”
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