Athens Community Council on Aging (ACCA) and the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia Partner to End Hunger in the Athens Area

and the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia are excited to announce a partnership to help end hunger in the Athens area.  One of ACCA’s 15 programs is Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, which offers support to grandparent caregivers.  One area of support from this program is to help combat food insecurity, especially during the summer months when these grandchildren will not receive free/reduced lunches and breakfast from their local schools. In addition to this program, ACCA will be a host of the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia’s mobile food pantry which will provide food to food insecure individuals. 

With a food insecurity rate of 21%, Clarke County ranks among the highest numbers of food insecure individuals in the stage.  Grandparents raising their grandchildren are at a 50% higher risk of being food insecure.  “Recent data collected found that 78% of the grandparent headed families served did not have enough food to eat. This summer food program will help fill this gap, especially once school has let out for the summer and these meals aren’t provided,” stated Paige Tidwell, Grandparent Raising Grandchildren program director. 

“This partnership is extremely important for us to insure we are getting food to these families and will start the program delivering approximately 70 bags each week,” stated Tina Laseter from the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia.  She went on to say, “Senior hunger is an issue in and of its self, let alone if you are trying to provide for your grandchildren or great grandchildren. We are excited about this opportunity to work with the Athens Community Council on Aging because we are addressing both senior and childhood hunger with this partnership.” May represents Older Americans Month and brings focus to the importance of reaching out to assist the senior population.

ACCA and the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia are asking for help from their community to make this happen.  You or your organization can drop off peanut butter, individual mac and cheese packs, fruit cups, granola bars, apple sauce cups, easy open items, individual cereal boxes, fruit juice packs, Vienna sausages, and individual cracker packs at ACCA (135 Hoyt Street, Athens). 

This program wouldn’t be possible without the combined partnership of these two agencies and generous grants from Kohl’s Department Store and Wal-Mart.   

About Grandparents Raising Grandchildren:

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren allows grandparent caregivers to have the social support services needed while facing new challenges. The social network that is created while attending support groups, events, and other activities, allows the grandparents to vent frustrations, to relieve stress, and gain support from fellow peers who understand the challenges and issues faced while raising a grandchild. Grandparents face many obstacles while raising their grandchildren. Along with the usual demands that are involved in becoming a parent, grandparent caregivers may also face many other challenges. These challenges may include emotional, social, financial, and legal issues. In addition to these challenges, grandparents may have some of the following issues: poverty, poor health, delaying retirement or quitting work early, inadequate housing, inadequate transportation, loss of the traditional grandparent role, caring for other family members, loss of personal freedom, and/or not fitting in with other parents.

About the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia:

Founded in 1992, the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia began feeding the hungry with limited distribution of approximately 300,000 pounds of food to 36 agencies. Since that time we have grown tremendously distributing nearly 9.3 million pounds through 210 partner agencies in 2011. This is equivalent to 7.2 million meals. In all, we have distributed over 61 million pounds of food or 47 million meals to northeast Georgia residents who might not know where their next meal will come from.

About Athens Community Council on Aging:

The mission of the Athens Community Council on Aging is to promote a lifetime of wellness through engagement, advocacy, education and support.  Founded in 1967 by local citizens, ACCA is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization and aims to maintain and enrich the lives of older persons with 14 programs in 12 Northeast Georgia counties. ACCA’s programs enable older persons to live independently at home and offer opportunities for employment, volunteerism, and other activities. ACCA is a resource for education, information, referral, counseling, and general assistance.