It's Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week: November 12 - 20th

By Maryann Schroder

At noon on a chilly Wednesday in late October, a group of about twenty people waited in the parking lot of Athens Resource Center for Hope, in front of the Homeless Day Services building, for the American Lunch food truck to arrive. Some came in by foot; others by bus; and more than a few in older model cars. A modest but steady influx brought the number to well over sixty before the end of the lunch hour.

There are no questions asked of guests. The goal of the American Lunch and other community organizations that serve people in need is simply to share.

Efforts to assist homeless individuals and families in Athens come from a variety of sources, including business-led charities like the American Lunch, run by FIVE Restaurant and Bar, and local nonprofits. It also includes government funded programs that help with housing. In Athens, member agencies of the Northeast Georgia Homeless and Poverty Coalition help people connect with those resources.

It’s important to get the word out about what is available.

Informal networks sometimes spread the word. Dane Henderson, general manager of FIVE, which runs the American Lunch, said that many of their lunch guests learn about resources through word of mouth. Exceptions are people new to Athens. When asked, he tells them of the Sparrow’s Nest, a local nonprofit organization that helps the homeless.

Jamie Scott, executive director of Sparrow’s Nest, said that they offer showers, laundry, food and supplies, and counseling. They also help people find their way to other services.

The same is true of Action Ministries, a member organization of the coalition. Besides meals seven days a week and services like employment search support, Action gives information about other resources, including help with housing, explained Solomon Smothers, program director. The idea is to get those experiencing homelessness on a path to stability and permanent housing.

Student-run groups from the University of Georgia help out too.

AthensPBJs, a local nonprofit started in 2007 by a group of UGA students, brings sack lunches to downtown Athens every Sunday afternoon and stays to socialize. Rachel Deese, regional director and current UGA student, said that their goal is as much to build bridges between people who ordinarily wouldn’t get to know each other as it is to provide lunch.

Doenya Eghtesadi, UGA student and member of the Backpack Project, which distributes heavy duty backpacks filled with useful items to homeless individuals on the streets of Athens and Atlanta, emphasized the same thing.

“People have all these stigmas about homeless people. But really, we’re not different from each other,” she said.

Ryan Halsey, community development coordinator with Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County and executive committee member of the coalition, said that helping groups, including student-run organizations, are welcomed to join coalition efforts.

“They are a good way of providing support and meeting an immediate need,” he said. Although they are not able to fix the problem of homelessness, that’s where member agencies of the coalition come in, pointing people to the right place for help all of kinds, including housing.

Guests of the American Lunch on that Wednesday afternoon sat in chairs set up for their use or stood nearby with their meals of seafood gumbo, garlic bread, and beverage. Many socialized; some did not, and quite a few went back for seconds.

On Thanksgiving, FIVE will host its third Thanksgiving Day Charity Feast, served free in their dining room from 11 – 4. It promises to be replete with an assortment of traditional Thanksgiving dishes, and all are welcomed. Those wishing to volunteer can call Dane Henderson at FIVE.