This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

🌱 Church Pantry Robbed + Free Pet Adoptions + Blood Donor Study

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Atlanta.

Kathy Cioffi, Community Contributor
|
(Patch)

Welcome back, Atlanta! Let's get you all caught up to start this Sunday, February 6 off on an informed note. These are the most important things happening around Atlanta today.

First, today's weather:

Mostly sunny. High: 49 Low: 36.

🏡 Are you a local real estate agent? Let us help you generate leads, build your brand in Atlanta and stand apart from the competition. Click here to learn more.

Here are the top 5 stories in Atlanta today:

  1. An Atlanta church with a mission to feed the hungry is finding that difficult to accomplish after thieves robbed its food pantry twice in a single week. F. Keith Slaughter, the pastor of Beloved Community Church of Atlanta, 1113 Ira Street SW, said robbers broke in overnight on Feb. 1 and stole $2,000 worth of goods. Then they came back two days later and took what was left. "It makes it really disheartening to feel that people would steal from us when everything is free," Slaughter said. Donations to help the church recover from the thefts are being accepted, he said. (FOX 5 Atlanta)
  2. LifeLine Animal Project, the organization that manages the Fulton and DeKalb County shelters, is celebrating 20 years of lifesaving with a goal to save 200 more lives in just four days. Beginning Friday and continuing through Monday, adoption fees will be waived on all pets at all shelters, thanks to a grant from Petco Love. Every pet also will be spayed/neutered, microchipped and vaccinated, over a $200 value. Additionally, in honor of the 20-year milestone, the first 20 adopters at any of the three locations will receive a gift bag with pet treats. To view available animals, shelter hours and other information, go to LifeLineAnimal.org/adopt. (Fultoncounty.gov)
  3. As the American Red Cross faces its worst blood crisis in more than a decade, a new study is underway that may result in the FDA easing blood donor restrictions for sexually active gay and bisexual men. In 1983, the federal government banned men who have sex with other men from donating blood at all. While restrictions have since been walked back, the FDA still requires them to abstain from sex for 90 days before donating. Now Atlanta is one of eight cities taking part in a federal study that could help shift that policy. The Atlanta Pride Committee is partnering with the local Red Cross in a nationwide FDA study looking at how to change or eliminate the 90-day rule. Men in the study will take a brief survey, give blood and participate in follow-up information. The study is called Assessing Donor Variability And New Concepts in Eligibility, or ADVANCE, and researchers are looking for gay and bisexual men ages 18 to 39 who have had sex with men in the past three months to take part. Participants will be compensated for their time. Anyone interested can sign up by clicking here or calling (888) 689-0001. (11Alive.com WXIA)
  4. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the country's busiest airport, and one of its concourses is more crowded than the others. Now planners are hoping to change that. The D Concourse is just two-thirds the size of the other facilities that house airline gates, and plans are being considered to widen the entire concourse. Currently it's 60 feet wall-to-wall, but when gates, seating areas and restaurants are factored in, the actual walking space is less than 20 feet. To get started on renovations, Balram Bheodari, the airport's general manager, has asked the city council for $5 million. (FOX 5 Atlanta)
  5. Monday, Feb. 1, Imani Jones had a hankering for a spicy chicken sandwich. And the expectant mom, who was about a week away from her due date, no sooner indulged her craving than labor began. "Me and my mom went to Chick-Fil-A, I got a spicy chicken sandwich. Next thing you know, he was on the way," Jones said. As if having his arrival forever associated with a fast-food chain's spicy sandwich wasn't memorable enough, baby Jabourie's birth occurred at 2:22 p.m. on 2/2/22. And his mom is nothing short of thrilled. "I feel everything, I feel happy, I feel like it's a miracle, I feel everything, I'm overwhelmed with joy," she said. (WSB Atlanta)

Today in Atlanta:

  • Celebrate National Pancake Month at Flying Biscuit Cafe Toco Hills (7:00 AM)
  • Horizon Theatre Performance of "Every Brilliant Thing" at Little Five Points Center for Arts and Community (1:00 PM)
  • Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" at Synchronicity Theatre (5:00 PM)
  • Hot Chocolate 15/5k Atlanta at Centennial Olympic Park (7:30 PM)
  • Mad Hatter's (Gin &) Tea Party at Underground Atlanta (8:00 PM)

From my notebook:

  • Take a look at this gorgeous snap from the King & Queen to Buckhead to Midtown via @smilinmarkwsb. #atlantasnaps" (Instagram)
  • The Atlanta Humane Society is 🗣 calling all WFH warriors! Are you in desperate need of a paw-sonal assistant? Look no further than Dani! We can't promise she'll complete any assignments. To be honest, she'll spend most of her time napping on the clock or gazing at birds out the window. But she's trying her best, okay? What we CAN promise, though, is that Dani will provide endless moral support to those who are patient with her. Her past performance reviews show that while she's a bit shy at first, she has collaborated well with other cats and has come to work with a great attitude. Would you like to promote Dani to "Adopted?" Learn more about her here: atlantahumane.org/dani (Facebook)
  • The Atlanta History Center reminds us that Constance Baker Motley, born during the Great Depression, was expected to find herself a good career as a hairdresser. Instead, she became the first Black woman to argue a case in front of the Supreme Court. The only Black woman member in the legal team at the NAACP's Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc. at the time, she defended MLK in Birmingham, helped to argue in Brown vs. The Board of Education and played a critical role in vanquishing Jim Crow laws throughout the South. She was the first Black woman elected to the state Senate in New York, the first woman elected Manhattan Borough President, and the first Black woman appointed to the federal judiciary. In "Civil Rights Queen" Tomiko Brown-Nagin captures the story of a remarkable American life, a figure who remade law and inspired the imaginations of African Americans across the country. (Facebook)
  • Atlanta Botanical Garden asks: Brussel Sprouts: 👍 or 👎 ? The Edible Garden is currently lush with 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘢, a cool-weather veggie with miniature cabbage-like buds. The edible sprouts grow on the sides of the stalks. 🥬 (Facebook)
  • Atlanta Habitat for Humanity & ReStore thanks Northside United Methodist Church for kicking off another house build last Saturday! Our homebuyer Belinda is very excited to work alongside members of Northside over the next nine weeks to build her home together. This is Northside's seventh project with Habitat, and it is thanks to generous sponsors like them that we can build more affordable housing around Atlanta. (Facebook)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

Announcements:

Other classifieds:

Loving the Atlanta Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

Thanks for following along and staying informed! See you tomorrow for your next update.

— Kathy Cioffi

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Atlanta