29 Food Pantries Will Open In Cobb County For Families In Need

COBB COUNTY, GA — Twenty-nine food pantries inside Cobb County schools will begin distributing food on Wednesday to families in need thanks to MUST Ministries.

• South Cobb area pantries will open Wednesday, March 18 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
• West area pantries will open Thursday, March 19 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
• North/ East Cobb & Smyrna pantries will be open Friday, March 20 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

“The MUST Food Rapid Response program will launch this week using our existing MUST Neighborhood Pantry locations in schools,” said MUST Ministries President and CEO, Ike Reighard.

“We are grateful to have access to the food in our 29 Cobb County Schools pantries and be able to establish a base for distribution. Hungry families from throughout the county – even if their students attend a school without a pantry – will be welcomed to pick up a food box to last about two weeks.”

Additional Food Pick Up Locations:

MUST Ministries Marietta
1407 Cobb Parkway, Marietta

MUST Ministries Smyrna
460 Pat Mell Road, Smyrna

Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Cobb Schools Food and Nutrition Services will help stock the pantries with items that would otherwise be served to students in schools at lunch. The available food items include perishables like fresh milk, juice, and produce.

To help “flatten the curve” and to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the food boxes will only be available for curbside pickup.

Because the food boxes include enough food for an entire family, for two weeks, not just students, families do not need to go to a location every day to pick up items. The food pantry food boxes are designed to operate once every two weeks, which will further decrease the spread of germs, said MUST Ministries.

“The MUST team has been working virtually around the clock to collect food and fill family food boxes for distribution for at-risk students and their families,” Reighard said. “The outpouring of concern for the children has led to food donations, financial donations to purchase food, and a list of volunteers who want to help, but much more food is needed. How gratifying to know we live in such a caring community.”

MUST Ministries Donations and Volunteers Needed:
Cobb Schools is partnering with MUST Ministries to feed those in need while schools are closed. To find out how you can help, visit: MUST Ministries.

One way, the community can help is by helping fill food boxes and bringing them to the Donation Center at 1280 Cobb Parkway North, Tuesday – Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. If groups and individuals donate the filled boxes, it will greatly help MUST’s efforts to feed more at-risk children and their families.