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Religious organizations rally resources to help community JEFFREY ALBERTSON newsroom@appenmediagroup.com DUNWOODY, Ga. — Dunwoody religious organizations have rallied resources and partnerships to meet community needs including food assistance, housing security and winter clothing. With no cessation in sight for the pandemic, complex demands have spiked leaving many families exasperated. The assistance has aided families in Dunwoody and around the world. Volunteers from First Baptist Church Atlanta have led the way assisting seniors, refugees and children through several missions. The church’s preschool created care cards for residents
at Cedarhurst Assisted Living Facility. Last spring, the church assembled and donated 280 Easter baskets for three assisted living facilities. A mission partnership with Idong Ekandem collected food and essential items and made deliveries over two weeks to refugees living in nearby Clarkston. “This pandemic has heightened our awareness of the pressing needs all around us. We have been inspired to do more by the example of other congregations in Dunwoody who are doing so much to show God’s love to those in need,” Senior Pastor Dr. Anthony George said. The church has held six Red Cross Blood drives collecting at least 500 life-
saving units. On Dec. 19, the church partnered with Operation Care International to host “The Gift Atlanta,” as part of the “Largest Christmas party in the World.” Protective masks were also a high priority for the church and a local synagogue. Volunteers from Temple Emanu-El stitched and donated 255 masks. The synagogue’s Social Justice Committee has collected 2,380 pounds of food for the Community Assistance Center (CAC), delivered 3,500 lunches to women and children at the Mary Hall Freedom Village, and donated 350 coats for men, women, and children. Home cooked hot meals were provided to the Zaban-Para-
dies Center, a couples-focused homeless shelter in downtown Atlanta. “There are many families — right here in Dunwoody and Sandy Springs — who are cold and hungry. It is our sacred obligation to help them,” Julie Mokotoff and Wendy Frank, the Co-Chairs of the Social Justice Committee said. Consistent food delivery became an early and continued priority for Dunwoody Baptist Church. The church delivered food to six local non-profits, who feed over 1,000 people per week. In three months, 12,000 pounds of food were delivered. Volunteers are tutoring children served by
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Dunwoody Nature Center outlines future projects By CATHY COBBS newsroom@appenmediagroup.com
SPECIAL
Dunwoody High School senior Avery Maxwell works on her beehive observation deck for her Eagle Scout project. Maxwell is Dunwoody’s first female Eagle Scout.
DUNWOODY, Ga. — The Dunwoody Nature Center’s 2021 vision involves giving back, adding to, and taking away – and it’s asking for volunteers to help. Since the onset of the pandemic, the center has been adjusting its programs to adhere with social distancing mandates, reducing class sizes, moving activities outdoors and expanding offerings that appeal to groups of all ages. In terms of fundraising and
participation, it appears the strategy is working. “We are really happy about the way we ended the year,” DNC Executive Director Michael Cowan said. “While many of our activities won’t come back until the fall, we are expanding others.” One new program set to gear up in late January, the Certified Forest Stewards, will involve dedicated volunteers helping to eradicate non-native species that have invaded the 22-acre park.
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