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Local non-profits seek advocacy in new year By SYDNEY DANGREMOND sydney@appenmedia.com NORTH METRO ATLANTA — Rising inflation and housing costs are putting those facing financial and housing hardships at higher risk in the new year. Local nonprofits like The Place of Forsyth, North Fulton Community Charities and The Drake House have seen exponential growth in the number of community members requesting their services beginning in the latter half of 2021. “Closing out 2021, we have seen a continual need for food, clothing and housing assistance in Forsyth County,” said Jacob Granados, director of Purposeful Engagement at The Place of Forsyth. “Though our food pantry numbers are lower than last year, they are still over 100% higher than pre-pandemic times.” Even with unemployment at 2.8% in Georgia, there remain many people struggling to find work that will allow them to pay rent, Granados said. Fair market value for a two-bedroom rental is about $1,200 and up, he said, far out of reach for those working full time at $15 an hour. The Place has experienced a change in needs over recent years based on the severity of the pandemic, government benefits available and other factors, he said. “Most recently we have seen an uptick in the number of people seeking food and rental assistance,” Granados said. “Not only are housing costs high, people at the checkout counter have seen an increase in their grocery bills increasing the number of families seeking out supplemental nutrition from our pantry.” Granados said that for most nonprofits, monetary donations provide the most help, because they give the organization the flexibility to adapt to needs as they arise. “We do still need food drives, clothing drives… those things are important, but for those who are able to give monthly and/or yearly, please do,” he said. “With the omicron variant growing and the pandemic still wreaking havoc, our ability to predict future needs and trends has greatly diminished.” In 2021, The Place served more than 1,000 individual households representing more than 3,300 individuals with food assistance from its pantry. One-third of those families were first-time food pantry visitors. Conditions are no less dire for some families in North Fulton County. “The biggest struggles we started seeing was due to inflation
Missing girl, mother found safe in Mexico; Cumming man faces kidnapping charges By CHAMIAN CRUZ chamian@appenmedia.com
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Officials with The Place of Forsyth and other charitable organizations say the need for food, clothing and monetary gifts will remain strong through the new year as inflation and housing costs continue to sap paychecks. and the cost of food,” said Holly York, executive director of North Fulton Community Charities. “We were seeing demand increase 50%, 75%, 100% more than the year before.” North Fulton Community Charities serves individuals and families with emergency need in the community by providing food, clothing, financial assistance and life skills and workforce readiness classes. And while she has seen dramatic increases in need in the North Fulton community, York said she hasn’t seen the same reflected by the Atlanta Community Food Bank. The need is more localized to North Fulton. Atlanta Community Food Bank President and CEO Kyle Waide told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in December the nonprofit has seen a leveling off of demand in recent months which he attributed to a decrease in unemployment and the child tax credit. “We were shocked to see those numbers when our numbers kept increasing,” York told the paper. Beyond an inability to afford food for their families, NFCC patrons are also being priced out of their homes, York said. “But we are seeing an exodus from the community based on rents on average going up about 16-20%,” York said. “We’ve had
Housing market shows no sign of weakening.
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FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Cumming Police Chief David Marsh said Tuesday afternoon that a 6-year-old girl and her mother who had been reportedly abducted the day after Christmas were found safe in Mexico and are now back in the U.S. with law enforcement officials. Alexis R. Zecena-Lopez, 55, of Cumming, has been arrested in connection with their kidnapping and is awaiting extradition, Marsh said. The suspect is the father of Rachel Zecena and the ex-husband of Rachel’s mother, Balvanera Esperanza Parada-Olivas, 45. “This is still an ongoing investigation, and I will only release limited details of his capture for now, but I am very thankful to the U.S. Marshals and FBI for all the hard work they put into helping track down Esperanza and Rachel and bringing them home safely,” Marsh said. According to the initial incident report, the mother and daughter were taken against their will Dec. 26, when Parada-Olivas went to pick her daughter up from Zecena-Lopez’s home in Cumming. An Amber
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