OUR TOWN DEKALB (May/June 2020)

The Need For Speed!

7 Multiplying Effectiveness, Minimizing Interference: What’s Good About a Community Action Team 10 Age Friendly Tucker: The Kindness in Social Isolation 12 Wellness In-Sight: Sheltering in Place

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OurTown NE DeKalb Community and Family Magazine

A Shiny Inc Publication Editor Lizbeth A. Dison Shinycomm.com ldison@shinycomm.com Our Town DeKalb is published and direct mailed to Creative Director Jay Adcock jaywadcock@gmail.com Writers Lizbeth A. Dison Cindy E. Farrar Lois Ricci Sanah Sayani Karl Schwartz Art Wood Distribution Coordinator Emma Dison Brantley

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IN THIS ISSUE 3 Tucker Native Feels the Need for Speed 5 The Bits in Between: Here’s to Less Interesting Times 6 Beauty Byline with Sanah: Making Shelter-at-Home a Beauty Experience 7 Multiplying Effectiveness, Minimizing Interference: What’s Good About a Community Action Team 8 FODAC Run Walk ‘n’ Roll is now a Virtual Fundraiser!

9 Common Sen$e: A Couple of Things I Learned through the Pandemic 10 Age Friendly Tucker: The Kindness in Social Isolation 11 Habitat for Humanity-DeKalb Establishes Emergency Home Fund 12 Wellness In-Sight: Sheltering in Place 13 Local Church Helps Food Insecurity While Maintaining Social Distancing 14 Back Talk: The Battle of the Coronavirus ON THE COVER: Tucker teen Ax Kametches is fast on his way to a career in racing.

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On The Cover: Tucker Teen Feels the Need for Speed Nineteen-year-old Tucker native Alexander “Ax” Kametches has been in love with cars since he can remember. When on the baseball field as a small child, he was more likely to be watching what cars would drive up than keeping an eye on the ball. He was more interested in reading AutoTrader than the books on his school reading list, and he was so familiar with engine and muffler sounds that he could often tell what kind of car was approaching well before anyone could see it.

When Kametches’s parents, commercial flooring experts Greg and Kristen Kametches, owners of G2 Surfaces, started dealing in fourwheelers and dirt bikes for young riders, the nine-year-old worked in the shop and learned to assemble, repair and change parts, before moving to buying, selling and trading the bikes on his own. While recovering from baseball injuries, Ax fell in love with motor racing – a passion that would take hold of his life.

When he first approached his parents with an interest in motocross, Kametches was met with an unequivocal “no.” His research then led him to SORCS (Southern Off-Road Championship Series), a family-oriented cross-country racing series where beginners to top pros ride dirt bikes through endurance trails. His parents supported him in his pursuit of the sport, driving him to remote places around Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama to ride in weekend “hare scramblers,” five- to eight-mile tracks freshly cut through the woods. Riding around trees and over rocks at breathtaking speeds, Kametches soon began to edge out the more experienced riders.

He rode two seasons in SORCS, and even though his second season ended early because of a broken hand, he had collected enough points to end up finishing third for the season.

At fifteen, Kametches’s attention moved from dirt bikes to highperformance cars, and he and his father began to enter the monthly Autocross events at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Autocross is a timed competition in which drivers navigate one at a time through a defined course on either a sealed or an unsealed surface. Autocross differs from road racing and oval racing in that generally there is only one car on the track, driving against the clock rather than other cars. Kametches was driving his mother’s BMW Z4, and regularly beating his father who was driving a Porsche Carrera better suited for the track. He purchased a used Porsche Boxster, upgraded the

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brakes, wheels and muffler, and then set out to learn how to drive a midengine car in Autocross. His winning streak continued (including against his father), and he began to grow frustrated at the lack of training from the Autocross instructors, who were unable to provide guidance beyond an amateur level.

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As an entry-level motorsport, Autocross provides a stepping stone for drivers looking to move into other more competitive forms of racing. Kametches was ready to move beyond his amateur status and began to prod his parents into supporting his plans to attend racing school. Soon after, Primal Sports, an SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) accredited race school, opened at Atlanta Motorsports Park (AMP) in Dawsonville. Kametches’s parents gave him a threeday racing program for his 19th birthday; the school was class time and drive time with expert instructors who had racing experience. Kametches began to learn the fundamentals of competitive driving, developing the technical expertise to make driving decisions in a literal heartbeat. His mother Kristen remarked that she thought the experience “would get it out of his system,” and she was still hopeful he would follow a more traditional career path.

She couldn’t have been more wrong.

Primal Racing is a U.S. distributor for the Radical SR1, a prototype downforce race car - 0-60 in 3.5 seconds with a top speed around 135 mph. Up to this point, the only “race car” Kametches had ever driven was in the Forza video game. Stepping into the Radical was the boy’s first time on a real race track. “So much adrenaline was pumping I was almost numb,” he remembered. “This was ‘real’ driving, grit under the tires, on an open track. It was the most exciting experience in my life.” Kametches knew beyond a doubt that being a race car driver was what he was meant to do.

In December 2019, Adrian Dewey, owner of Primal Racing, invited Kametches to drive in the final race of the Primal Series season. With a field of thirteen Radical SR1 and faster SR3 cars, the competition was all about the driver.

Kametches qualified second position in both sprint races; his second qualifying time was 4/100 seconds behind the poll. He not only won both races, his fastest laps were two seconds short of the track record.

A month later, Kametches raced in his first kart race, the Simcraft 24 Hours of Orlando Endurance Kart Race. He and his team performed well, qualifying poll in the rain two seconds faster than the field of thirty-three, and finishing fourth overall. Later that month, he drove a spec Miata, his first time at Road Atlanta and his first time driving in a snow storm.

“That was a scary moment,” recalled Kametches. “So many drivers were spinning off and wrecking around me.” Despite the hazardous road conditions, his steady driving moved the team up from ninth to fourth position.

His parents have decided to support their son’s “need for speed,” recognizing his growing talent and deep passion. Kametches has signed with Raceworks, Inc., a Gainesville, Georgia “arrive and drive” business which provides and maintains formula racecars, primarily Spectrum F1600. Raceworks owner Sam Lockwood is excited about the newest addition to his team. “Ax has a lot of what I call ‘mechanical sympathy,’” Lockwood remarked. “In his first test in the Spectrum, it was like he and the car were made for each other. I’m looking forward to working with him in the 2020 racing season.”

Kametches is ready to make his mark on the racetrack, but unfortunately the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the start of the 2020 season. He is thankful for what he terms as “extra time” to plan his season properly, and hopes that the pandemic does not delay his debut in the FRP F1600 Race Series in Pittsburgh June 19-20. In the meantime, he is working on more sponsors, although his first sponsor will always be close to his heart. “I am grateful that my first sponsor was my parents’ business, G2 Surfaces, Inc., and hope to soon add more sponsors to my roster.”

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The Bits in Between: Here’s to Less Interesting Times “May you live in interesting times.” Despite being widely attributed as an ancient Chinese curse, there is no known equivalent expression in Chinese, and no actual Chinese source has ever been produced.

(The origin of this “curse” is more likely the speeches of late 19th-century British statesman Joseph Chamberlain, erroneously “quoting” some “ancient Chinese wisdom” – but that’s another story for another time.)

The saying is apocryphal while seemingly a blessing, the expression is normally used ironically. Life is better in “uninteresting times” of peace and tranquility than in “interesting” ones, which are usually times of trouble. None of us would doubt that the past five months have been “interesting times” around the globe. There hasn’t been a part of the civilized world that hasn’t been affected by COVID-19.

Since early March, most communities have been under some sort of lockdown in an attempt to “flatten the curve” – slowing the spread of the dangerous and sometimes deadly virus.

Now that we are (hopefully) seeing the light at the end of this dark time, we can shake our heads at the lows exhibited by our fellow humans but also marvel at the incredible highs generated by the ordinary members of our human family.

Truly amazing is the blossoming of community during this time. Who doesn’t shed a tear at the videos of apartment dwellers shouting cheers out their windows at the healthcare workers coming home every night? Or the quarantined residents of an Italian town staying home but each evening singing together out their windows, with neighboring instrumentalists joining in? And right here in Tucker, one only has to review the Facebook page of “Tucker Town Talk” to see the running commentary of residents offering help to neighbors (many of them strangers), from shopping trips, to wellness checks, to meal offers - and the occasional gift of much valued toilet paper!

Everyone is in a hurry to “get back to normal,” but do we really want to completely go back to the way things were? Let’s try to hold on to some things from the pandemic – the renewed sense of real community, the valued time spent with family, the realization that work is something you can do outside of an office, and that when balancing life + work, life is always the heavier weight on the scale.

May you always live in mundane times.

Lizbeth A. Dison, Publisher and Editor

email: lenlawns@comcast.net

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Beauty Byline with Sanah: Making Shelter-at-Home a Beauty Experience Sanah Sayani Before I go into this issue’s beauty tips, I want to thank all of you who are doing your part during this terrible pandemic. My thanks especially to anyone who is working to keep us safe – from medical workers to other essential workers, and everyone staying home, too. Your work and sacrifice are greatly appreciated.

I’m finding it hard to write about something as trivial as beauty when we’re in the middle of a pandemic. But I personally believe the only way to get through a trying time is by finding the silver lining. Beauty businesses are currently shut down and everyone is freaking out about their hair, eyebrows, nails, and skin. While there’s not much you can do about non-essentials being closed, you can take this time to practice some easy self-aesthetics, like thickening and growing out your eyebrows and hair, learning some new nail art, or focusing on proper skincare.

I don’t know much about nails, but I am familiar with hair and skin. For this issue, I’m going to talk about your eyebrows, eyelashes, and hair. If you’ve been trying to grow out your eyebrows and eyelashes or thicken and soften your hair, this is the perfect time to start castor oil treatments. Castor oil is a miraculous all-natural hair growth serum.

Castor oil is a vegetable oil pressed from castor beans. It is the ideal for moisturizing the scalp, promoting hair growth, protecting against hair loss, and helping lessen dandruff. Order 100% pure castor oil online and start applying it once a day on your eyebrows and eyelash line. You don’t need a

lot, just a little will do. Be consistent and I promise you’ll start seeing results. I tend to do a couple of drops per eyebrow five days a week.

I’ve also started castor oil hair treatments. The oil is pretty thick so you really have to massage it in there. I apply enough to cover all of my hair, leave it on for an hour or so, and wash it out. Don’t overdo it - it is oil after all. Too much of it and it may cause hair loss. Once a week for a couple of hours is good enough.

Take a “before” picture so you can track the growth and appearance of your eyebrows, eyelashes, and hair.

Right now, I would give anything to get my full grooming done. But there’s nothing I can do about it, so instead I’ll wear my mask and let my brows grow while keeping myself and those around me safe. We’re all in this together.

We’ll all get through this together.

See you soon!

Sanah Sayani is a master cosmetologist and owner of Thread Beauty Spa (4426 Hugh Howell Road in the Tucker Publix shopping center). Her monthly column seeks to answer readers’ beauty concerns; write to her at threadbeautyspa@gmail.com, or drop by the shop to ask her in person!

Multiplying Effectiveness, Minimizing Interference: What’s Good About a Community Action Team Tom Edmondson This past February, the Tucker Community Action Team celebrated its oneyear anniversary. In a year’s time, the movement went from seven motivated citizens meeting in a church library to a diverse mobile group with a mailing list of nearly seventy citizens. TCAT now functions as a subcommittee of the Tucker Lifelong Committee under the larger umbrella of the Tucker Civic Association. All that in a year’s time!

There are many kinds of community action teams around the world. Some are very specific in their focus on such things as economic development or health services. Other community action teams are broader in scope. Our team has decided that our special interest is the whole of Tucker itself. Why? Rarely does a successful movement begin without a perceived need. The one that occupied us in the early months of our formation was how to improve communication between volunteer groups, organizations, and city leaders. Tucker is blessed with proactive volunteers with many noble causes, including blood drives, park clean-ups, workshops for the elderly, services for the developmentally challenged, and support for those who are homeless or food-insecure. The problem is that if these groups do not know about each other or their projects, they may unintentionally interfere with each other’s effectiveness. They may also miss the opportunity to recruit and work with like-minded neighbors.

Once TCAT began to focus on communication and cooperation among Tucker’s already existing organizations, we came up with this purpose statement: “The Tucker Community Action Team exists to serve the Tucker Community through networking, information sharing, and mutual support.

We endeavor to represent Tucker’s diverse population in our meetings and activities.”

TCAT meets twice monthly from January through October; once-a-month in November and December. We always meet on Thursdays from 10:00 am until 11:00 am. The actual dates and meeting locations are listed on our Facebook page (Tucker Community Action Team), and are announced in the meetings. We don’t do “membership;” there are no dues and no one is taking attendance roll. Come when you can, share what you know, learn something new, and be part of our future.

Byline: Karl Schwartz, DC

Tom Edmondson, MTS, JSMA, Th.D. is the senior pastor of First Christian Church of Atlanta (Disciples of Christ), and a co-founder of the Tucker Community Action Team.

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FODAC Run Walk ‘n’ Roll is now a Virtual Fundraiser!

Our Town DeKalb staff Non-profit Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC) has reformatted its 20th Annual Run Walk ‘n’ Roll (RWnR) into a virtual fundraising event.

This year’s participants can run, walk, or roll at a place of their choosing, away from the crowds, on Saturday, May 9, 2020.

“COVID-19 has forced all of us to adjust our lives while we attempt to slow the spread of the virus and spare a healthcare system that is already stretched thin,” said Chris Brand, president and CEO of FODAC. “Changing our annual Run Walk ‘n’ Roll to a virtual event allows our supporters to help our mission while giving them a needed break from their housebound routines.”

One of FODAC’s major annual fundraisers, this year’s event goal is to raise $25,000; 100% of funds will provide home medical equipment (HME) at little to no cost to people with disabilities, and donations are tax deductible.

Participation in the event is easy.

1.For as little as $35, participants can register for the 2020 RWnR at fodac.org/run. Indicate that your donation is for Run, Walk ‘n’ Roll in the drop-down field while making your gift.

2.Make your plan for how you want to exercise on May 9. On the day of the virtual event, share videos and pictures of the fun during your run, walk, or roll. Make sure you tag FODAC on your posts and hashtag #MovingwithFODAC. FODAC will share posts on its social media feeds.

3.Encourage others to donate in honor of your participation in the 2020 RWnR. Registrants will receive details on how you can raise awareness and raise funds for people with disabilities. The participant who raises the most money for FODAC will receive a prize and a special shout out on FODAC social media.

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FODAC is a nonprofit organization that fills a unique role: it provides HME such as wheelchairs, power chairs, walkers, patient lifts and hospital beds at little or no cost to people with disabilities and their families, seeking to enhance the quality of life for people of all ages who have any type of mobility impairment, either temporary or permanent. Most of FODAC’s HME is collected through donations of used equipment which the organization cleans, repairs and reissues to those in need. Last year, FODAC provided over 8,500 HME items to recipients with disabilities and their families. This year, FODAC has also been heavily involved with distributing personal protective gear (PPG) and medical equipment like respirators to healthcare facilities throughout Georgia, partnering with Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) and National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) in the fight against COVID-19.

Sponsors for the 2020 RWnR include Stone Mountain Park, Combined Services, Kids ‘R’ Kids, Emory Alliance Credit Union, Marathon Financial Strategies, Fulton County Government Department of Community Development, DeKalb County Government Human Services Department, Strickland & Schwartz LLC, and VGM Group.

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Common Sen$e: A Couple of Things I Learned through the Pandemic Art Wood

As I write this, we have been under Shelter-In-Place restrictions for about three weeks. I think I speak for most of us when I say this is something that NONE of us have ever experienced before. As with any new experience, the important thing is that we learn from it.

The biggest surprise for me in all of this was the report that 40% of Americans would struggle to pay a $400 unexpected bill, OR, if they lose $400 in income, it would throw them into a tailspin. My point in bringing this up is not about the details in the report, but that we as Americans are often ill-prepared for the unexpected. My last two columns here have had to do with New Year’s Resolutions and budget planning. Those columns were good prerequisites for what I am saying here. We spend too much time “keeping up with the Joneses” and using words like “need” when really it is just a “want.”

When we come out of all this mess, we have to prioritize improving our preparations for the unexpected. You can start by putting $10, $100, $1,000 per month (depending on your income level) in a bank account that you only touch in an emergency. The goal is to eventually have two to three months of expenses locked away in savings “in case of emergency,” whether that emergency is a car repair, a medical treatment...or the next COVID-19.

The other insight I gained from this is a renewed sense of “togetherness” and “hope.” It is amazing to see how people come together when there is a need. I remember the same thing happened after 9/11. Our nation bonded together unlike anything I had ever seen in my life. The exact same thing is happening with the recent pandemic, but it has been a global phenomenon.

We are seeing healthcare workers leave their families for the front lines of the virus. People are going out of their way to assist the elderly as they are most at risk. Thousands of masks have been made by hand and donated. The list goes on and on!

My hope, like after that fateful day in 2001, is that we will continue to come

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together and not let this “togetherness” fade when this is all over. There are so many things in the world that try to tear us apart, but at the end of the day, we are people, and we are stronger together!

Art Wood (NMLS #118234) is the branch manager of Legacy Mortgage Team of Goldwater Bank, located at 2341 Main Street in downtown Tucker. “Tucker’s Mortgage Guy” for fifteen years, he is a former Tucker Tiger (Class of ’92), and co-founder and organizer of Taste of Tucker. Family guy, community guy, and definitely not your typical mortgage guy - it’s all that he does that makes Art Wood who he is. Contact him at 678.534.5834 or art.wood@goldwaterbank.com.

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Habitat for Humanity-DeKalb Establishes Emergency Home Fund

Age Friendly Tucker: The Kindness in Social Isolation

Our Town DeKalb Staff To donate to Habitat for Humanity-DeKalb’s Emergency Home Fund, go to dekalbhabitat.org, call Jasmine Moore at 770.270.6813, ext. 101, or mail a check to Habitat for Humanity DeKalb, PO Box 403, Tucker, Georgia, 30085. Please note that donation is for Emergency Home Fund.

Lois Ricci The current reality of social isolation is affecting people of all ages.

Research has found that social isolation and loneliness is a real health problem, both physically and mentally. AARP reports show that the physical toll of isolation on seniors is considerable. Those who have few meaningful social interactions may die younger. When coupled with a greater propensity for catching illnesses, isolation creates a great strain on seniors, increasing worry, hopelessness and loneliness. Isolation is usually thought to be more common in older people, but the arrival of COVID-19 has every age feeling its effects.

We are all socially distancing ourselves to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The CDC recommends that we avoid crowds, and that everyone stay home as much as possible. Travel bans and recommendations prevent connecting in person. Restaurants are closed and many are not sure of the safety of the delivered foods. Grocery stores will deliver but for many, the order will not be delivered for five to seven days.

While social distancing has the positive effect of slowing down the pandemic’s growth, the negative impact on our collective psyche has been significant. The emails are saying it all.

I hated Easter this year! I miss being with the kids!

I’m getting tired of all of this and want to be with people. Hope this doesn’t last much longer!

I started off thinking I was going to get all sorts of jobs done around here…instead I’ve read a couple of books and watched way more TV… than I ever imagined I could do…

We already live in a world in which we so easily can become disconnected and self-serving.

Add to this the effects of the virus on the economy, on programs that promote socialization, on services paid for and by volunteers – will we become even more isolated to ourselves, or will we seek new ways to reconnect with others?

I am amazed that with all the hand washing alerts, we have not been inundated with soap commercials! Instead, sewing machine sales are up

Habitat for Humanity-DeKalb is an official Georgia county affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a global nonprofit housing and community development organization.

and it seems anyone and everyone can make a mask. Community members are donating masks to medical staff, essential workers, caregivers, neighbors - anyone who is having to deal with the shortfall in personal protective gear.

People are making more phone calls, just to talk with elderly relatives, to rekindle old friendships or to check on neighbors. Video apps, such as Zoom, Facebook, or Skype, are being used more and more by people of all ages, when they yearn for a more personal connection than over the phone. These are just some ways people are using to reduce the effects of social isolation.

We all have a list of everything we wanted to do when we had the time, and while some of those plans have gone by the wayside as social distancing seemed to stretch on, many people have picked up on other activities in order to relieve the boredom. Reading, family games, puzzles, and watching TV movies have increased. Many people are going through photo albums, files, and catch-all drawers and boxes, cleaning, purging and organizing. Now is a good time to update an address book (and convert paper over to a data file). Step up your exercise regimen – get out and walk. Exercise or dance to favorite songs, and sing! Try a new recipe, or have a picnic (responsibly social distancing, of course). Break out of a humdrum quarantine routine and do something out of the ordinary - like eat breakfast for dinner!

As we hobble through this unexpected time in our lives, can all of this that we are going through breed a kinder society? Maybe! Acts of kindness don’t come automatically. Neighbors are caring for neighbors, keeping the distance but still checking on individual welfare. The call saying, “I’m going to the grocery store, can I pick up anything for you?” is a simple act that means so much. Lady Gaga recently said, “Kindness heals the world. It brings us together. It’s what keeps us healthy.” And a t-shirt I saw recently conveys a perfect mantra for the time: “Kindness is the new cool.”

Dr. Lois Ricci is a longtime resident of Tucker, where she chairs the Tucker Civic Association’s Lifelong Community Committee. She serves as an adjunct faculty member at both Kennesaw State University and Clayton State University, where she teaches gerontology courses and the Professional Development in Gerontology Certificate Class.

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Habitat for Humanity-DeKalb (HFHD) has established an Emergency Home Fund to help Habitat homeowners negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are deeply concerned about the financial impact on our homeowners as we fight this pandemic,” said Sharon Steele, executive director of Habitat for Humanity-DeKalb. “Many make their family’s living in the industries that have been devastated by this situation and are facing catastrophic consequences, with unexpected lost wages and increased childcare costs.

These families will be concerned with not just their health and safety, but also about continuing to make ends meet including their mortgage payments. We are committed to working with each family during this uncertain time, but we need the public’s financial support to sustain us in that mission.”

In the face of this crisis, HFHD has taken several steps to ensure the safety of its staff, volunteers and homeowners. Following guidelines issued by the CDC and local health officials, the DeKalb staff is working remotely, doing their part to help minimize the spread of this virus while still receiving daily inquiries about how to apply to the program. To protect the well-being of those who engage in its mission, the organization has also made the difficult decision to suspend all projects until at least April 30.

HFHD continues to help the community in other ways during the health crisis. In April, Steele delivered donated supplies of surgical masks and gloves to the DeKalb Board of Health as well as New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, whose member volunteers have delivered over 700 meal bags to homes in need. HFHD has also created a page on its website to list important community resources offering assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, including help with food, rent and mortgage, and other emergency financial needs.

“We must help those we can now,” stated Steele. “However, we want to be prepared to begin building and repairing homes because once this urgency is lifted, the need for affordable, safe, accessible housing will remain.”

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Wellness In-Sight: Sheltering in Place

Local Church Helps Food Insecurity While Maintaining Social Distancing

Cindy E. Farrar This time last year I was planning the 20th anniversary celebration of my business, Massage Associates of Atlanta. Today, our doors are closed to the public. I go to my office three to four times a week - to water the plants, collect the mail, respond to the rare voice mail, and host the complimentary community online qi gong classes from our classroom. Periodically, my colleague Anne comes in to practice her cello. Otherwise, my business sits in a state of suspended animation.

This perception of being in a condition of slowing without termination is what helps me maintain a sense of hope during this time. It is the acknowledgement that while placed on pause, this period is temporary. Though I may not know the timeline, I can be certain these times will end. This is my proverbial ”light at the end of the tunnel,” and I take great solace in the belief, “the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t an illusion, the tunnel is.”

When living in uncertain times, being able to have confidence in something, if not many things, helps to mitigate the “tunnel” that manifests as fear and anxiety. The emotion of fear arises due to anticipating impending events, the unknown. Even though our fear may be informed by past events, when experiencing fear, we are living in the future. However, the only thing that can be known for certain, is the present moment – and being in the present moment is when the ‘surprises’ appear.

The last day my office was open, as I was leaving, I looked over at our magnificent beech tree that was named “Beauty” at our open house last year. In that moment, I became aware that Beauty is the perfect representation of the resilience needed in times like these. Centuries old, she has lived through historical battles fought nearby, survived the significant alterations to the terrain that surrounds her, and withstood the extremes of the everchanging weather. Each year she moves through her life processes. Come each springtime her roots are deeper, and she is standing stronger. She is the very embodiment of “sheltering in place.”

Another surprise brought to my awareness is that metaphorically we are experiencing our own “false spring.” Just as it appeared the warmth of spring was here and we began to ‘sprout,’ putting winter behind us, the cold returned, stunting our growth and thrusting us back into the doldrums. Though this time may feel desolate, it can also be a time of rest, reorganization, and nurturance.

These insights will not negate the current realities nor the need to feel the strength of emotions surrounding them. COVID-19 is still a global threat; we all remain in some form of shutdown, my business that was on track to have its strongest year ever is still closed, and the huge Georgia pine tree did indeed crash through my house the week after closing my office. However, my consciousness is heightened to the moment by moment choice of my focus.

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And I am confident that in due times we will emerge from this isolation as awakening in spring, stronger with deeper roots. Perhaps it is time to start planning another celebration!

Cindy E. Farrar, LMT, BCTMB, CLC is a licensed massage therapist, certified life coach and the owner of Massage Associates of Atlanta, LLC (Lavista Road in Tucker). In addition, she is a certified Qi Gong instructor and a nationally approved continuing education provider for massage therapy and bodywork. Cindy enjoys sharing insights on wellness and personal and community development as a speaker and writer.

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While Georgians across the state are struggling with school and childcare closures, lost wages and layoffs, demand for food bank services has increased 30 to 40 percent since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and is expected to rise.

Tucker’s NETWorks Cooperative Ministry has seen a surge in the number of families seeking assistance, and to help the organization keep pace with the increased demand, First Christian Church of Atlanta has started a Drive-Through Food Drive to collect donations while adhering to social distancing recommendations.

Each day, Monday to Friday, between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., people wishing to donate non-perishable food items can drive to the front of the church, at 4532 Lavista Road in Tucker, where barrels are located to collect the donations. The barrels are not staffed, so there is no contact necessary – just drive up, unload your items and deposit into the barrels.

The church collects the donations and delivers them to NETWorks weekly, helping to keep its pantry stocked and ready to assist those in need.

“Georgia’s food banks ramped up distribution by approximately forty percent across the board in March,” said David Fisher, executive director of NETWorks. “Just as retail shoppers have seen food items hard to come by, so have food pantries, including ours. We are grateful to First Christian Church of Atlanta and other members of the Tucker community who are keeping our pantry stocked so no one who comes to us leaves empty-handed.”

Donations can also be made without leaving the house, via amazon.com and walmart.com. Lists and links can be found at networkscoop.org/covid.

Orders are shipped to NETWorks, 2380 4th Street, Tucker 30084. All donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.

NETWorks serves residents in the Northlake, Embry Hills and Tucker areas; the food pantry is open Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the address above.

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From Contract to Close, I've got you covered! www.stacyslocum.com Direct- 404-402-5998 sslocum@georgianhomerealty.com

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Back Talk: The Battle of the Coronavirus Karl Schwartz, DC We find ourselves in a novel, precarious situation with the global outbreak of coronavirus. I believe it is the moral obligation of each of us to do what we can to prevent the spread of the virus. If each one of us does our part, there will be an amelioration in the spread of the disease, which will lead to an immediate change in the outcome. Just like with any aspect of our health, awareness is the elementary step in effectively dealing with this disease.

Educate yourself and your family by relying on only factual websites: cdc. gov (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC); who.int (World Health Organization, or WHO); and, of course, your local city, county and state websites (tuckerga.gov, dekalbcountyga.gov, georgia.gov) for up-to-date information about local and state measures and closings.

So what can you and I do to keep everyone safe?

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“Be at Home in Your Body”

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1. TAKE ACTION If you feel sick - especially if you have a temperature, chills, new dry cough or difficulty breathing - stay home, isolate for 48 hours and monitor symptoms. If symptoms worsen, get checked early on 2. SOCIAL DISTANCING Stay six feet away from others. One way to decelerate the spread of the virus is to keep large groups separated. Schools, churches, athletic events, conventions and cruises are some of the larger group events that early on nurtured the public spread of the virus, which is why the CDC recommended that group events be limited to eight people or less, or cancelled altogether. Businesses were also advised to mandate non-essential workers work from home, to strengthen the implementation of social distancing.

3. PROPER HYGIENE Fortunately, coronavirus is hydrophobic, which means it reacts negatively to water. Simply keeping your hands washed properly is probably the most obvious and most prudent thing we all can do. Soap also destroys the protein “shell” around the virus. Soap up for 20 seconds minimum and rinse with hot water to assure the best hygiene.

4. WIPE DOWN HIGH-TRAFFIC SURFACES Cleaning routinely-touched surfaces with alcohol-based wipes (minimum 60% strength) on surfaces. Highly-used surfaces in your home and business must be cleaned frequently. In our office, keyboards, handles, tables, adjusting instruments, counters, and bathrooms are wiped down routinely and often.

5. GOOD NUTRITION If you feed your body the fuel it needs, it can and will enhance your defenses and immune system. A diet low in fats, low in sugar, moderate in lean protein, and high in certain complex carbohydrates (potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, yams, beans and cereals) can help strengthen your immune system during the pandemic.

6 GET ADJUSTED Research shows that the nervous system and immune system work very closely together; researchers found it difficult to differentiate between the two systems because they were so closely related. We have many patients who are proactively taking responsibility for their and their family’s health by getting monthly adjustments to insure proper nervous system function and therefore improving their immune system function.

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I am optimistic that if we all do our part, the virus will be contained and controlled quickly. Perhaps this is just nature’s call for a return to a healthier way of life. Have you and your family had your monthly chiropractic adjustment?

Dr Karl Schwartz is a graduate of Life University in Marietta, Georgia; he has been practicing chiropractic in Tucker for twenty-one years and a resident here for fifteen years. His office specializes in preventing sports injuries and maximizing performance by analyzing posture, weight bearing, and gait. If you have a question you would like addressed in a future column, please email karlschwartzdc@gmail.com. Note “Back Talk” in the subject line.

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SHOPS OF HERITAGE PLACE 4450 Hugh Howell Road, Tucker, GA 30084

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