Lovin' Atlanta

And We're Off!

Spent the weekend in Atlanta eating and jogging my way through the city! All for the children trapped in poverty in one of America’s great southern cities. In the last decade, the suburban poor in Atlanta increased by 159%. Small towns surrounding the urban core, many over 150 years old, are experiencing an influx of homeless and poverty level families, most of whom have one or more adults working one or more jobs. It’s estimated that as many as 88% of the poor in Atlanta live in the suburbs. Running the Public Half Marathon to support the Atlanta Community Food Bank was one way I could help a great cause while doing something I love. 

An estimated 755,400 people, in metro Atlanta and north Georgia turn to food pantries and meal service programs to feed themselves and their families each year. This includes more than 164,000 children and more than 64,000 people my age and older! Each week, the Feeding America network serves 5.4 million individuals. ACFB has been a member of the Feeding America network since 1979. For the Atlanta Community Food Bank service area, 80,600 people are served each week by programs supported through ACFB, and that those clients turn to ACFB partner programs and pantries for help more than 6.1 million times over the course of the year.  My modest support allowed homeless families to spend the night in a motel, eat a healthy meal and get needed school supplies and clothing for up to 12 children. 

We walked into a movie set. Jamie Fox starring. We never saw him. 

The race was a blast with 10,000 plus runners meeting in the early morning in Olympic Park and  traveling a route that included the Martin Luther King Home, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Center and the Coca-Cola Exhibit.