When Gwinnett County Public Schools went on spring break at the end of March, it caused ripple effects that few anticipated. Food banks were inundated with families concerned that daily student lunches that stopped for a week would mean their children went hungry.
Many students were also receiving items for the entire family and without that supplement, residents had to turn to another source.
Gwinnett’s Cooperative Food Ministries has a mission of providing food, personal care items and connections to resources such as housing and transportation. The Lawrenceville location usually sees 130 to 150 families a week. The sessions are usually in-person and allow the Christian-based nonprofit to assess more than one need. The week of March 30, it served more than 1,100 families.
“We’re blessed to be able to provide as much as we have,” said Tom Balog, executive director. “But we’re not distributing as much as we normally would.”
The food banks are sounding the alarm that more donations are needed.
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Balog picked up a box that was a little more than half full with pantry staples.
“We’re used to this being filled to the top,” he said. “But we’re trying to spread it out to help as many as possible.”
Gwinnett schools realized there are students and families not in Title I school areas (where most students are eligible for free or reduced lunch) who depend upon free or reduced-price school lunches as well as extras provided by some schools. Several schools had established food pantries to ensure no student goes hungry. With students learning from home, there are no school pantries.
“One of the most pressing things this pandemic has shined a light on is how unprepared we are to provide for those most in need,” said Penny Poole, president of the Gwinnett NAACP chapter.
Her organization is trying to help spread the word that there are neighbors in need.
“We not only call out deficiencies in our community but the Gwinnett NAACP is bringing solutions and rebuilding communities. During the Pandemic crisis we are collaborating with Lettum Eat! Gwinnett to supply food to children and families - five days a week at five different Gwinnett locations,” Poole added.
Gwinnett’s school district reached out to the state Department of Education to file a waiver that would allow it to expand its student feeding sites beyond the 68 authorized.
“We were told that we could include new Title I schools that weren’t on the original list,” said Sloan Roach, spokeswoman for Gwinnett schools.
There’s no way for the district to add schools to that list without gathering financial information from parents.
That’s not the kind of information they’re asking for right now. “We decided the best thing was to focus on the ones we could help,” she added.
When online classes resumed on April 6, breakfast was added to the school offerings. Since the school shutdown, the district has supplied nearly 800,000 meals.
With about five weeks of school left, Balog is optimistic that more businesses and individuals will step up.
“We’ve had restaurant owners who’ve donated steaks with all the trimmings, bakeries who’ve donated pastries — people are realizing that their loss can be someone else’s gain.”
The lines on food bank days are so long cars have to park in the adjacent school parking lot and snake around the grounds in four lanes. Volunteers take down information and give recipients a sticky note to designate if it’s their first time ever, first time that week or if they didn’t get all the necessities during a previous visit.
Trained as a numbers guy, Balog and his crew, which these days includes members of the Army National Guard 177th Brigade Engineer Battalion, are as efficient as a beehive.
Bags and boxes of nonperishables were loaded the previous day. Frozen foods, produce and refrigerated items have another location. There are also bags of personal care items such as shampoo and cleaning products and toilet paper.
“We give at least one roll per family,” said Balog.
All the volunteers wore masks and gloves and most of the patrons as well. No one from any of the co-ops has contracted the virus.
“That’s another blessing,” he added, pointing out that the operation has many hands on deck.
Staff Sgt. Lucious Oliver worked various areas of the food bank Wednesday morning.
“We’re mainly here as security, just to keep things running smoothly,” he said.
He has a family of his own — a wife and 7-month-old son staying with relatives while he’s performing his duties.
“It’s hard, but when I see families driving up with children in the car or toys in the back when we’re loading up the car, I realize that I’m doing a different kind of mission.”
If you need help
GwinnettCares.org and Gwinnett’s Cooperative Food Ministries are offering support to families combating food insecurity.
Co-Ops are assigned by ZIP code. In order to receive assistance, you will need to present ID and a piece of current mail with your address and ZIP code.
Families may visit a co-op one time during the week and will be given a bag of food for the week. There is no need to call ahead, just show up.
Food will be distributed in drive-through fashion to comply with social distancing guidelines.
Lawrenceville Cooperative Ministry, 52 Gwinnett Drive, Suite C, Lawrenceville serves ZIP codes: 30019, 30042, 30043, 30044, 30045, 30046, 30049.
Days/Hours of Service: Mon 6-7:30 pm / Wed 10 am- 1:30 pm / Fri 10 am-1:30 pm / Sat 10-11:30 am
Duluth Cooperative Ministry, 3395 Fox St NW, Suite 101, Duluth serves ZIP codes: 30096, 30097.
Days/Hours of Service: Mon, Wed, Fri 10 am-2 pm
Southeast Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry,55 Grayson Industrial Pkwy, Grayson serves ZIP codes: 30017, 30052, 30039, 30078.
Days/Hours of Service: Mon 3 pm-7 pm / Wed 10 am-2 pm / Fri 10 am-2 pm
Norcross Cooperative Ministry, 500 Pinnacle Court, Suite 510, Norcross serves ZIP codes: 30340, 30360, 30071, 30091, 30093, 30092, 30084
Days/Hours of Service: Mon, Wed, Fri 10 am-2 pm / Tues 6 pm-8 pm / Sat 10 am-12 pm
North Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry, 4395 Commerce Dr, Buford serves ZIP codes: 30011, 30517, 30515, 30519, 30548, 30518, 30024.
Days/Hours of Service: Mon 4 pm-8 pm / Wed, Thurs & Fri 10 am-2 pm / Sat Noon-2 pm
Lilburn Cooperative Ministry, 5329 Five Forks Trickum Rd SW, Lilburn serves ZIP codes: 30047, 30084, 30087.
Days/Hours of Service: Mon, Wed, Fri 10 am – 1:30 pm
Although some of the ZIP codes span multiple county lines, this program is only available to residents of Gwinnett County.
How you can help
Food donations may be delivered whenever the Lawrecenville Cooperative Ministry, 52 Gwinnett Drive, is open, as well as from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
Alternate Drop-Off Locations
12 Stone Lawrenceville Campus, 1322 Buford Drive
Lawrenceville Presbyterian, 800 Lawrenceville Highway (10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday)
First UMC of Lawrenceville, 395 W Crogan St. (10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday at the portico by the Welcome Center)
McKendree UMC, 570 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the drop off behind the church under covered drive-thru entrance.)
Tabernacle International Church, 270 Simonton Rd SW (9 .m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday)
Information: lawrencevilleco-op.org
Lettum Eat! Gwinnett
Free meal drive-thru distribution
4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the following sites:
Monday: First Baptist Church of Snellville, 2400 Main Street, Snellville
Tuesday: Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church, 3458 Church Street, Duluth
Wednesday: Christ the King Church, 258 Rabbit Hill Drive, Dacula
Thursday: Lawrenceville Co-op Ministry, 52 Gwinnett Drive, Lawrenceville
Friday: The Nett Church, 5320 Jimmy Carter Blvd., Norcross
Donations: It costs about $10 to feed a family of 5, donations accepted through lettumeat.com/lettum-eat-gwinnett.
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