Weekend & Community Spotlight

Holiday Spotlight: Thanksgiving Gobble Jog [VIDEO]

Enjoy music, exercise and Thanksgiving fun while helping fight poverty at MUST Ministries' 10th annual Gobble Jog.

This week's Cobb, Douglas and Paulding Weekend & Community Spotlight features the 10th Annual Gobble Jog by MUST Ministries. The  road race on Thanksgiving morning raises money to fight poverty. This year’s theme, “It’s kind of a big deal,” heralds the Nov. 22 event that will hopefully attract 10,000 runners, building on last year’s 9,453 attendees. Proceeds from the race help MUST Ministries provide 34,000 individuals each year with food, shelter, education and employment opportunities, clothing and access to healthcare to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness and foster long-term change. Visit Patch's Event Calendar for more details on the Gobble Jog and how to register. Got a great event coming up in your community? Upload it onto…

• Videos (1)

Frugal Family: Do the Giving, Reap the Rewards

Take a look at some ways to give back to the community and have fun during the upcoming holidays.

It’s hard to believe that Christmas merchandise is already on the shelves and along with them, big Christmas sales. The meaning of the holidays seems to get lost in the hustle and bustle of buying. For the past few years I have implemented certain activities to make sure my family and I don’t depend on gifts to have a rewarding holiday. In fact, our holidays our much more meaningful and rewarding than they use to be. When I was diagnosed with cancer five years ago, I decided to make every Christmas and Birthday as if it were my last. I didn’t want to celebrate me; I wanted to do something for someone less fortunate than me. I knew it would give me something to look forward to, but I never imagined the Christmas Angel project (for needy …

• Photos (4)

VIDEO: MUST Ministries Fights Hunger

Volunteers served nearly 190,000 lunches to families in need this summer.

The Summer Lunches Program at MUST Ministries has just ended, and volunteers handed out a total of 189,648 lunches to needy children this summer—a 34 percent increase from last year. MUST started the Summer Lunch Program in 1995 in Cobb and Cherokee Counties in an effort to fight child hunger. In 2011, MUST Volunteers delivered 103,000 lunches to hungry children in Cobb and Cherokee, and the program was expanded to Douglas, Paulding, North Fulton and Gwinnett communities this year.

•  10 Comments
• Videos (1)

Urgent Need for Donations at MUST Ministries Food Pantry

Donations can be made to MUST Ministries Smyrna food pantry located at 460 Pat Mell Road.

  When school ends and families leave for vacations, giving to food pantries decreases, according to Annette Lee, Director of Administrative Services at MUST Ministries. “Plus, school food drives cease and many other churches and organizations who regularly give take a summer break.” While it’s a difficult time to collect food, “our neighbors in need don’t take a break from coming to MUST for groceries. In fact, most families need the groceries even more because their children are eating at home instead of at school,” she explained. Looking over the inventory list is startling. MUST serves 34,000 clients a year, yet many items they need are not in stock. The greatest need is for protein like peanut butter and canned meats: chicken, tuna, …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

MUST Ministries Needs Help Feeding Hungry Kids

Volunteers are needed to pack and deliver bag lunches.

MUST Ministries’ dire need for volunteers could impact hungry kids. School ended for Cobb County last week and for most students their summer promises free time and family vacations, but for some Cobb kids enrolled in the federal free and reduced lunch program it means gnawing hunger and uncertainty. MUST Ministries’ summer lunch program offers these kids a bag lunch every weekday during the summer, but so far there aren’t enough volunteers to pack lunches and deliver them to the kids, said Jennifer Richmond, the Cobb County summer lunch coordinator. “We need drivers more than checker/packers,” she said. “We still need people to make the lunches because they’re all donated. We need drivers out of Smyrna, the Milford Baptist area and …

• Photos (1)

You Pick Give Five

You choose where Smyrna-Vinings Patch will spend the day volunteering.

  Patch’s second Give Five Day is May 10 and this time around we’re shaking things up. Five times a year Patch employees nationwide leave their desks and get out in the community to volunteer. And this time, Smyrna-Vinings Patch readers get to pick which nonprofit we’ll be serving. We’ve made a list of five local nonprofit agencies and we want you to pick your favorite. The agency with the most votes by the end of the day Tuesday, May 8 is where Patch Editor Sydney Busby will spend Give Five Day. Will it be MUST Ministries? The Smyrna office operates a food pantry and provides clients with clothing, education and employment assistance. What about Atlanta Pet Rescue? This no-kill animal shelter recently relocated to Smyrna on Atlanta Road …

• Photos (1)

'Tis the season to give and get involved

Got some free time or spare cash? Now is the right time to give back within the Smyrna-Vinings community.

Are you passionate about trees or the environment? Looking for volunteer opportunities in Smyrna? Trees are a vital part of our community. The Smyrna Tree Board, a group of caring volunteers that is committed to increasing and maintaining a healthy urban forest canopy in Smyrna, is seeking volunteers. Trees provide many benefits that improve our quality of living and increase the overall value of our property. The Smyrna Tree Board is looking for volunteers to help with various projects throughout the year, including helping with tree planting projects, graphic design and layout for handouts and brochures, grant applications, and public outreach and media relations. You don't have to be a tree expert to help, just be willing to share your …

• Photos (1)

Holidays Were Made For Giving

Generosity reigns in Smyrna-Vinings when the calendar turns to December.

December has arrived and with the holidays now in full swing, it’s a most appropriate time to remember that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Recently, Life Church Smyrna Assembly of God partnered with the motorcycle club, Ghost Ryderz Atlanta, to take 150 bags of groceries to those in need. The Ghostryderz Atlanta rode in their 1st Annual Turkey Run with the entry fee being a frozen turkey to add to the 150 bags of groceries that members of Life Church provided. The event was a great success as they were able to go to three apartment complexes in Smyrna to deliver the bags. This was the 7th Annual Blessing Bag Outreach organized by Life Church Smyrna Assembly of God. _______ Vinings Church will be teaching generosity in a unique…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (2)

Hunt Archbold

1:40 pm on Friday, December 16, 2011

Hey folks, from our staff writer, Sydney Busby: "A Norcross charity is throwing a Christmas party for 2,400 needy kids TONIGHT but only has 500 gifts because several corporate sponsors dropped out at the last minute. My friend Aurora Nelson is collecting gifts for the party. If you'd like to help by donating a gift, coat, warm clothing, etc., please meet me in the Brawner Hall parking lot at 2:15…   more ›

Flippin for Kids Pancake Breakfast on Saturday

The annual event staged by the Smyrna Optimist Club benefits MUST Ministries.

Going now a decade strong, the “Flippin for Kids’’ Pancake Breakfast is set for Saturday morning at Smyrna First United Methodist Church, which is located at 1315 Concord Road. Conducted by the Smyrna Optimist Club, event tickets are just five bucks and that allows for all the pancakes, coffee and sausage consumption – plus good-time fellowship – that one can ask for. Takeout is available, too. The 10th annual event runs from 7:30 - 11 a.m. and proceeds benefit MUST Ministries. See here to purchase tickets or to learn more about the Smyrna Optimist Club that has been serving the kids of the Jonquil City community for almost half a century. The group meets Fridays at 7 a.m. at the American Legion Post 160 on Legion Drive in Smyrna. Visitors…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Erik Fernald

2:30 pm on Saturday, November 26, 2011

We had a great turnout this year. Thanks to all that contributed. Smyrna Optimist Club.   more ›

Run and Eat Turkey Day Style

After you sweat it out at Thursday's Gobble Jog, head to one of these Smyrna-Vinings restaurants that are offering Thanksgiving dinners.

Atkins Park Tavern serves up Thanksgiving dinner: deep-fried Creole turkey breast, Dr Pepper spiral glazed ham, squash casserole with cracker topping, pimento deviled eggs, Southern-style green beans and herbed bread stuffing, sweet potato soufflé, cranberry orange relish and a pumpkin and mascarpone cheese roll for dessert. Doors open at 4 p.m. Thanksgiving day. Dinner for adults is $20, $15 for young adults and $8 for children. Reservations are recommended: 770-435-1887. South City Kitchen’s “Thanksgiving in the Kitchen” is a Southern-style three-course, prix fixe dinner, $39.95 for adults, $19.98 for kids under 12. Guests chose from a list of appetizers, entrees and desserts including fried green tomatoes, house made pimento cheese, she…

• Photos (1)