Acts of Kindness: Stories of the community helping during the pandemic

In times like these, the good in people shines.

Since March 2020, the MDJ has been reporting on acts of kindness, goodwill and generosity during the coronavirus pandemic.

If you know of an instance of benevolence - on any scale - and are willing to share with MDJ readers, tell us your story.

Send an email to [email protected] with the subject line: Act of Kindness.

Friday, Oct. 29

On Oct. 28, the First Christian Church of Mableton hosted the rainy Meals On A Mission whereby 71 families were supplied with groceries, dry goods, Post Cereal and Mayfield Milk compliments of Sweetwater Mission. Volunteers from the Lions Club and Arch Mortgage Insurance Company joined in to help out. Executive minister Barry Smith reminded us that "living in freedom is about seeing God's love for us and striving to serve each other with that same love."

We appreciate Lions Bill Bailey and Ed Ressler for organizing the Oct. 29 eye screenings at the Smyrna Elementary School. Dr. Amber Zaunbreacher from Eye To Eye Vision Center in Marietta volunteered her valuable personal time to conduct the vision examinations and prescribe eye glasses that will be delivered to the students next week. She mentioned that at least one of the students that she had examined had horrible vision problems. This student's life will be dramatically improved because of their efforts.

There will be additional free vision screenings open to the public on Nov. 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Vision Rehabilitation Services Office, 3830 South Cobb Drive, Suite 125 in Smyrna and at The First United Methodist Church in Marietta, 2325 Roswell Road in Marietta. If you or a loved one has some vision problems, please pay them a visit. It will be quick and painless.

-Barry Krebs

On Oct. 28, Lights on Afterschool was held at Thrive Resource Center at Kingsley Village Apartments in Austell, hosted by We Thrive in Riverside Renters Association. We still made it work with the rain. The young thrivers received activity worksheets, board games and goodie bags to take home along with pizza. Lights on Afterschool is a nationwide awareness campaign to encourage youth to participate in afterschool enrichment programs. For the past two years We Thrive in Riverside Renters Association have been hosting modified activities 2 days a week due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The center will be remodeled and have a grand opening in 2022.

-Monica DeLancy

Thursday, Oct. 28

The Lost Lake Estates Homeowners Association celebrated Public Safety Day on Oct. 28 in appreciation and gratitude to Precinct 5 West Cobb first responders by providing refreshments for all police officers and firemen. Darrell Baxter said, "It's our hope the other HOAs will do the same." Representing the Lost Lake Estates HOA were Darrell and Leah Baxter, David and Marcia McGinnis, Mike Lawrence and Janie Lindenbaum.

Wednesday, Oct. 27

On the morning of Oct. 23, local nonprofit The River Line Historic Area partnered with Cobb Parks, Cobb County Commissioner Monique Sheffield and several volunteers to install birdhouses for the brown-headed nuthatch. Birder, photographer and author Andrew Baxter led the group through Henderson Road Historic Nature Preserve at Nickajack Creek to install the four birdhouses. The volunteers enjoyed hiking the peaceful historic area and learning about the importance of pine forests for this bird species.

- Lindsey Sieber

Sweetwater Mission hosted the Oct. 22 Meals On A Mission providing over 190 families in need with dry/canned groceries, Post Cereal, milk, Minute Maid Orange Juice and Kenny's Key Lime Pies. During this event, we ran across a woman with a van full of kids who recently got evicted. Due to the swift action of Debbie Ginocchio, we were able to find temporary shelter through MUST Ministry. Thank you Debbie for dropping everything to help out this family and MUST Ministries for having such a wonderful organization that can keep this family safe and secure. God Bless You both!

Thank you very much to the Shady Grove Nextdoor.Com Group for removing 23 bags of litter from Old Alabama Road in Austell on Oct. 23. Volunteers from the Mableton Improvement Coalition pitched in to make this event a success. The Shady Grove Nextdoor.Com group formed by the team leaders, John and Robin Ford, began meeting neighbors over Nextdoor.Com and came together to adopt this section of Old Alabama Road that had a litter problem. As a result of the clean-ups, they have gotten much closer to their neighbors and do other neighborhood projects and social activities together. If you are interested in learning more about the Adopt-A-Mile program, reach out to Dawn at [email protected] and she will supply you with everything that you need.

Vision Rehabilitation Services hosted the Spooktacular 5K and 10K Races that were held in downtown Powder Springs the morning of Oct. 23. VRS specializes in preparing sight impaired and blind people to be independent with comprehensive vision evaluations, daily living skills training, mobility and orientation training, access technology training, job readiness training and counseling. After the races concluded, the Trunk or Treat festivities begun with all sorts of activities for the kids. During that time, attendees were treated to classic rock n' roll from Mableton's own Chequered Blue. It was a great time for everybody and we appreciate VRS and the opportunity to be a part of this fun celebration.

The morning of Oct. 25, the Earth Warriors and South Cobb Lions Club teamed up to remove 15 bags of litter from their adopted section of South Gordon Road and beyond in Austell. We had a great time and got the road looking much better in less than two hours. We will celebrate with gourmet pizza the next time that we get together at their new restaurant, The Green Room.

- Barry Krebs

Friday, Oct. 22

We appreciate Coach Washington and his Pebblebrook basketball team for volunteering Oct. 21 at the First Christian Church of Mableton Meals On A Mission. Because of their help, we were able to serve 150 families in need with dry/canned groceries, Post cereal, milk and Minute Maid Orange Juice. The food was compliments of Sweetwater Mission. During our pep talk, executive minister Barry Smith quoted Carl Dudley, "not only can faith produce social ministry, but social ministry can produce faith--or at least enhance faith." We thought about that quote as we served our neighbors.

- Barry Krebs

Tuesday, Oct. 19

It was a great day in the Riverside/Austell community on Oct. 18. Pebblebrook High School principal Dr. Dana Giles kicked off their Community tour at Kingsley Village Apartments and at Sierra/Mableton Ridge Apartments. Dr.Giles was able to share with parents and residents about the importance of Community and Schools partnerships. The school provided hotdogs and also school social worker Mrs. Kimberly Chinn and Community in Schools project manager Carla Hartmon attended the event as well. Thank you to Zion Keepers executive Director Dr. Ada Waikina and project manager Ms. Valerie for sharing their rental assistance resources and providing gift cards for families. The meet in greet was in partnership with We Thrive in Riverside Renters Association.

-Monica DeLancy

Monday, Oct. 18

Sweetwater Mission along with help from volunteers including World Changers and the South Cobb Lions Club provided 138 families with canned/dry groceries, Post Cereal, milk, eggs, bread and Minute Maid Orange Juice on Oct. 15. The Meals On A Mission started at The Waverly Mobile Home Park and concluded at the Efficiency Lodge. The food distribution was dedicated to the memory of Howard Koepka, a courageous leader who acted to feed countless people in the Atlanta area shortly after COVID arrived. He will be greatly missed by many people.

Volunteers from the South Cobb Lions Club and Pebblebrook High School students assisted Pay It Forward 2K15 in removing 30 bags of litter from their newly adopted Cityview Drive from Riverside Parkway to Six Flags Drive in Austell. The litter clean-up was very organized and we had a lot of fun as we got this highly visible road looking good.

If you are interested in adopting-a-mile or perhaps you are already cleaning up a section of roadway, please contact Dawn at [email protected]. She will set you up with everything that you need.

We appreciate the Marietta Lions Club and Boy Scout Troop 435 based out of East Cobb United Methodist Church for cleaning up Church Street and surrounding areas in Marietta on Oct. 17. They were thankful to Keep Marietta Beautiful for providing the grabbers, safety vests and bags and handling the adopt-a-mile process.

The morning of Oct. 17, the Atlanta Latino Lions Club hosted their Annual 5K Walk to benefit 20/20 Vista who performs eye exams, including glaucoma screening and gives free frames and glasses to those who need them. The 20/20 Vista organization will be adding glaucoma laser treatment and cataract surgery for underserved populations in developing countries. To learn more, visit https://2020vista.org. The entire event, held in Marietta at the Aquatic Center, was a lot of fun and the club was super friendly. The had everything prepared such as a DJ booth, a food tent, a Lions Club booth and a 20/20 Vista Booth. The Atlanta Latino Club appreciates their sponsors Anasteel and Supply Company, Amerigroup Realsolutions In Healthcare, New York Life, GeoTex Concrete Construction, Mary Kay and Guardian Insurance.

-Barry Krebs

Friday, Oct. 15

Did you know that the average cost of diapers is $100 per month and food stamps do not cover hygiene items such as diapers? Cobb EMC accepted drive through donations of diapers on Oct. 13 at their solar garden at 1000 EMC Parkway in Marietta. They will be accepting more donations on Oct. 27 from 4 to 6 p.m. If that is not convenient, go to http://amzn.to/2YRcpLN and it serves as a gift recipient where the diapers will be delivered to Cobb EMC for free. Organizations distributing the diapers to people in need include Sweetwater Mission, Cobb Douglas Public health, LifeSafe Resources, MUST Ministries, South Cobb United and others.

On Oct. 14, the First Christian Church of Mableton hosted the Meals On A Mission event whereby 153 families were provided with Post Cereal, milk, eggs, bread, canned/dry groceries and Minute Maid Apple Juice supplied by Sweetwater Mission. Volunteers from Linked UP Church and the South Cobb Lions Club had a great time as we served our neighbors.

-Barry Krebs

Thursday, Oct. 14

It was a great day at Kingsley Village Apartments in the Riverside community as MUST Ministries hosted their mobile food pantry on Oct. 13. The mobile food pantry was in partnership with We Thrive in Riverside Renters Association. Attendees received a fresh food box, toiletries and diapers. The mobile food pantry will be located at Kingsley Village Apartments once a month. For more information, visit www.wethriverenters.com.

-Monica DeLancy

Monday, Oct. 11

On Oct. 7, The Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team held an appreciation barbeque lunch to honor local police, firemen, EMT's and military personnel. The Capital City Home Loans grilling food truck grilled up burgers and hotdogs with a variety of sides sponsored by other local partners. Attendees were welcome to use the back patio to enjoy their meal or take it on the road. Event sponsors and members of the Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team were able to socialize and meet all of the local first responder and military attendees and thank them for what they do day-to-day. Additional sponsors for the event included: ASAP Energy Drinks, Arrow Exterminators, Amerispec Home Inspection, 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty, Chick-fil-A East Lake, Panera Bread and Perrie & Associates. Local Cobb County and surrounding area first responders, police, fire, detective units and military were all invited. Lunch was also packed up and delivered to Marietta Police Department, Cobb County Police Precinct 4, Marietta Fire Department Station 1, City of Marietta Fire Station 6, and Cobb County Fire Department Headquarters. For more information, visit www.JaniceOverbeck.com.

Sweetwater Mission hosted the Oct. 8th Meals On A Mission at The Waverly Mobile Home Park. The Cobb County School District 1 Social Workers joined the food distribution and really livened up the event. Together, we provided 141 families with Post Cereal, milk, Flowers Bread (Natures Own and Wonder Bread) and dry/canned foods.

One special moment occurred when the parent of a student got out of her car, hugged Mr. Pierre and thanked him for all his help with her son who has now advanced to high school. It was a very touching moment for everybody who witnessed this display of love and appreciation for one of our teachers who made a profound difference in the life of a young student.

Thank you very much to The Friends of Mableton who removed 13 bags of litter from the historical Mableton area on Oct. 10th. This adopt-a-mile clean-up was dedicated to the memory of A.W. Tony Matthews who founded the Mableton Boys & Girls Club. These volunteers care deeply about Mableton and work hard to keep it looking as nice as possible.

Thank you to all of the South Cobb Lions who participated in our very successful Annual BBQ and Dessert Sale. Attendance was good at the Mable House Fall Harvest Festival and we had lots of fun with all of the activities at the festival. We really appreciate the help from Cobb County Parks Department and the staff for making the arrangements and providing a nice tent as well as plenty of tables and chairs at the event. Proceeds generated go towards our top Lions initiatives such as vision care, environmental improvements, hunger relief and diabetes awareness. After the conclusion of the BBQ sale, the club donated the leftovers which was around 12 plates, drinks and desserts to the Station 1 Cobb County Fire Department.

-Barry Krebs

Friday, Oct. 8

First Christian Church of Mableton hosted the Oct.7 Meals On A Mission Food Distribution whereby 153 families were provided with canned/dry goods, Post cereal, milk and bread, which was supplied by Sweetwater Mission. The Epic Home Schoolers, Whitefield Academy and South Cobb Lions members assisted in the effort. Everyone had a terrific time as the young volunteers served their neighbors with enthusiasm.

-Barry Krebs

It was a great day at the Thrive Resource Center at Kingsley Village Apartments in Austell, The monthly vendor expo and resource connection was held at the location. Attendees was able to network and share entrepreneurial opportunities and share resources. The event was hosted by We Thrive in Riverside Renters Association in partnership with resident leaders who graduated from the Thriving Families Project. Thank you to Caroline Holko for donating two brand new electric scooters for door prizes.

-Monica DeLancy

Thursday, Oct. 7

At last weekend's American Heart Association's Greater Atlanta Heart Walk at The Battery, more than 750 Georgia Power and Southern Company employees, their friends and families walked to support the research and education of cardiac care. Participating employees surpassed the company's fundraising goal of $150,000 with many still working in a remote environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I'm thrilled we had such a great turnout," said Latanza Adjei, vice president of Corporate Services and this year's Georgia Power Heart Walk chair, "and I'm so proud to say we exceeded our company goals: more than 75 teams, 500 walkers and $150,000 raised for the American Heart Association. Thanks to all of our many coaches who gathers walkers and funds to benefit the American Heart Association. We couldn't have had a better day to support a great cause."

117 teams from Georgia Power, Southern Company Gas and Southern Company participated.

Tuesday, Oct. 5

The Cobb Community Board of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta will host its inaugural Chip In for Children's Charity Golf Tournament, benefiting Children's facilities in Cobb County. Every dollar raised will go toward helping patients at Children's Healthcare.

The tournament will be Oct. 18 with a 10 a.m. shotgun start at Bentwater Golf Club in Acworth.

Golf foursomes are $380 and single players at $95, both include breakfast and a boxed lunch, a swag bag with snacks, a raffle, prizes and mulligan add-ons. For a nominal fee, participants can even launch their golf ball via air cannon to get greater distance.

Tickets are limited and are available until the event is sold out.

For more information, visit https://bit.ly/38ZGYUi.

One of the Lions Club top initiatives is vision problem detection and correction. The North Cobb Lions Club based in Acworth sorted and cleaned 2,310 pairs of glasses. These glasses will be sent overseas to impoverished countries to assist in their vision problems. The Lions Club is an international organization located in over 200 countries with over 4,600 clubs worldwide. In addition to vision, the Lions work hard to educate people on diabetes, provide hunger relief, protect the environment and help with childhood cancer needs. They often step up and help with disaster relief.

The Smyrna Jonquil Lions Club recently hosted their Annual Car Show. They had some terrific cars compete for the top prizes. Everyone who attended had a great time and were very impressed with the teamwork that they witnessed. We appreciate volunteers from the Marietta Club and South Cobb Lions Clubs who helped out as well as Adventure Outdoors who gave us space in their parking lot. There is a lot that all of us can learn from this "well oiled machine." The proceeds raised from the car show go towards Lions Club initiatives such as hunger relief, environmental protection, diabetes awareness, childhood cancer assistance and/or disaster relief.

-Barry Krebs

Monday, Oct. 4

On Oct. 1, volunteers from Pebblebrook High School, the First Christian Church of Mableton and the South Cobb Lions Club assisted Sweetwater Mission in distributing food to 139 families in need. We started off at The Waverly Mobile Home Park and concluded at the Extended Stay Motel. We are grateful to the companies who helped us out by donating food such as Hello Fresh, Flowers Bakery (Nature's Own and Wonder Bread), Post Cereal and Kenny's Pies. We worked hard to make our guests feel loved and valued.

-Barry Krebs

Friday, Oct. 1

On Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, 12 youth that reside in the Riverside Community spent their fall break taking part in the youth leadership summit hosted by We Thrive in Riverside Renters Association. The youth learned about civic engagement, community organizing and took part in Ready to help activities. The leadership summit was held at Kingsley Village Apartments at the Thrive Resource Center. All the youth that attended the summit attend schools in the Pebblebrook High School feeder pattern. The youth also attended a field trip on Oct. 1 to Marietta Square and government buildings. The youth will also organize the community fall fest on Oct. 31. Thank you to Georgia Power for sponsoring the youth leadership summit.

-Monica DeLancy

Wednesday, Sept. 29

On Sept. 28, We Thrive in Riverside Renters Association hosted National Voter Registration activities at Parkview Apartments, Kingsley Village Apartments and Hunters Grove Apartments in unincorporated Austell. Residents had the opportunity to register to vote, check their voter registration status and learn about upcoming elections. Thank you to Sharon Hill with the Peoples Agenda for partnering with We Thrive In Riverside Renters Association. Thank you to Cobb NAACP president Jerinne Bonner for providing the QR code to share with residents. A youth leadership summit will be hosted at Kingsley Village Apartments on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 where youth that reside at the apartments will take part in voter outreach opportunities and learn about civic engagement.

- Monica DeLancy

Tuesday, Sept. 28

Walking with a Purpose, an anti-litter volunteer group from the West Cobb area, gathered together on Sept. 23 to pick up litter on Barrett Parkway from Dallas Highway to Highway 41. After two hours the volunteers accumulated over 40 bags of litter. Walking with a Purpose is a group of likeminded volunteers who are interested in reducing the litter problem in the West Cobb area, as well bring an awareness to this growing issue.

The Marietta Chapter and other Metro Atlanta Chapters of the WeLoveU Foundation joined forces with the American Red Cross to host the WeLoveU National Blood Drive 2021 on Sept. 26 at the Georgia World Congress Center. Cobb County Commissioner Monique Sheffield inspired the crowd by overcoming her fear of needles to donate blood at this well organized and fun event. Other celebrities in attendance included Atlanta Hawks legends Dominic Wilkins and Onyeka Okongwu. It was estimated that close to 350 blood donors "rolled up their sleeves" to help replenish the America Red Cross blood shortage.

Sweetwater Mission thanks all of their sponsors, volunteers, players, staff and friends for making their annual golf tournament on Sept. 27 a big success and a lot of fun. By working together, funding raised go towards feeding hungry people during these difficult times. They are also in the process of completing the new Transformation Center designed to train people to pursue the career that will enable them to be more financially stable and secure in the future. They are very grateful to the first responders who are on the "front lines" in our fight against COVID. They also took a moment during the invocation to pray for their loved ones who are struggling with and recovering from this horrible illness.

Congratulations to the first place team, the former NFL players. There are some young teams coming in second and third place who will be trying to take the first place trophy home next year. Also, congratulations to Rotary Club president Wayne Blackstone for winning many of the raffle prizes. They look forward to your continued partnership at the 2022 Golf Tournament.

On Sept. 26, the Austell Community Taskforce, South Cobb Lions Club and South Cobb High School students assisted the Mableton Improvement Coalition in removing 22 bags of litter from their adopted Old Powder Springs Road. They even cleaned up sections of neighboring roads such as Old Bankhead Road, Whispering Pines Road and Old Alabama Road. Together, they had a great time improving our community while getting a little exercise.

If you or your subdivision would like to explore the Adopt-A-Mile program, contact Dawn at [email protected]. She will provide you with everything that you need.

Keep Cobb Beautiful's Elise McDonald and Grace Angeli recently led a team of middle school volunteers at Ford Elementary School in Acworth in removing two full van loads of invasive bushes and grasses. They then replanted the entrance signs in both sides of the school entrance driveway. Small plants such as Creeping Thyme, Lantana, Yarrow and Dianthus were planted. They have plans to return in November to add Salivia Datfodi Bulbs. The entryway to the school will look much better due to their efforts.

- Barry Krebs

Monday, Sept. 27

Sweetwater Mission hosted the Sept. 24 Meals On A Mission at The Waverly Mobile Home Park and later at the Extended Stay Motel. Together with volunteers from the South Cobb Lions Club and World Changers in College Park, we were able to provide 121 families with, canned/dry groceries, Post cereal, bread and Kenny's Pies. We did our best to serve our guests with courtesy, care and love.

Volunteers at the Anderson Ridge Drive subdivision conducted a litter clean-up of Anderson Mill Road from Alta Mill Apartments to Anderson Ridge Drive on Sept. 25. They were able to remove 11 bags of litter, dumped carpet and a tire. They are very interested in adopting that mile. In addition to the litter clean-up, they trimmed bushes and removed debris from the subdivision entrance. They had a very productive day.

-Barry Krebs

Friday, Sept. 24

On Sept. 23, volunteers from the South Cobb Lions Club and Linked UP Church had a great time as we worked together at the First Christian Church Of Mableton Meals On A Mission. Supplied by Sweetwater Mission, we were able to provide 173 families with canned/dry groceries, bread Post cereal and Kenny's Pies. We took executive minister Barry Smith's words to heart as he quoted Isaiah 58:10 - "Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon."

- Barry Krebs

Wednesday, Sept. 22

On Sept. 17, the South Cobb Lions Club and the Cumberland Christian Church volunteers assisted Sweetwater Mission in furnishing fruit, bread, canned/dry goods, vegetables, Post cereals and Kenny's Key Lime Pies to 142 families at The Waverly Mobile Home Park and Extended Stay Motel. We had a great time working together to serve our neighbors. Sweetwater Mission is in need of volunteers to pack and distribute food. Visit www.sweetwatermission.org to learn more.

On Sept. 18, volunteers from South Cobb High School, Pebblebrook High School and the Mableton Improvement Coalition came together to remove 24 bags of litter and a lot of debris from the Leland area including Garner Road, Lee Road, Old Gordon Road and Veterans Memorial Highway. Everyone in the community appreciates their willingness to sacrifice their Saturday morning to improve South Cobb.

-Barry Krebs

Thank you to MUST Ministries, Sweetwater Mission, Peace and Kindness food pantry for answering the emergency request to deliver food boxes, frozen meal kits and bottle water to residents in the Riverside community whose food were affected during the extended power outage. Thank you to Barry Krebs for assisting with food distributions and Melissa with Pay it forward for delivering food to neighbors in the community.

We Thrive in Riverside Renters Association distributed hot pizza and all the apartment managers received information to distribute to residents on resources that assist their residents. The food was distributed at the Thrive Resource Center at Kingsley Village Apartments on Riverside Parkway in Austell.

On Sept. 21, in the early morning hours there was a power outage that affected roughly 600 households in the middle of the night, temperatures reached over 95 degrees in the homes and the power was out for over five hours. It is recommended not to consume food left in the non-powered refrigerator for over four hours.

- Monica DeLancy