Patch Voices

Less Than 30 Cents To Feed A Hungry Child

Kids Against Hunger Metro Atlanta is on a mission.

by Dedrunette Baskin Kids Against Hunger Metro Atlanta is one of 93 satellites in the United States and Canada and the first in the Metro Atlanta area. Our goal for 2012 is to package and distribute a minimum of 1 million meals around the world to do our part in eradicating hunger and poverty. More than 14,000 children die daily before they turn 5 years old from starvation, malnutrition and hunger-related diseases. It takes an average of 0.25 to 0.28 cents to package and distribute one meal. You can help us make the difference! I am a product of the Kirkwood community and the Atlanta Public Schools system. As such, I am compelled to give back, especially to the schools that are left that my siblings and I attended, which are Toomer …

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Saving Lucy The Goose, Part II

After Gator-Aid, Inman Park tries something new.

Inman Park resident Eleanor "Mother Goose" Matthews led the charge recently to save Lucy, a domesticated goose from attack by Canada Geese coming to the lake in Springvale Park. Those efforts at keeping the Canada Geese away, via a floating replica alligator, did not achieve the desired result. Undeterred, Matthews shared "Plan B" with her Inman Park neighbors on the community's listserv and with East Atlanta Patch: Yes, the Canada Goose Couple is still at Lucy's Pond but let me tell you that I have received a lot of e-mail from the Patch story that has enlightened me. First, that you cannot expect to put a domestic bird (i.e. Lucy) in a pond where there are wild birds (i.e. geese from the north). The domestic bird would have to have its …

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Greatest Person of the Day

Inman Park's 'Mother Goose'

The tale of Eleanor Matthews, a plastic alligator and Lucy, the beloved goose of Springvale Park.

Editor's note: At Patch, we're all about what's local. As part of that, we have a regular feature, along with our sister website, Huffington Post, called the "Greatest Person of the Day." These stories and vignettes serve to highlight those in our communities doing things — some big, some small — that leave our corner of the world just a little bit brighter. Today we highlight Eleanor Matthews, affectionately known as "Mother Goose." Once upon a time, in a neighborhood not so far away, there lived a goose named Lucy. Actually, Lucy still calls Inman Park home and resides in the lake there in Springvale Park. And this once-grim tale has somewhat of a happy ending. How Lucy got there and how she managed to survive a couple of rough bumps is …

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Hunt Archbold

9:00 am on Friday, February 10, 2012

Mammy is the mother of a dear friend of mine. You can usually find me at Mammy's house for a post-Inman Park Parade party each April.   more ›

Top Goals For East Atlanta In 2012

East Atlanta Community Association president lays out his Top 10.

The start of the new year brought with it changes in elected officers at several neighborhood associations. Lewis Cartee was elected president of the East Atlanta Community Association for 2012, succeeding Austin Dickson, whose term ended. East Atlanta Patch asked Cartee what his top goals are for EACA in 2012 and this is his list:

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Victor Cooper

12:07 pm on Friday, January 27, 2012

Great goals, Lew. Let us know how we can help! -VCooper   more ›

Patch Voices

Abuse, Neglect And Abandonment: This Is DeKalb County's Animal "Shelter"

Why you should care and what we can do.

by Chamblee Abernathy Pet overpopulation, abuse, neglect and abandonment are at an all-time high in DeKalb County. The majority of DeKalb residents are not aware of the crisis nor the shortfall in the so-called "animal services" provided by our county government. The animals need for you to know their plight...for everyone in DeKalb to know. After more than a decade of complaints to elected officials from members of the local animal rescue community, Burrell Ellis, our county's chief executive, and Board of Commissioners finally responded by creating the Animal Services Task Force in early 2011. The Task Force spent several months doing research and presented its findings and recommendations to the CEO and BOC in October. To date, CEO …

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From One Generation To Another

DeKalb County teens put MLK's service-to-others philosophy by helping seniors.

This weekend, more than 30 DeKalb County high school students and adult volunteers teamed up with the City of Decatur to volunteer for the MLK Annual Service Day and repair community seniors’ homes. The teens helped repair the homes and yards of local community seniors by raking leaves, trimming bushes, removing invasive plants and doing other work as deemed necessary under the supervision of adult volunteers. According to Diane Jackson-Chapman, program director of Youth Leadership DeKalb, the project teaches youth the importance of volunteering. “By getting students involved in this service project, it helped them to understand the importance of civic engagement and it fostered a stronger commitment in students to serve those with special…

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Want To Honor MLK? Do Community Service

Several opportunities to remember a legacy of giving by giving back to your local community.

Jan. 16 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, where we pause to remember one of Atlanta's — and America's — favorite sons. Several groups around East Atlanta Patch have taken his message of service to others to heart by setting up some events in different neighborhoods that are to take place that day. Here are a few: Downtown: Georgia State University's head basketball coach Ron Hunter and Georgia State Athletics will give 200 metro area kids who don't have shoes, footwear. The project, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Blank Family YMCA, 555 Luckie St., is in partnership with the After School All-Stars to support City of Refuge. The children are receiving the shoes through Samaritan's Feet. East Atlanta Village: Brownwood Park, 607 Brownwood…

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Patch Voices

What It Means To Be A Girl Scout

One girl's journey of helping others in need.

by Adeline Campbell I am proud to be a Girl Scout. As a Girl Scout, we never stop helping others. We give money to charities and right now we are giving money we raised to refugees and animal shelters. If we see someone that is sad, we don’t keep walking. We will try to make that person feel better. And if we see an animal that is hurt, we will call someone to help. This year, at Christmas, we baked hundreds of cookies and made cards for the Atlanta Day Shelter for Women and Children. We also do things like sleep over at the Georgia Aquarium, go camping, or go to Savannah where the founder of the Girl Scouts used to live. My Girl Scout troop is so joyful. The girls are always happy. One of the things I like most about Girl Scouts is …

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Eric Campbell

9:27 pm on Sunday, January 15, 2012

We would love to come to your condo and sell cookies. What is your unit? Will stop by this week.   more ›

Five Questions With. . .Georgia State University's Coach Ron Hunter

Basketball coach talks about his work with providing shoes for needy children around the world.

How many pairs of shoes do you have in your closet? (We counted 14 pairs in ours.) Now, imagine having none at all to wear. Nothing to protect the soles of your feet and the rocks, concrete or asphalt you walk on everyday. For 300 million people around the world, that's their reality. It's a reality Ron Hunter, Georgia State's men's basketball coach, is looking to change one pair of shoes at a time. A 25-year coaching veteran, Hunter has lent his voice — and his soles — to Samaritan's Feet, which aims to provide 10 million pairs of shoes to 10 million children in the next decade. Hunter has been involved in Samaritan's Feet for the past five years, hosting one game each of those years where he coaches barefoot. This year, Hunter will coach…

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Péralte Paul

11:53 am on Wednesday, January 11, 2012

You're welcome, Panama.   more ›

East Atlanta Parks And Greenspace Group Seeks Volunteers For Brownwood Clean-Up Effort

Day of service is Jan. 16 for MLK Holiday.

by Patch Staff The East Atlanta Community Association's Parks and Greenspace Committee seeks volunteers to help beautify Brownwood Park. The clean-up efforts, which serves as a day of service in honor of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Key goals of the beautification are cleaning up the community garden, trash pick-up from the trail along the stream in the park's southern half and laying wood chips on the new path to the bridge. Volunteers are asked to bring work gloves and all other materials will be provided. If you'd like to participate, please send an e-mail to parks@eaca.net.

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