Georgia Magazine - December 2023 - 38

Hometown HEROES
By Amber Lanier Nagle
Lucy Davis: nutrition to support students
I
t's a party-like atmosphere as a dozen or so volunteers
march single file around the perimeter of a room. They
laugh as they fill plastic bags with nonperishable food
items.
" We have a good time, " Lucy Davis of Toccoa says.
A few minutes later, the volunteers have packed 221 bags,
and more volunteers arrive to transport the sacks to Stephens
County schools.
Prior to her retirement in 2010, Davis worked as a nurse
and high school health occupation teacher.
" After I retired, I wanted to-needed to-do something
productive, " the 83-year-old remembers. " And then I heard Pat
Standard talking about Neighbors4Neighbors on the radio, and
I decided to volunteer. "
Neighbors4Neighbors is a nonprofit organization dedicated
to feeding and comforting hungry individuals and families in
Stephens County. It is also the sponsoring agency for
Food2Kids, a program that provides weekend meals for students
in the local school system who have been identified by school
officials as being food-insecure.
" In my time working at the high school, I developed close
relationships with my students, and I learned a lot about their
problems and needs, " Davis says. " Being hungry on the
weekends with no food in the house is just one example. "
She focused her efforts on the Food2Kids program, which
originally served only local elementary schools.
" When a child moves to middle school, it doesn't change
the fact that there may not be enough food at home during the
weekend, " she says. " So, we started providing bags for middle
school and high school students, too. And we've since included
the Head Start kids. " (Head Start is a federal program that assists
low-income families in supporting the mental, social and
emotional development of children from birth to age 5.)
An army of community volunteers gathers each week to fill
bags with 8 pounds of nutritious products such as stew, beans,
cereal, oatmeal, crackers, granola bars, fruit cups and peanut
butter, costing about $7 (about $275 per student per school
year). Distribution of the bags is up to the schools.
Davis is moved by the outpouring of love, time, food and
financial support that volunteers and members of the
community have provided to help the organization carry out
its mission.
" All we have to do is ask. Individuals and businesses always
help us, " she says. " They understand that children can't learn
when they are distracted by hunger. "
In October, Davis received a Lifetime Achievement Award
from the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce,
recognizing her tireless dedication to the program.
" I hope others in Georgia will step forward to help hungry
kids in their hometowns, " she says. " I feel really good about
38 Georgia Magazine December 2023
what we've accomplished here. I invite others to get involved.
Come join the party! "
Amber Lanier Nagle is a freelance writer living in
Adairsville.
Want to help alleviate childhood hunger in Stephens County
or in your neck of the woods? Visit the Neighbors4Neighbors
website, neighbors4neighborsinc.org, to learn more, or send a
donation to: Food2Kids, Attn: Neighbors4Neighbors, 935 East
Tugalo St., Toccoa, GA 30577
AMBER LANIER NAGLE
http://www.neighbors4neighborsinc.org
Georgia Magazine - December 2023

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