Dunwoody resident Judi Jackson is collecting cereal boxes throughout October to stock two local food pantries, and she wants neighbors to help her blow past the goal.
Jackson accepted a challenge from Maggie Lee for Good, a nonprofit based in Shreveport, La., to gather at least 30 boxes of cereal during October. The drive honors what would have been founder Maggie Lee Henson's 30th birthday. Every box collected will go to Malachi's Storehouse (referred to as Malachi's Closet in the drive announcement), a Dunwoody food pantry, or the Community Assistance Center, which serves Sandy Springs and Dunwoody families.
"I bet we can do exponentially better than that, especially with all the BOGOs and similar sales at our area grocery stores," Jackson wrote in a post on The Aha! Connection.
Maggie Lee Henson died Aug. 2, 2009, at age 12 after a church bus carrying youth from First Baptist Church of Shreveport overturned on its way to a camp in Georgia.
Her parents, Jinny and John Henson, founded the nonprofit in her memory. Each year on Oct. 29, Maggie Lee's birthday, the organization asks people across the country to perform acts of kindness through what it calls Maggie Lee for Good Day, Baptist News Global reported. The cereal drive is one of this year's community challenges.
Malachi's Storehouse, a ministry of St. Patrick's Episcopal Church at 4755 N. Peachtree Road, distributes food, baby supplies and clothing every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The CAC provides groceries to about 500 families a month through three Mini-Markets, partnering with the Atlanta Community Food Bank and Second Helpings Atlanta.
No central drop-off location has been announced. Residents who want to donate cereal can contact Jackson at (504) 722-8261 or [email protected] to arrange a pickup or drop-off before the drive wraps up at the end of October.
Upcoming dates:
- Thursday, Oct. 29 — Maggie Lee for Good Day, a national day of kindness marking Maggie Lee Henson's birthday
- End of October — Cereal drive collection deadline; contact Jackson to arrange donations
