Why share Tech's food?
Overview
We are an Georgia Tech organization dedicated to bettering the community by providing warm meals, social interaction, and smiles to those less fortunate. These people are largely forgotten by today’s society and are often neglected, even ignored, by passers-by. Our goal is to eliminate the separation between the homeless and the general public, and we believe that we can achieve this through the activities of our organization.
What Inspired Us
Our president, Grant Grimes, was waiting for a train at the Midtown MARTA station when he was approached by a homeless man asking for change. Grant was glad to assist the man, but had no cash on his person, as has become the norm with the evolution of digital payment methods. The man looked like he was legitimately using the money food food, and had a true look of sorrow when Grant was unable to assist him. However, after a chat with Grant, the man realized that he was a struggling college student and likely could not help him financially. Grant felt guilty of his inability to help him financially, but realized that there are other ways that college students can help. So he proposed the idea of an organization consisting of the Tech community that distributes the excess food prepared by GT Dining to the community of those less fortunate in Atlanta to his friends Nathan Bates, Andrew Duda, and Grant Veve, and the group decided to start Food for the Forgotten.
Our Favorite Moment
Recently, while searching for those less fortunate to spread the word about our organization, we ran into a homeless man at North Avenue MARTA. After we introduced ourselves and spoke with him about our organization, he actually began to tear up and told us that this was the first legitimate conversation a stranger had had with him in months. He also said that he greatly appreciated us treating him as a fellow human being, and shook our hands and let us know his name, Charlie. As it turns out, Charlie is a Vietnam veteran who became homeless after he lost his VA benefits. This experience taught us that heroes can come in the most unusual packages, and that the smallest gesture can make someones day at least a little bit better, and helped cement our interest in starting Food for the Forgotten.
Our Potential Challenges
The biggest challenge that we currently face is getting the support of GT Dining through the donation of food. Due to liability issues, they might not be willing to join us. However, flexibility is key and we will persevere with our vision of bettering the community. In the event that GT Dining is unable to assist us, our group will still do our part through volunteering at local soup kitchens and homeless shelters. We will strive to aid those less fortunate and help to ensure that they never feel forgotten by society again.
How We Can Change Our Community
The biggest misconception about Food for the Forgotten is that we are just a volunteer group. In addition to providing meals to the less fortunate, our group finds a use for all of the wasted food on Georgia Tech’s campus, and aims to integrate the homeless back into mainstream society through the use of career counseling services provided by Georgia Tech professors. In doing so, they can find hope for a new start and quite possibly attain gainful employment so that they can give back to the community as well. We believe that by providing the homeless with the tools needed to get back on their feet, not only will they enjoy the benefits of a boosted morale, but society as a whole will also enjoy the benefits of a boosted economy gained through their re-entrance into the workforce.
Our Future Goals
We hope that Food for the Forgotten builds a strong relationship with one of the local homeless organizations in Atlanta as well as a strong foothold in the Georgia Tech Student Organizations board. We also hope that our group will grow while continuing to serve the Atlanta community, and expand to colleges and universities across the country.
We are an Georgia Tech organization dedicated to bettering the community by providing warm meals, social interaction, and smiles to those less fortunate. These people are largely forgotten by today’s society and are often neglected, even ignored, by passers-by. Our goal is to eliminate the separation between the homeless and the general public, and we believe that we can achieve this through the activities of our organization.
What Inspired Us
Our president, Grant Grimes, was waiting for a train at the Midtown MARTA station when he was approached by a homeless man asking for change. Grant was glad to assist the man, but had no cash on his person, as has become the norm with the evolution of digital payment methods. The man looked like he was legitimately using the money food food, and had a true look of sorrow when Grant was unable to assist him. However, after a chat with Grant, the man realized that he was a struggling college student and likely could not help him financially. Grant felt guilty of his inability to help him financially, but realized that there are other ways that college students can help. So he proposed the idea of an organization consisting of the Tech community that distributes the excess food prepared by GT Dining to the community of those less fortunate in Atlanta to his friends Nathan Bates, Andrew Duda, and Grant Veve, and the group decided to start Food for the Forgotten.
Our Favorite Moment
Recently, while searching for those less fortunate to spread the word about our organization, we ran into a homeless man at North Avenue MARTA. After we introduced ourselves and spoke with him about our organization, he actually began to tear up and told us that this was the first legitimate conversation a stranger had had with him in months. He also said that he greatly appreciated us treating him as a fellow human being, and shook our hands and let us know his name, Charlie. As it turns out, Charlie is a Vietnam veteran who became homeless after he lost his VA benefits. This experience taught us that heroes can come in the most unusual packages, and that the smallest gesture can make someones day at least a little bit better, and helped cement our interest in starting Food for the Forgotten.
Our Potential Challenges
The biggest challenge that we currently face is getting the support of GT Dining through the donation of food. Due to liability issues, they might not be willing to join us. However, flexibility is key and we will persevere with our vision of bettering the community. In the event that GT Dining is unable to assist us, our group will still do our part through volunteering at local soup kitchens and homeless shelters. We will strive to aid those less fortunate and help to ensure that they never feel forgotten by society again.
How We Can Change Our Community
The biggest misconception about Food for the Forgotten is that we are just a volunteer group. In addition to providing meals to the less fortunate, our group finds a use for all of the wasted food on Georgia Tech’s campus, and aims to integrate the homeless back into mainstream society through the use of career counseling services provided by Georgia Tech professors. In doing so, they can find hope for a new start and quite possibly attain gainful employment so that they can give back to the community as well. We believe that by providing the homeless with the tools needed to get back on their feet, not only will they enjoy the benefits of a boosted morale, but society as a whole will also enjoy the benefits of a boosted economy gained through their re-entrance into the workforce.
Our Future Goals
We hope that Food for the Forgotten builds a strong relationship with one of the local homeless organizations in Atlanta as well as a strong foothold in the Georgia Tech Student Organizations board. We also hope that our group will grow while continuing to serve the Atlanta community, and expand to colleges and universities across the country.
