I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. Matthew 25:35

Our Daily Bread provides meals daily for anyone seeking food and fellowship, serving those who have limited financial resources. Oconee Street UMC has committed the money to buy food to prepare lunch for 125 people on the fourth Thursday and Friday of each month in 2022. Volunteers can shop for groceries, bake desserts to go in the lunches or meet the day of the meal to cook. Contact Katie Calkin (katieandviolet@hotmail.com) to find out how you can help. All meals are served at Our Daily Bread, Athens First Baptist Church, 355 Pulaski Street, Athens, GA 30605.

Food 2 Kids is a program of the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia to alleviate childhood hunger on nights and weekends when other food is not available. For many children in the area, school is the only reliable source of food in their lives. Food 2 Kids bridges the weekend hunger gap by providing free sacks of child-friendly and child-specific foods that are easy to open, nutritious, and do not require any cooking. Please bring peanut butter or pop-top cans of ravioli and place them in the baskets in the narthex. Coordinated by Oconee Street United Methodist Women member Kathy Kaes.

The Ark serves the low-income citizens of Athens-Clarke and surrounding counties who are facing financial emergencies and are struggling to meet life’s basic needs. These include people who are working in one or more low-wage jobs, disabled or elderly and living on fixed incomes, facing increasing costs of living, stagnant wages and a lack of affordable housing and often without a network of support. It serves as an efficient, effective way for the local religious community to pool resources and help people find self-sufficiency with hope and self-respect in the face of economic hardship. The Ark acts as an advocate for neighbors and offers help using its own funds, as well as monies, services and resources from other social service agencies and private charities in the community.  Contact: Oconee Street delegate Carter Vest cartervest@gmail.com

Athens Land Trust Small Business Community Revolving Loan Fund is a new initiative that offers enhanced business development opportunities for qualifying small business owners and entrepreneurs. An advisory council comprised of OSUMC and ALT representatives guides the implementation of the program. Church members will also volunteer as small business development mentors. This partnership strengthens ALT’s mission to make equitable economic opportunities a foundation for stronger communities. 

Enlightened Media Productions is dedicated to increasing economic opportunities of minority-owned businesses in the Athens area by consulting with minority-owned businesses on building positive business practices, studying the latest marketing trends, and generating customer-savvy content. Mission Outreach provided seed money to launch this venture and we continue to partner with founder Broderick Flanigan on a host of community building activities. 

Interfaith Hospitality Network of Athens (IHNA)   is a coalition of Athens area churches and congregations of faith that provide shelter, meals, and support for homeless families in crisis. Oconee Street congregants are encouraged to contact IHNA Service Director Collisa Lankford at serve@ihnathens.org ​or 706-425-1881 to volunteer.