On Saturday, January 23, a small, but dedicated group of 11 Emory alumni in Atlanta gathered at the Goizueta Business School in hopes of bringing change to the world. Granted, it may have been only a tiny change. But it was change nonetheless.

Community service has long been a part of Emory's, and the Emory Alumni Association's, legacy. And it is this legacy and the joy of helping others that brought this group together to support the newly developed Emory Alumni Community Service Group (EACS) for the organization's debut project: EATlanta, which stands for Emory Alumni Together Lending Atlanta Nutrition Through Assistance.

The mission of the EACS is to engage Emory alumni in serving their community through group events. EATlanta, EACS's first project, has one simple goal: provide personalized meals to those in need while simultaneously creating a stronger sense of community among local Emory alumni.

With more than 320,000 households in Georgia currently receiving food stamps, according to a U.S. Census Bureau study, there is a palpable need to feed and support the less fortunate in our state. EACS recognizes that even the smallest contributions can have a lasting impact on a community. This is why we developed EATlanta.

Through partnerships with Kroger and Whole Foods, EATlanta’s first project provided 250 needy people with meals made by Emory alumni. Each lunch was packed with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, along with a cookie, drink, napkin... and a whole lot of love. Volunteers gathered in the commons area on the first floor of Goizueta at 10:00 a.m., and worked hard preparing the lunches until about 1:00 p.m.

The alumni volunteers then transported the bagged lunches over to My Sister’s House, a nonprofit organization that provides resources to victims of domestic violence and their children. My Sister's House is long-term residential program associated with the Atlanta Union Mission, a Christian Ministry that seeks to aid any person in crisis through programs of rescue and recovery. My Sister’s House can accommodate between 200-300 residents at a time, a perfect number for EATlanta’s first contribution project.

After this successful event, EACS plans to make EATlanta a recurring project. We would like to encourage all alumni interested in volunteering for the next EATlanta program to join. Next time, we hope to prepare far more meals for the Atlanta Union Mission.

For information or updates, please email eacsvolunteers@gmail.com and we will provide you with details for our upcoming projects.

You can also join our Facebook group, "Emory Alumni Community Service (EACS),” to stay current on all the organization's latest efforts.

-- Blake Covington 07B, Emory Alumni Community Service Group