Founder of southeast Atlanta food bank says pantry is desperate for food

ATLANTA — The founder of a southeast Atlanta food bank says the need for food is dire.

Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen visited the charity along Browns Mill Road.

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Eslene Richmond-Shockley, CEO of Caring for Others, told Petersen she had seen this coming.

She said a few months back, the cost of groceries were going way up and more families were coming there for help.

Richmond-Shockley said it’s so bad, the charity has built another warehouse to tackle it.

She says her life’s work was shaped by experience.

“I know what it is to live in poverty. I know what it is like to be hungry and go to bed at night without enough food to eat,” Richmond-Shockley said.

Richmond-Shockley has operated the non-profit Caring for Others and the South Atlanta Food Bank for 23 years.

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She says this year’s inflation has driven the need off the charts, a record number of families seeking help.

With the charity building another warehouse to distribute more groceries, Richmond-Shockley said they need more volunteers.

Local law enforcement answered the call.

The Atlanta Police Athletic League brought a group of kids in its summer program to help.

Some of the tweens live in communities where food insecurity can lead to more crime.

“We really embrace what Ms. Shockley is doing here, to potentially help solve that problem,” volunteer Natalie Ammons said.

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Richmond-Shockley explained to Petersen that during their first year of the pandemic, things were bad. Now, things are worse.

“There is more need than we could ever imagine. I don’t know when it’s going to end, but there are so many people hungry out there,” Richmond-Shockley said.

Richmond-Shockley mentioned that over the last couple of weeks, when some of her clients have picked up their groceries, they asked her if she had any electric fans.

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