ATLANTA — Tens of millions of people do good deeds to remember those lost on Sept. 11, 2001.
It’s actually the largest day of charitable service each year. But today is also a big day of service. Monday marks the 9/11 National Day of Service meal pack across 11 cities in the U.S. including Atlanta.
Channel 2′s Kristen Holloway was at the Georgia World Congress Center, where hundreds of volunteers worked hard for a good cause.
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“Turning 9/11 into a day of service honoring those who gave their lives protecting others while forsaking their own safety, it’s really important and just very inspirational to pay it forward,” volunteer Ashley Gralee said.
Jadrien Grimes, civic engagement manager for Hands on Atlanta, helped organize the event.
He says food insecurity is hitting metro Atlanta families hard.
“715,000 people to be exact are living in a food insecure area. One in seven of those being young people. Inflation everything is just crazy and for folks to just not have food is just sickening,” Grimes said.
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Holloway was told that volunteers would pack nearly 160,000 meals.
There will be about 300 volunteers during two different meal packing sessions on Monday. All of the food will go to Atlanta Community Food Bank, which will distribute the food to communities in need in metro Atlanta.
Gralee says giving back is the perfect way to start the workweek and commemorate 9/11.
“Coming together and doing something good for others, it just feels good. 21 years later we are still honoring those who lost so much and lost family members,” Gralee said.
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