Shoppers in South Macon gifted free groceries

Volunteers surprised shoppers at the South Macon Food Depot Wednesday afternoon by offering to pay for their groceries.

Shannon Finney, 33, was grabbing bottled water and food for her mother — who she takes care of — when she was given a $75 gift card. 

She said she’s seen giveaways on TikTok but didn’t expect to see one in her neighborhood.

“It was special, and now I’m getting teary because I work very hard,” she said. “It’s touching.”

The volunteers with the Collective Renaissance Guild, an Atlanta nonprofit focused on civic engagement, held the giveaway as one of several around the state to help communities affected by food insecurity, or a lack of consistent access to food.

Thirty people received gift cards with the help of grant funding, CRG Executive Director Roderick Smith said. 

While the organization mainly focuses on assisting young adults and people of color, any shopper could accept grocery money, he added. 

Smith said the giveaway came together as a way to help out as SNAP benefits were jeopardized and the holidays approached, a way to “put a dent” in food insecurity.

The Oct. 1 government shutdown left SNAP benefits in limbo but were ultimately fulfilled once a federal funding package was passed.

This area in South Macon was chosen in particular because it has among the highest number of SNAP recipients per capita, program director Amari Mathis said.

“We thought that this would be a nice thing to do during the holidays but also just to get folks thinking about what happened,” Mathis said.

Mathis said the organization will ramp up community efforts as the midterm elections come around to encourage people to think about who their elected officials are.

The organization is already planning on another giveaway in late January, Smith said.