Local News Community Food Fleet Comes to an End After 15 months, the Cobb Community Food Fleet operations ended last month. Starting in May 2020, a group of nonprofits, churches, businesses and government entities was responsible for the receipt and distribution of 168,000 boxes of food received and distributed throughout Cobb County and beyond. That equates to 4.4 million pounds of fresh produce and proteins, the equivalent of nearly 3.7 million meals. The group included 14 organizations that picked up the food from Truist Park, the Galleria, the Cobb Energy Centre and Sweetwater Mission, and delivered it to more than 50 other fleet members, primarily churches and other nonprofits, throughout the county. Thanks to S.A. White and Mobilized Fuels, who provided the diesel needed to run the trailers, refrigeration never was lacking. The effort was a joint initiative of Cobb Community Foundation and Noonday Association of Churches. Costs largely were underwritten by the Atlanta Braves organization, which also contributed the use of the stadium’s refrigerator and loading docks as the first distribution center. Cobb County’s Board of Commissioners provided CARES Act and ARP Act funding of $540,000 to purchase food boxes, but the majority of the food was provided through the USDA’s Farmers to Families program. What made Cobb such an attractive partner for the program’s food distributors was having central distribution centers at easily accessible facilities, with subsequent deliveries throughout the entire county being handled by others. The need for a centralized distribution center went away when the USDA’s Farmers to Families program ended, but the need for food remains. Cobb Community Foundation took this issue to the county commission earlier this year, which allocated $1.5 million of American Rescue Plan funding for the purchase of food by Cobb nonprofits.
Tyler Holley of the Atlanta Braves Foundation unloads food for the fleet to be refrigerated prior to pickup at Truist Park. 8
AROUND KENNESAW | October 2021
Kennesaw Native Serves Aboard USS Tripoli Seaman Cinthia Perez, a 2019 Kennesaw Mountain High School graduate who joined the Navy two years ago, serves as an aviation boatswain’s mate aboard the USS Tripoli, the Navy’s newest amphibious assault ship, homeported in San Diego. “I made the decision to join the Navy for travel and education Cinthia Perez opportunities,” Perez said. “In Kennesaw, we are all about helping each other, so I try to do that here, too. I do my job and I stay humble.” USS Tripoli incorporates key components to provide the fleet with a more aviation-centric platform. The design features an enlarged hangar deck, realigned and expanded aviation maintenance facilities, a significant increase in available stowing parts and support equipment, and increased aviation fuel capacity. “The sailors aboard this ship have been given an enormous task — get this ship ready,” said Capt. John Kiefaber, Tripoli’s executive officer. “They brought this ship to life in the midst of a pandemic, and continued to operate it safely and effectively, rising to every occasion. I couldn’t be more proud.” Serving in the Navy means Perez is part of a world that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy. “We protect the seas and help keep peace,” Perez said. “We also help other countries when they need our help.” With more than 90% of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy. “I was the first in my family to graduate from high school and the first to join the military,” Perez said. “Graduating boot camp and having the opportunity to serve my country gives me a strong sense of pride. “Serving in the Navy means that I’m able to help protect my country and help people in need,” Perez added.
