Macon Magazine

JEFF BATTCHER With the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, countless Middle Georgians were laid off, or worse, lost their jobs entirely. Many people who had never before experienced food insecurities found themselves turning to the Middle Georgia Food Bank, according to Jeff Battcher, chairman of the board for the food bank. "People are understandably uncomfortable. They've never before had to ask for food. We're working to help them," he said. "It just cuts you to your core to see the long, long lines of cars – as many as 1,200 per visit – when we're distributing food." The Middle Georgia Food Bank reported seeing two to three times the typical need for food in the 24 counties it serves. Even its 175 food pantries are not able to cover all the territory and serve all the people they usually do. To help meet the growing need for additional food distribution, several faith- based organizations and other community groups have pitched in to provide approximately 60,000 meals to residents. "This represents by far the largest distribution of food in our history," Battcher said. Together with the United Way and The Community Foundation of Central Georgia, among others, Middle Georgia Food Bank is collaborating in efforts to deliver nutritious sustenance to those who need it most. "The greatest issue we're facing is getting the food out to the people," Battcher said. Cooperating with DayBreak and several other ministries has significantly helped with the food distribution piece of the puzzle, Battcher said. "Each of the organizations – all of us – are in our own swim lanes, doing what we do, but there's so much more to be done. The people are still drowning," he said. To meet more crushing needs than ever before, Battcher himself gets behind the wheel and ensures that those who are hungry get what they need. "He is like a superhero," said JamieLynn Harris, business manager for the Middle Georgia Food Bank. "He needs a cape!" —Lisa Pritchard Mayfield Dr. Stella Tsai, a retired Macon neurologist, gives back to her community by volunteering with the Red Cross, the Macon Volunteer Clinic and in the Medical Reserve Corps. "Because my parents became refugees while doing post-graduate studies in the United States in 1948 during the Communist ascension to power in China, I have always tried to give back to the community, even if only in small ways," said Tsai. "Moreover, the federal and state governments help fund medical schools and residency training programs from which I have benefitted." Tsai spent two weeks this spring with the Medical Association of Georgia's Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) in Albany. On her first detail, her role was monitoring the health of the Georgia State Defense Force (GSDF) soldiers who were involved in sanitizing and decontaminating nursing homes. Her second assignment involved entering nursing homes to do COVID-19 nasopharyngeal swab testing. These experiences were particularly meaningful for Tsai because she was able to participate "in a concerted group effort to assist in stopping disease spread, as opposed to being one practitioner serving one patient at a time," she said. As a volunteer with the MRC, Tsai was under the command of the GSDF, a volunteer military-style organization that collaborates with the Georgia National Guard. During her assignments, Tsai was in a COVID-19 "hot spot." "Until recently, Dougherty County had the highest per capita COVID-19 mortality rate in the world," Tsai said in a story for Bibb County Medical Society News. Tsai's rank is captain. "On my first day, I was instructed on the correct way to wear my uniform: shoes laced right over left, pants legs tucked in, top-lace tie tucked in and not visible, cover on at all times while outdoors, unless instructed otherwise, and never worn inside," she said in the story. "I also learned the proper way to salute and to stand at ease." Tsai said she appreciated the opportunity to work with the dedicated GSDF troops: "I was honored to be able to serve." —Lisa Pritchard Mayfield Dr. Stella Tsai 19

• Cover