LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS OFFER HELP TO HOMELESS,
EVEN AMIDST A PANDEMIC
BY MICHAEL W. PANNELL | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATT ODOM
In 1952, a Macon police officer – Sgt. A.E. McGee – started buying
donuts. Lots of donuts.
McGee's purchases had nothing to do with cops-and-donuts clichés
or jokes. ey were about hundreds of desperate people his work
brought him into contact with, individuals he chose to see rather than
turn a blind eye, to help rather than harass.
ose donuts, coffee and snacks were given to troubled people who
might be homeless, trapped by substance abuse, beset by traumas or the
many ills and choices that compounded life's difficulties.
McGee's individual choice to help others formed the roots of the
Macon Rescue Mission which, until 2000, operated a homeless shelter
at the intersection of what was Broadway and Poplar Street that
became a landmark topped by its iconic "Jesus Cares" sign.
Now, the organization's name is the Rescue Mission of Middle
Georgia and it serves 17 counties on a campus just west of Interstate
475 on Zebulon Road.
Along with other Macon organizations, the Rescue Mission strives
to help those facing homelessness and alleviate many of its causes – all
made more difficult by the advent of COVID-19.
Here's a sampling of organizations, glimpses into their work and
insight into the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on their
efforts.
SERVING
NEIGHBORS
OUR
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66 maconmagazine.com | OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020
