Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1543312
February/March 2026 | maconmagazine.com 39 STORY BY ELDREDGE MCCREADY | PHOTOS BY MATT ODOM "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." F I S H I N G F O R out what a daily route looks like for individuals struggling with homelessness and food insecurity to take care of their needs. Wright intends to make the fundraiser an annual event to help supplement the organization's budget, which has a goal of raising $400,000 for the 2026 fiscal year. Not all pledges for participants have been completed yet. "A lot of people enjoyed it because it gave them the knowledge," Wright said. "It circled around the downtown area, past organizations like Daybreak [Resource Center], Christ Church, and Mulberry [Methodist] that also provide services, which people never think of until they need them. Loaves and Fishes partners with many organizations downtown and throughout Bibb County to help folks who are downtrodden — for whatever reason — obtain identification cards and birth certificates, which can be extremely difficult if you don't know where to go." Showers are provided on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with hygiene and toiletry kits available. For people experiencing homelessness, laundry service is provided on Thursdays, when clothes can be dropped off at 9 a.m. and picked up at 3 p.m. T he phrase has become familiar to most adults at some point. It has been attributed to philosophers, and some mistakenly believe it is from the Bible, but its purpose is to help people become self-sufficient. For individuals in Macon seeking assistance, there is a nearby facility on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard that offers a wide range of support services. Loaves and Fishes Ministry is a charitable organization that collaborates with partners to provide many social services. The nonprofit's mission is to improve the quality of life for the poor and homeless in a Christian tradition. It prepares dinners during the holiday season; the most recent was held just before Christmas. "We fed well over 100 people," said Janet Wright, executive director of Loaves and Fishes. A free meal was also provided for Thanksgiving. With many people struggling during the current economy, Wright said she generally works more than 40 hours per week and is perpetually busy. She is in her fourth year leading the organization, starting just as the COVID-19 pandemic subsided. She is currently aided by three paid, part-time employees and four volunteers. Wright, who refers to her job as "my calling since an early age," is passionate about the organization's mission, whose logo includes the phrase "Where Hope Lives!" "We serve people to give them a second chance in life," Wright said, "especially for women and women with children." Loaves and Fishes also attempts to help those suffering from substance and alcohol abuse. The agency holds fundraisers, the most recent in September titled "Walk a Mile in My Shoes Pilgrimage," which covered a three-mile area of downtown Macon. The event attempted to map compassion LEFT Janet Wright shows canned food donations at the Loaves and Fishes headquarters in Downtown Macon. BELOW A sign inside the facility bears their mission.