Toney Valley Civic Association distributes free food, goodie bags at drive-thru event

Toney Valley Elementary School Principal Oliver Dean loads a vehicle.

A volunteer from the DeKalb County Board of Health passes out gift bags.

Food boxes are ready to distribute at the drive-through event.

Photos provided by Curtis McDowell

DECATUR—Toney Valley Civic Association recently distributed 400 boxes of food, including meats, and 700 boxes of fresh produce to the South DeKalb community. The association also gave away 400 goodie bags filled with information and gifts.

A team of over 70 volunteers helped to distribute the free food, which totaled 28,653 pounds, during a drive-thru mobile event staged at Toney Valley Elementary School. Principal Oliver Dean participated in loading the boxes into vehicles and was joined by DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox and  District 3 DeKalb Commissioner Larry Johnson.

Barbara J. Mobley, president of the Toney Valley Civic Association, said the event was a “huge success,” thanks to the Food in the Valley Committee members,  volunteers,  elected officials and other community partners.

“With over 70 volunteers participating in some portion of the event, more that 70% remained the entire time,” said Mobley.

The distribution was made in partnership with the Atlanta Community Food Bank; Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, which provided a $7,500 grant for the giveaway; Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority Community Engagement Program, which provided a $2,700 grant for disposable face masks, COVID-19 newsletter and 250 bottles of hand sanitizer; and the DeKalb County Board of Health.  The board of health provided 400 bags filled with COVID-19 safety information, Census information, veggie brushes, cheese slicers and cutting boards.

The Toney Valley Civic Association is a 36-year-old nonprofit based in South DeKalb County.