Athens PBJs bridges friendships and builds community between homeless and non-homeless people in Athens, Georgia.
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Who
We are a diverse community of residents of Athens and the surrounding areas seeking to share life and God’s love together. |
Where
We gather weekly at the corner of College Avenue and Clayton Street in downtown Athens and at other locations throughout the year. |
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When
We gather at 2 p.m. every Sunday, rain or shine. We also meet for small group dinners and other special events throughout the year. |
Why
Among other reasons, we believe that every person is made in the image of God and, therefore, has inherent value. |
Our story
Athens PBJs began the same way that Athens PBJs continues - with friendship and a shared meal. In December 2007 six friends sharing dinner in Atlanta began discussing the challenges of poverty in their communities. The group prepared brown-bag meals to distribute to people experiencing homelessness in Atlanta, and the experience led them to take the simple act of service to Athens, where they attended college. As the group prepared over 1,400 brown bag meals to share in Athens through the first half of 2008, they noticed an unmet need beyond the physical provision of food: friendship and community.
In the summer of 2008 Athens PBJs shifted its focus. Instead of food being the purpose, food became the medium to bridge gaps between homeless and non-homeless communities in Athens. Each week, Athens PBJs now brings together, over a meal, people of different ages, races, ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels to get to know one another and be changed by friendship.
In the summer of 2008 Athens PBJs shifted its focus. Instead of food being the purpose, food became the medium to bridge gaps between homeless and non-homeless communities in Athens. Each week, Athens PBJs now brings together, over a meal, people of different ages, races, ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels to get to know one another and be changed by friendship.