Brian Hamilton is executive director of the food pantry Sweetwater Mission, which provides needy families in the Austell area with about a million pounds of food a year.
Now life is even harder for the working poor who are Sweetwater’s clients, threatened by the coronavirus outbreak that has taken away the livelihoods of thousands.
Nationally and internationally, the effects can be seen on staff at other helping organizations. The number of staffers seeking “mental wellness” services at the international relief agency CARE has increased, said Patrick O’Donoghue, deputy director of security at the Atlanta-based organization. Many of those workers are in hard-hit areas of Asia and the Middle East. “We’re asking them to stay in position, and possibly work, and work harder, in the weeks ahead.”