Lunch is Served at ZPC!

When the COVID-19 epidemic hit, Second Helpings Atlanta Partner Agency Zaban Paradies Center had to make a change in the model that had served them for 35 years. Located in midtown, Zaban Paradies is the only Atlanta-area shelter serving couples.

During the typical residential season, mid-October through mid-April, guests are welcome from 6:30 p.m. until 7:30 a.m. to enjoy a hot meal and a warm bed. During the day, they go to work or participate in programs to gain employment-related skills.

When a shelter-in-place order was issued in mid-March, leadership made the decision to keep the center open 24/7. Executive Director Adrianne Hamilton-Butler explained, “Everything shut down and our residents had nowhere to go. We were their shelter in place, so the first thing we had to do was allow them to stay here 24/7. That meant we needed to serve lunch, in addition to breakfast and dinner.” As well, the residential season was extended a month, through mid-May.

For several years, Second Helpings Atlanta has provided Zaban Paradies with donated food to supplement their breakfast offerings. With full-day service and a longer season, we wanted to do more. Through a partnership Cater2.me and Calendly we were able to do just that.

Cater2.me is a corporate catering business and Calendly, a digital scheduling app, is one of their clients. With many Calendly employees working from home, they no longer needed pre-scheduled catered meals from Cater2.me. Instead of canceling, however, Calendly used their catering budget to donate food to Zaban Paradies Center, which was delivered by SHA. As a result, shelter residents enjoyed more than 400 delicious lunches last month!