For Myron Smith and his two sons, giving back has become a year-round family affair through an Atlanta nonprofit organization that fights food insecurity and supports sustainability by rescuing surplus food.
The three Smith men – who count six University of Georgia diplomas among them – are all graduates of the Terry College of Business. And they appreciate the importance of helping their Atlanta community, choosing to commit their volunteer efforts into the work of Second Helpings Atlanta.
Myron Smith (BBA ’71, MBA ’72) first heard about Second Helpings soon after the organization became established in Atlanta 15 years ago. He began volunteering during the holiday season in 2005.
“Every time I delivered food, I realized the impact that it was having on people’s lives, so that’s why I got more involved and I’ve stayed involved for 14 years,” he said.
A board member since 2012, he’s become invested in the nonprofit’s mission. “I saw firsthand what the needs were in the Atlanta community to feed people who didn’t have access to nutritious food, or maybe any food at all,” he said.
Second Helpings Atlanta (SHA) rescues surplus food from over 80 food donors all across the metro Atlanta area and then brings that food to more than 50 partner agencies who provide it at no cost to those in need.
Myron’s two sons, Marc and Eric, were inspired by their father to get involved with Second Helpings as volunteers.
Youngest son Eric (BBA ’09, BSEd ’09) is a part of the team that rescues food from Morningside Farmer’s Market. He also facilitates a partnership between SHA and his employer Cox Communications, where he works as a senior financial analyst. The company acts as a food donor, encourages employees to volunteer and has hosted food-packing events in the past.
Myron’s other son, Marc (BBA ’04, MAcc ’05), moved to New York City after graduating from Terry. He worked in New York from 2005 to 2010, and during those years he started volunteering with a similar food rescue organization called City Harvest.
In 2009, Myron increased his responsibility in SHA’s growth and took on the job of food donor coordinator at the request of SHA’s founder Guenther Hecht. The role included both working with current food donors and bringing in new ones.
Myron was inspired by Marc’s work with City Harvest to reach out to farmers markets in Atlanta and recruit them as potential food donors to help SHA expand. Drawing on his business acumen and a professional career as an executive with Smith Container Corp. from 1977 to 2004, he brought local farmers markets into the fold.
At the time, SHA received donations that predominantly consisted of bakery goods. Myron amassed a group of grocery stores, including Trader Joe’s, Fresh Market and Whole Foods in the Atlanta area, to serve as food donors in addition to the farmers markets. That diversified the food SHA could provide.
“We started getting produce and dairy products and proteins, so it changed the dynamics of what we were able to deliver to the agencies we were working with,” Myron said.
“The amount of connections he was able to make is incredible. It grew the network that Second Helpings receives food donations from,” Eric said. “He probably won’t take credit for it, but he has put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears to help them provide as much food as they have.”
Hard work, chutzpah, and building good relations, which he began forming – and still traces back to – his college years at UGA.
“I would say the whole educational experience at Georgia helped me with my career and relationship building,” Myron said. “The incredible relationships I developed over the years with the food donors, the partner agencies, the volunteers, the staff and the board are why SHA is still an important part of my life.”