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Econoill.ic pportunity Atlanta, Inc. 101 Marietta Str eet Bldg. • ,\tl;:inta, Georgia 30303 r Telephone: .525-4262 T . M. Parham E xecutive Administrator Contact: Mrs. Mitchell For immediate release April 10, 1969 To begin observan.c e of "Martha's Day" on April 11, membe:r.s of the Christian Council of Metropolitan Atlanta adrninistra1.:!_\·1c committee have invited the public to join them for fasting anC praye- a f:. 7:00 a. · m. at St. Mark Methodif't Church, Peac'l-1tree ~n~ Fi1th Streets. The invitation was issued by Dr. William Geren, President of the council and Pastor of the Dogwood :t-:ills Baptist chu ~ ch. ·,:e urged a L 1• h.t l,mtans to particis>ate in "M-:i. rtha's Day" -~ y contributing tc tr..c Ira Jar-Le l.l. ~~::. l -1<-. Fund for hLi.ngry school child1. ren. \ Tax deductible checks c an be m3.iled to Christian Counc~l, i ! Box 567, Atlanta, Georgia 30301. I Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr. h as proclaimed April 11 as "Marthr ' s Day" calling upon the ci ty to "eat for 1 day what Martha ea tis·, to feel for 1 day wha. t Martha feels. " Martha , · a :fiirst grader from a poverty family, was intr,o duced by Economic Opportunity Atlanta a~d the Christian Council of Metropolitan Atlanta to dramatize the _plight of Atlanta's hungry children. �i . Martha is not her real name , but she is a real child. She knows what it is like to try to do her school work on a near empty stomach. She lives with her parents, four brothers and one sister in three rooms which used to be someone's garage. pays $28.0o' a week for the three rooms. co_llect the r en-:- e a ~h Saturday. making $30.00 o. The family The landlady comes to Now that her father is only week t he farn .L ly of eight must somehow e x ist each week o n. the :;::-~ma L . ing $ 2. 00. Sometimes !via rt1ia goes to r_

hoo l without breakfast.

Her daily ~iet ofter. cor sists o f a sandwich and several hot dogs, or perhaps just bean s and potatoes. In Oc t ober !-1arth a wa s sick during the entire month with a throa t infection. Her --:eacher told h e r mother that Marf:ha might f a. il th8 f ir s t · gra . e because of_ h .s.c month's ab s (:..n::..:e. But Martha is eager to show visitors how well she c a r . read and .wr ite . She hopes she wil l pass . I Nobody knows how many hungry Mar thas there are in Atlanta or Ge orgia, but there are thousands. meal all day is the schoo l lunch .

For most the o nly decent Some do not even get that. �