The Burton team ushered in the holiday season with a company party, sharing joy, good cheer, and lots of laughs with our co-workers and significant others. It was the perfect start to spreading good will, as the next day, we spent the day making sandwiches for those facing food insecurity. We had new faces this year, that jumped right in with our sandwich making veterans.
For the third year in a row, the Burton Sandwich Shoppe partnered with The Sandwich Project. This year, we had the pleasure of kicking off the morning with an introduction from the founders, Lisa and Andy. Lisa has spent much of her life giving back to those in need, especially through mission trips, but when all of that was shut down due to COVID, she found another way to support the local community. What started as a small gesture, The Sandwich Project grew in ways Lisa and Andy could have never imagined, being supported by many local families, organizations, and companies. This year, The Sandwich Project surpassed its one millionth sandwich being collected! The Sandwich Project now supports more than 40 different organizations around Atlanta, with volunteers collecting sandwiches at their homes on Wednesdays, and drivers picking up the sandwiches and delivering on Thursdays.
The Burton Sandwich Shoppe set a new record of 3,532 deli sandwiches. The sandwiches made are either turkey and cheese or ham and cheese. Each year, we continue to refine and improve our process to become more efficient. Each member of the team finds their role of either making sandwiches, bagging sandwiches, preparing the meat or cheese trays, or running them out to the tables in need. The Burton Sandwich Shoppe was hosted again at Holy Cross Catholic Church, who allows us access to their full kitchen, with a walk-in fridge, and plenty of gathering space to enjoy our service with co-workers, while we visit and listen to holiday music.
This is one of my most favorite days of the year at Burton! We are blessed to have two Managing Partners that believe in giving back to the community and provide us the opportunity to do it together as a team. Nearly 11% of Georgians face food insecurity and The Sandwich Project reaches so many, whether its adults or kids, to provide them with nourishing food and kindness. Using our hands to help others was a great way to wrap up 2023!