COBB COUNTY, GA — Several metro Atlanta law enforcement agencies now have a new way to support people in need, thanks to a partnership with MUST Ministries.

Lester Maddox, who spent 27 years as a Cobb County police officer, said he often encountered people who needed immediate help. Now working with MUST Ministries, he helped create portable meal kits for officers to keep in their patrol cars and hand out during those encounters.

“They’re bags, so they can be easily carried in patrol cars. They’re nonperishable items, so they don’t really have a quick expiration date, they’re not going to melt,” Maddox explained.

The effort started with 200 meal bags, which include nonperishable food items. Departments in Cobb, Cherokee, and Paulding counties are participating, and Maddox hopes the program will grow.

“I do think it helps the police officers be seen more on that human side of the scale,” he said. “Offering somebody some food in a time of need is such a huge difference you can make for someone.”

WSB’s Jonathan O’Brien contributed to this story