By Carrie McLendon

Eden Community Centers, a non-profit organization based in Georgia, will be opening a new location at 413 S. Brundidge Street in Troy this summer. The organization currently has three other locations in the Atlanta metro area.

Eden Community Centers CEO Tareef Saeb said that the organization received requests from Troy University students to bring a community center to Troy.

“We were actually approached by some of the Troy students as they had a need,” Saeb said. “That’s how we learned about Troy. I’ve never been to Troy, but I’m glad I got to know it now.”

The community centers offer a variety of services and resources including a food pantry, IT training, spiritual activities, counseling, job placement and community events. Each of the services offered by the community center are free and open to the public.

Saeb also shared his thoughts on being able to expand his initiative across state lines.

“It’s actually wonderful from one aspect, but it’s challenging from the other,” he said. “In Atlanta we have a lot of resources that are all volunteers from our community, but we don’t have that much in Troy so we have to hire and pay extra.”

Saeb shared his hopes for serving the Troy community through this new community center.

“(Our goal) is actually to be great neighbors and to serve the needs, not only of the students, but a general need of the people in the area,” he said.

Saeb would like to share his thanks to the Troy community for being so welcoming.

“Our experience in Troy has been by far one of the best experiences I’ve had in opening any center,” he said. “I mean everybody in Troy has been super nice and friendly, super hospitable and I cannot say thank you enough.”

While there is currently no set open date, the organization hopes to open the new community center by August 1. The site of the new community center will be on S. Brundidge Street in Troy, where Family Firearms once occupied. 

To learn more about Eden Community Cent

ers visit their website at https://edencommunitycenters.org/