Giving Lives: Lata and Manjeet Chinnan

In each issue of THE GIVING LIFE, we shine a spotlight on several of those in our community who are making a difference in the lives of others.

Donors since: 2000

Lata and Manjeet Chinnan laugh easily and often, finish each other’s sentences and relish each other’s company.

The couple, originally from India, met in the mid-1970s at University of California-Davis. Later, the couple moved to Georgia, where Manjeet taught Food Science & Technology at UGA for 38 years. Lata opened and ran a business, the New South Package Store in Riverdale, south of the Atlanta airport, for 36 years. For Lata, “that business gave me the opportunity to give back to the community, and that became my passion.”

And it was after those nearly four decades of, as Manjeet says, “giving forward, thinking about all the people along our journey who helped us to get to where we got,” that they had the opportunity to take their giving to new levels.

Chinnan’s CPA, Ben Loggins, a Community Foundation Board member, encouraged them to open a donor-advised fund.

The Chinnans established an endowment at their alma mater, Punjab Agricultural University, which jointly supports academic excellence and athletics. They also have endowments at Clayton State University and the University of Georgia. Their legacy remains where it all began.

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Read the full Summer 2025 edition of The Giving Life here.