A recently released report from Kids Count shows Georgia continuing to rise in the rankings of how well kids are doing, but we are still pretty low overall. You may not see it in your neighborhood but plenty of kids − and their parents − can use your help.
With Thanksgiving coming up, there are still plenty of organizations in the Atlanta area who can use your help. View our listing below to find ways you can get involved this holiday season.
Most of these opportunities are centered around food preparation and/or delivery but here’s an opportunity a little earlier in the pipeline.
At one of Truly Living Well's farm sites, Family Volunteer Day is a great way for a family to work together and maybe even learn how to get in on the gardening ground floor, or ground. There's lots of tasks associated with farming and most of them involve hard work and getting dirty whether you're weeding, mulching or harvesting. Is your family tough enough? Probably, but there's one way to know for sure.
Serve dinner / Deliver food
Action Ministries
Lots of kids in Georgia receive free or reduced cost meals at their school, but what happens during breaks? That's where organizations like Action Ministries step in. It needs volunteers to make and deliver lunches this month. There are opportunities in several metro counties. Find out more here.
InCommunity needs help at group homes for the developmentally disabled. You'll bake desserts and take them to the homes and spend time playing games with the adult residents. There are volunteer opportunities in Marietta, and south Fulton.
This Atlanta-based organization is looking for volunteers to help with all aspects of its annual Thanksgiving Dinner. Help continue this longstanding tradition begun by the late civil rights leader Hosea Williams.
Volunteer to help feed 1,000 homeless families at Grace Community Fellowship’s “Thanksgiving Dinner With the Community” on Wednesday, November 21. Volunteers are asked to sit, eat and spend time with guests. There will also be clothing, medical screenings, haircuts, manicures and a children’s area available.
Meals on Wheels Atlanta offers four ways to help out so there’s probably something for everyone. They are: Meal Delivery, Meal Preparation, Senior Centers and its Home Repair Program. Handy in the kitchen? Check. Handy with a hammer? Check. Check it out.
Feed a family / donate
The "Adopt a Family" program by Families First allows volunteers to fulfill family wishlists for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. There are still a few families in need of adoption. Click here to view their profiles and select a family. Volunteers are also needed to assist in a variety of ways during the holidays as well as all year-round. Contact the volunteer coordinator at volunteer@familiesfirst.org for more information.
The Children's Restoration Network plans to thousands of homeless families this Thanksgiving. Your food donations will help the non-profit agency prepare meals on Thanksgiving Day and stock food pantries for those in need. Learn more about the drive here. Beginning in December, you can also participate in CRN's toy drive. The goal is to provide 3,000 children with personalized, wrapped gifts to unwrap by December 25. Click here to learn more about the Christmas drive.
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