Summer break is tough for low-income families. Help Pack the Pantry to meet clients’ basic needs.

Imagine 20 Mercedes Benz stadiums at maximum capacity. That’s how many people (1.5 million) are food insecure in Georgia. About 335,720 (22%) are children. It’s a heartbreaking reality, and the number of families struggling to put food on the table is increasing with pandemic-era funding expiring and changes to SNAP eligibility requirements.

At Hope Atlanta, we receive about 3,000 calls for help each month from individuals and families facing homelessness and housing insecurity, which often means they are experiencing food insecurity, too. During the summer, that number increases largely because children from low-income families lose access to school-provided meals during summer break, and the extra costs quickly add up.

We provide hunger relief as a wraparound service for our clients, and we need our community’s support to meet the growing need as our food supplies run low. You can help Pack the Pantry and help those in need! Here are three ways to make a difference.

1. Help our outreach teams assist neighbors experiencing homelessness.

Hope Atlanta’s outreach teams meet unsheltered people where they are, at MARTA stations, the airport, encampments, and more. While not everyone is ready to receive housing assistance, our teams help them meet basic needs by providing items like hygiene kits and food. Packaging and donating Snack Packs will help unhoused neighbors stay fed.

What’s in a Snack Pack:

• 2 Entrees (ravioli, ramen, soup, canned/pouch chicken or tuna, etc.)
• 1 Pack of crackers
• 1 Cereal bar
• 1 Apple sauce or Fruit Squeeze
• 1 Packet of Oatmeal or Instant Grits
• Note of encouragement (optional)

2. Stock our pantry to help housing and food-insecure families.

Besides providing individualized support and resources to help clients obtain stable housing and achieve self-sufficiency, our case workers help them “shop” for food and other basic needs in our pantry. SuperPacks are designed to help families stretch their budgets by providing shelf-stable food, and you can help!

What’s in a SuperPack:

• 4 Entrees (ravioli, ramen, soup, canned/pouch chicken or tuna, etc.)
• 2 single-serve breakfast items (oatmeal or grits pack, cereal bowl, cereal bar, pop tarts, etc.)
• 2–4 fruit cups/cans of veggies
• 2–4 single-serve snacks (pretzels, raisins, crackers, granola bars, etc.)
• Plastic grocery bags
• Note of encouragement (optional)

Drop Off Location & Hours:

458 Ponce de Leon Ave, NE.
Terrace Level, Atlanta, GA 30308

Monday — Friday
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

3. Help neighbors experiencing homelessness and food insecurity with a financial donation.

While every season is great for spreading Hope, your donation will help us answer the growing need this summer.

Here’s how:

• $10 can provide 2 snack bags for neighbors experiencing homelessness
• $25 can help keep a child fed for 4 days by providing Superpacks
• $60 is enough to help our outreach teams assist 10 unsheltered people with snack bags
• $100 can help 4 families stretch their budget with Superpacks

Please visit give.hopeatlanta.org/packthepantry to make your gift today!

About Hope Atlanta

As Georgia’s longest-standing nonprofit organization committed to assisting people experiencing homelessness, we’ve seen our community through trying times since 1900.

More than a century later, homelessness remains a humanitarian crisis perpetuated by systemic inequality that leaves countless neighbors one unexpected expense away from the streets. We remain a steadfast support system for those who may otherwise be overlooked, relieving them from the constant threat of homelessness and paving the way to self-sufficiency.

Learn more: hopeatlanta.org