167 organizations
How faith-based help works in Atlanta
A huge share of Atlanta's safety net runs through congregations: food pantries in fellowship halls, clothing closets, utility-bill funds, grief groups, recovery meetings. Two things are worth knowing about how it actually works.
First: you do not have to belong, believe, or attend to get help. Reputable congregations help anyone in their area without strings — if anywhere makes assistance contingent on attendance, you're free to go elsewhere and should.
Second: faith-based help runs on specific days and volunteer hours — the pantry might be two Saturdays a month, the benevolence fund reviewed Wednesdays. Calling ahead isn't optional here; it's the whole game. Church office hours are usually weekday mornings.
What to expect when you call: a volunteer or church administrator, kind but informal. Ask: "what help do you offer, what days, and what should I bring?" If they can't help, ask which congregation nearby can — they know each other.
Mighty Oaks Foundation is a Christian nonprofit that helps veterans, active-duty service members, first responders, spouses, and some allied military interpreters who are dealing with trauma and life after service. It runs free peer-led recovery and resiliency programs, aftercare groups, marriage support, and speaker events at ranches and partner sites across the U.S.
6 services
The Hailey Bankhead Foundation helps children with childhood cancer and their families. They offer care packages, emergency help, grocery and gas cards, meal vouchers, support groups, spiritual support, and activities that make treatment days easier.
7 services
Atlanta City Baptist Rescue Mission is a faith-based shelter for homeless men in downtown Atlanta. They offer a safe overnight place to stay, food and rest, spiritual support, and a 6-month recovery program for men rebuilding their lives.
4 services
The organization at this address and website is Atlanta Inner-City Ministry (AIM), a faith-based nonprofit in Lakewood Heights, not the unrelated downtown 'Gateway Center' homeless shelter. AIM partners with inner-city families through youth programs, a food pantry, weekend snack bags, and free clothing, plus family care, mental-health support, and a 12-step recovery program.
Lakewood Heights12 services
Our Lady of Lourdes is a Catholic church in Atlanta's Old Fourth Ward, known as the mother church of African American Catholics in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. It serves neighbors in need through outreach ministries, including the Lourdes Lunch hot-meal program, a St. Vincent de Paul assistance ministry, and Simon's Call HIV/AIDS ministry.
6 services
The Salvation Army Atlanta Temple Corps is a faith-based community center on North Druid Hills Road. It helps neighbors in need with free groceries from its food pantry, emergency assistance, clothing, and family and youth programs. Anyone facing hardship can ask for help, no matter their age or background.
5 services
Georgia Agape is a faith-based, nonprofit social services agency that has helped Georgia children and families since 1970. They place children with adoptive and foster families, and they support women facing an unplanned pregnancy with counseling, resources, and adoption planning. They are a licensed child-placing agency.
5 services
The Suthers Center for Christian Outreach is a faith-based outreach of St. Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church that runs a drive-through food pantry every Saturday morning. They give free groceries to families and individuals in need, and can also help with a small utility bill payment and refer people who are homeless to shelters. In 2024 they served 4,552 neighbors and gave out over 190 tons of food.
4 services
Shallowford Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian (PCUSA) congregation in northeast Atlanta that worships on Sundays and serves its neighbors through community ministries. Its main outreach is a food pantry that gives free groceries and emergency food to DeKalb County families in need. No fee or donation is required to receive food.
2 services
Salem Bible Church is a large Christian church in northwest Atlanta. Through its Social Services Ministry, the church runs a free food pantry that gives groceries — canned food, fresh produce, and dry goods — to families and people who are short on food. Food is handed out first-come, first-served until it runs out, and you need to bring a photo ID.
2 services
Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Victory International Center is a non-denominational Christian church started in Atlanta in 1997 and led by Pastor Akorede Akindele. The congregation worships in the metro Atlanta area and runs community outreach ministries, including a yearly Back-2-School drive that gives backpacks and school supplies to children in need. There is no verified evidence that this church operates a food pantry at the Sandy Springs address on file.
2 services
New Life Presbyterian Church is a congregation in College Park that runs the Inez Wagner (Wagner/Johnson) Food Pantry for neighbors with little or no income. They hand out pre-packed boxes and bags of groceries, meat, and hygiene items, with drive-up pickup available. Anyone in need can come, and they aim to help each family at least once a month.
4 services
NETWorks Cooperative Ministry is a group of churches in the Tucker, Northlake, and Embry Hills area that helps neighbors going through a crisis. They run a food pantry that gives out groceries, and they also help pay rent and utility bills so families can avoid eviction. NOTE: this is NOT the same as the food pantry at 6315 Roswell Rd in Sandy Springs (that address belongs to Solidarity Sandy Springs); NETWorks is in Tucker.
6 services
Luke 1:37 Ministries runs The Center for Hope at Jefferson Avenue Baptist Church in East Point. They give out food boxes, clothing, shoes, blankets, coats, and personal hygiene items, and also help with things like job placement, online applications, and referrals to other services. You need to make an appointment before you come.
4 services
Hunter Hill First Missionary Baptist Church is a Baptist congregation in the Hunter Hills neighborhood of northwest Atlanta, led by Pastor Christopher A. Wimberly, Sr. Beyond worship, the church runs a free food pantry that gives out groceries, including canned food, fresh produce, and dry goods, and clothing may also be available. No appointment is needed, but you must bring an ID and register on site.
3 services
Living Faith Tabernacle is a church in Forest Park, GA that now also goes by Connection Point Church Atlanta. Besides Sunday and Wednesday worship, the church has run a food pantry and a clothes closet that give free groceries and clothing to neighbors in need. The address on file in Sandy Springs is incorrect; the church is located at 5880 Old Dixie Hwy in Forest Park.
3 services
Hillside Presbyterian Church is a congregation in Decatur (DeKalb County) that runs a free food pantry for neighbors who need groceries. You can pick up food on Tuesday afternoons; bring a photo ID and proof that you live in the area. The church also holds weekly worship in person and on Facebook livestream.
3 services
The Grove CDC is the nonprofit arm of Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church in southeast Atlanta. It runs the Love Center Food Pantry and helps neighbors with food, senior housing, homeless outreach, free counseling, and programs for kids and families across Metro Atlanta.
11 services
FBCM Food Pantry is the "First Food Pantry" run by First Baptist Church of Mableton, a faith-based church just southwest of Atlanta. They give out free groceries — like canned food, fresh produce, and dry goods — to local families and individuals who need help with food. The pantry is open on Tuesday afternoons, and no appointment is needed.
2 services
Family Life Restoration Center is a faith-based nonprofit in Mableton that helps families in need. They run an emergency food bank, give out free clothing, and offer community classes and seminars. Note: the organization is located in Mableton, not Sandy Springs.
4 services
