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.
Columbia Drive United Methodist Church is a faith congregation in Decatur that worships on Sundays and serves its neighbors through outreach ministries. Its food pantry gives free groceries to families and individuals in need on Thursdays, and the church also runs a community garden and other volunteer-led programs.
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We could not verify a "Community Church of God" food pantry at 6315 Roswell Rd in Sandy Springs. That address is now home to a different organization, Solidarity Sandy Springs, which runs a food pantry there. A church named Community Church of God exists in Atlanta at 850 Cascade Ave SW, but it is a separate congregation at a different address and is not a food pantry.
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Atlanta Inner-City Ministry is a faith-based nonprofit in Atlanta's Lakewood neighborhood that helps kids and families reach their full potential. They run after-school and summer youth programs, and they also provide free food, emergency clothing, weekend snack bags, mental health support, and 12-step recovery groups to families in need.
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Atlanta Inner-City Ministry (AIM) is a faith-based nonprofit in the Lakewood Heights neighborhood of southeast Atlanta. It runs a free food pantry open to anyone, gives away clothing, offers mental health counseling and recovery support, and runs programs for kids and teens. They also deliver food to nearby apartment communities for people who can't get to the pantry.
Lakewood Heights10 services
Greater Fellowship Outreach and Development Services is a small faith-based nonprofit in Decatur led by Pastor Johnny Beasley. It runs a food pantry and also gives out clothing and school supplies to families in DeKalb, Fulton, and Rockdale counties. You must call ahead and make an appointment to pick up food.
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Full Counsel Ministries is a Christian church in Douglasville that also offers faith-based counseling led by Dr. Milton L. Brown. They help individuals, couples, and families with marriage, premarital, family, grief, and personal counseling, and they offer affordable sliding-scale fees and biblically-based phone sessions for people in need.
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The Salvation Army Atlanta International Corps is a faith-based church and service center in Doraville that helps immigrant and international families, with staff who speak Korean and Spanish. They run a food pantry on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and offer help with rent, utilities, clothing, school supplies, and holiday assistance. You call (404) 486-2820 to set up an appointment for financial help.
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Malachi's Storehouse is a free food pantry run by St. Patrick's Episcopal Church in Dunwoody. Every Wednesday morning it gives away groceries (fruits, vegetables, bread, and meat), baby supplies, and clothing to anyone who needs them. You can drive up and they will load food into your car, or walk up if you don't have a vehicle, and there is a small café with coffee and pastries.
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The Pantry – Atlanta is a faith-based food pantry run by LifeTools Community Development Corporation, located at Chapelhill Church on Washington Road in the East Point/Atlanta area. They give out free groceries — fresh meat, fresh produce, dairy, and shelf-stable food — to anyone struggling to put food on the table. There is no income test; you just come during their Saturday distribution.
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The phone number and address on file belong to Shallowford Presbyterian Church and its SPC Food Pantry in northeast Atlanta (not the separate 'FoodFinder GA' app). The church gives free emergency groceries to families in need, serving DeKalb County residents on a first-come basis with no cost. Bring an ID for each member of your household.
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Disciples on the Walk is a faith-based nonprofit that provides safe, affordable rooms and housing for low-income people in the Greater Atlanta area who are working to get back on their feet. Since 2000 they have helped people rebuild their lives by easing the cost of housing and offering support, counseling, and family programs. They have housed more than 200 people across two dozen rooms in the region.
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Ezekiel's Valley is a faith-based residential recovery ministry in Atlanta, founded in 1997, that helps adult men who are homeless or living with HIV/AIDS and recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. Residents get a furnished place to live, meals, drug screening, 12-step and life-skills classes, and help finding a job. The program asks for a commitment to long-term recovery, usually at least a six-month stay.
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Abuse Recovery Ministry & Services (ARMS) is a faith-based nonprofit that helps people heal from domestic and other abuse, always for free. Their Her Journey program is a 15-week support class for women, and they offer programs for men too. Atlanta-area residents can join classes online or at select in-person groups.
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Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered, faith-based support group for anyone struggling with hurts, habits, or hang-ups like addiction, drugs, alcohol, codependency, or painful life experiences. This listing is their free online Zoom meeting, which meets every Wednesday and is open to people anywhere who do not have a local group nearby. They use a 12-step program and 8 recovery principles, and you can also use their group finder to find an in-person church group near you.
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Cherokee Veterans Community (CVC) is a faith-based military ministry of First Baptist Church Woodstock that supports veterans, active-duty service members, and their families. They run free support groups for men, women, and families, visit homebound and assisted-living veterans, offer spiritual and chaplain support, and connect people to local veteran resources. They also host a free monthly gathering with food and fellowship.
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Refuge Recovery is a free, peer-led program that helps people recover from addiction using Buddhist-inspired practices like meditation, mindfulness, and group support. Meetings are open to anyone — you do not have to be Buddhist or believe in a higher power. You can join free meetings online or in person, including a weekly Atlanta-area meeting.
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7 Bridges to Recovery is a faith-based Christian ministry in the Atlanta area that helps men get off the streets and break free from addiction. Their main offering is a free, year-long residential discipleship program for men that provides housing, recovery support, life skills, and case management. They also run a street ministry that hands out food, clothing, and prayer to people who are homeless or in need.
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Atlanta Recovery Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1969, that provides transitional housing for homeless men 18 and older in metro Atlanta. For a small fee of $12 a day or $74 a week, men get a dormitory bed, clean linens, hot showers, daily meals, and a safe, drug-free place to stay. The center also helps with clothing, job searching, and referrals to free medical clinics and treatment programs.
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Recovery Dharma Online is a free, peer-led recovery community that uses Buddhist practices — meditation, self-inquiry, and group support — to help people recover from addiction and find peace. They run hundreds of online meetings every week that anyone can join from a phone or computer, including groups for specific communities like LGBTQIA+, women, men, and BIPOC members. In the Atlanta area there are also affiliated in-person Recovery Dharma meetings (in Decatur and Marietta) for those who prefer to meet face to face.
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New Horizon Recovery Center is a Christian, faith-based addiction recovery program and a ministry of Teen Challenge Georgia International. They run a year-long live-in (residential) program that helps men struggling with drug and alcohol addiction get sober, rebuild their lives, and learn job skills. Graduates can get transitional housing and help finding work.
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