How food help works in AtlantaA short guide: who to call first and what to expect.
If you need to eat today, go to a place that serves hot meals. Most do not ask for ID or papers. See hot meals, or text FINDFOOD to 888-976-2232 and the Atlanta Community Food Bank sends back the pantries nearest you.
For groceries, go to a food pantry. Most pantries here get their food from the Atlanta Community Food Bank and are run by churches, schools and neighborhood groups. Each one picks its own days. Many open only one or two days a week, some serve only certain ZIP codes, and some let you come once a month. Call before you go and ask what to bring. A photo ID and a piece of mail with your address will cover most of them, and many ask for nothing. To get the three pantries closest to you, text FINDFOOD to 888-976-2232. See food pantries.
If money for food runs short every month, apply for SNAP (food stamps) at gateway.ga.gov or call 877-423-4746. If you have almost no money right now, say so. You may get benefits within 7 days. Many pantries have someone who can help you with the form. At many farmers markets, SNAP dollars buy twice as many fruits and vegetables. Ask for Georgia Fresh for Less.
If you are pregnant or have a child under 5, WIC gives you free healthy food and formula. Call 800-228-9173. You can have WIC and SNAP at the same time.
If you can't leave home or can't cook, some groups bring meals to you. Open Hand Atlanta cooks for people with a serious illness, and Meals On Wheels Atlanta serves older adults. Both can have a waiting list, so sign up early. See meal delivery.
Berean Outreach Ministries Center is an Atlanta nonprofit that gives out free groceries, including fresh produce, dairy, and frozen meat, to children, families, and seniors in need. It also connects people with partner organizations for clothing, education, job, and health resources, and runs special food drives and holiday giveaways.
The Market at Good Sam is a seasonal market on Atlanta's Westside. It sells fresh fruits and vegetables grown on Good Sam's one-acre urban farm, plus pantry staples, at low prices. You can pay with cash or a credit card, and the market doubles SNAP/EBT.
The Atlanta Community Food Bank collects donated food and sends it to more than 700 pantries, kitchens and other nonprofit partners in 29 counties. It also runs four Community Food Centers where families get groceries by appointment. Staff can help people apply for SNAP and Medicaid, and you can find a pantry near you with an online map or by text.
This is the Center for a New Generation club at the Tuskegee Airmen Global Academy, part of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. Kids and teens come after school for activities like homework help, reading, STEM, music, art, chess, and cooking and gardening. The club also has a summer camp, and families who cannot pay can ask about help with fees.
The East Atlanta Village Farmers Market is an outdoor market held on Thursday evenings in a park in East Atlanta. It sells local food and crafts, and it doubles SNAP/EBT dollars so $10 of EBT gets $20 of food. It also has chef cooking demos and a garden with kids' activities.
Peachtree Road Farmers Market is an outdoor market held on Saturday mornings at The Cathedral of St. Philip in Buckhead. Everything sold there is grown, raised, or made by the seller. The market takes EBT/SNAP and doubles those dollars, up to $50 a visit, and it buys unsold crops from farmers to give to the Intown Cares food pantry.
Lutheran Community Food Ministry is a weekday meal program run by the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Midtown Atlanta. It serves a free hot lunch to anyone who needs it, no questions asked, and also shares groceries and meals with nearby seniors and college students facing food insecurity.
SWEEAC is a nonprofit that started in 1988 when churches and volunteers in Southwest Atlanta joined together to fight hunger. It runs a food pantry that gives free groceries to families and individuals, including a monthly food box program just for seniors. It also hands out clothing, baby supplies, household items, and school supplies to people going through hard times.
Intown Cares works to end homelessness and hunger in Intown Atlanta. It runs a pantry where you choose your own groceries twice a week, and it delivers food to people who cannot get there. Its team also helps people who are homeless move into housing and keeps helping after they move in.
Wheat Street Baptist Church runs the Action Mission Ministry, a volunteer-run outreach program that gives out free groceries, clothing, and hot meals to neighbors in need. The ministry also helps people connect to SNAP and USDA food programs and offers Bible study for anyone who wants to join.
Concrete Jungle rescues fruit and vegetables that would go to waste and gets them to food pantries, shelters and other hunger relief groups. Volunteers pick fruit from trees and farms and work on a half-acre farm in southwest Atlanta. The group also buys imperfect produce from Georgia farmers and teaches people how to cook with fresh produce.
Everybody Eats Together is a faith-based group in Ashview Heights that works to bring food and ownership to the neighborhood. People who need food can take its survey to ask for free pantry pick-up or delivery. It also has garden volunteer days, Sunday community meals, and a pay-what-you-can grocery cart, and it is working toward a community-owned grocery store.
Feeding GA Families is a nonprofit that has served since 2010. It gives out food through pantries, emergency food boxes, lockers and home delivery. It also offers housing help, job and youth programs, and items like hygiene products, clothing, and baby and pet supplies.
Soldiers' Angels is a national nonprofit that helps military members, veterans, and their families. In Atlanta it runs a monthly food giveaway at the Atlanta VA Arcadia Clinic in Decatur and a food pantry on Lawrenceville Highway. You have to register first, and you register again each month.
The Atlanta Regional Commission is a regional planning agency for metro Atlanta. It runs services for older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers. It also runs WorkSource Atlanta Regional, which helps job seekers with career help and training. It plans transportation and communities with local governments and helps people find ways to commute.
This is an after-school club for kids ages 10 to 14 who go to Price Middle School. It gives kids help with schoolwork, healthy habits, and leadership. Kids can also join clubs like robotics, cooking and gardening, and fine arts.
Feeding & Helping Georgians is an Atlanta nonprofit that fights hunger and homelessness for local families. It runs the Essence of Hope Food Pantry, giving out free groceries and raising awareness about food insecurity in the community.
Flipper Temple AME Church is a church in Atlanta led by Rev. Elijah S. Shafah. Its Sylvia Williams Food Pantry and Clothes Closet help neighbors with food and clothing. The pantry is open every Wednesday and on some Saturdays. The church also holds weekly worship, Bible study and prayer times.
Julia Hands of Love is a nonprofit that serves the Metro Atlanta community. It holds a Saturday luncheon for people who are homeless, runs a housing placement waiting list, offers free youth bowling, and takes volunteers. Call to make an appointment, because walk-ins are not taken.
The Love of Giving is a Georgia nonprofit. It gives food, clothing and other help to people who are unsheltered or struggling to feed their families. It runs a food pantry that gives out groceries.
