540 organizations
How food help works in Atlanta
Most free food in Atlanta flows through the Atlanta Community Food Bank to hundreds of neighborhood pantries — church basements, community centers, schools. Each pantry sets its own days and hours, so always call before you go. Some ask for an ID or a piece of mail with your address; many ask for nothing at all.
If you need to eat today, look for hot-meal programs ("community kitchens") — downtown has several that serve daily, no questions asked. If money for groceries is the ongoing problem, apply for SNAP (food stamps) through Georgia Gateway; pantries can help you apply.
What to expect when you call: they'll tell you distribution days, what to bring, and whether you can come this week. If a pantry's shelf is bare, ask them who else is stocked — pantry workers always know.
Family Life Ministries (Family Life Helps) is a faith-based nonprofit started in 1982 that runs a food pantry in Hapeville. They give food, hygiene items, and basic necessities like toilet paper to neighbors in need — including homeless people, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities — in the Atlanta airport area. NOTE: The address on file (6315 Roswell Rd, Sandy Springs) is incorrect; that location is a different organization (Solidarity Sandy Springs). Family Life Ministries is at 612 College Street, Hapeville.
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Emmaus House is a faith-rooted community organization in Atlanta's Peoplestown neighborhood that works to help families move out of poverty. They run a food pantry, give emergency help with rent and utilities, offer case management, and provide education programs for children, youth, and adults.
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Community Assistance Center (CAC) is the largest human services nonprofit in Sandy Springs and Dunwoody, helping neighbors avoid hunger and homelessness since 1987. They run a food pantry and thrift shop, and provide rent and utility help, free job training, English and adult-education classes, free tax help, and youth programs. In 2024 they served nearly 10,000 people and gave out about one million pounds of food.
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Dorothy's Helping Hands is a small nonprofit, founded in 2013 in honor of Dorothy Caldwell, that helps low-income and homeless families in metro Atlanta. They run a free food pantry every other Tuesday morning, hosted at Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church in southwest Atlanta. They also give out holiday toys to children and host appreciation events for local seniors.
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