198 organizations
We are still writing the honest guide for this category. In the meantime, the organizations below are ready to help.
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
First African Community Development Corporation is a nonprofit that helps families across Metro Atlanta, mostly through a free weekly food pantry. Anyone can come during pantry hours to pick up groceries like canned goods, fresh produce, and dry goods such as pasta and rice — no ID or appointment needed. The organization also works on community development, civil rights, and mental health support.
3 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
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.
3 services
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.
8 services
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.
9 services
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.
4 services
DEAM (Decatur-area Emergency Assistance Ministry) is a faith-based nonprofit run by 18 area churches that helps neighbors facing an emergency. By appointment, they give out emergency food and toiletries, help pay overdue water, gas, and electric bills, and help cover prescription costs. They also serve free weekday lunches to people who are unhoused.
5 services
Cords of Life is a nonprofit that helps low-income and homeless families in metro Atlanta move from crisis to independence. They run a food pantry (by appointment) plus youth workshops, financial literacy classes, school-supply giveaways, and holiday help. They focus on education, empowerment, and outreach so families can become self-sufficient.
10 services
Clayton County Community Services Authority is a nonprofit community action agency that has fought poverty in the south metro Atlanta area since 1966. They help low-income families and seniors pay their power, gas, rent, and food bills, weatherize homes, and offer free early childhood education through Head Start. They serve Clayton, Henry, and Fayette counties.
6 services
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.
4 services
The Center for Family Resources (CFR) helps Cobb County families who are facing or close to homelessness. They offer rent and bill help to prevent eviction, a choice food pantry where you pick your own groceries, apartment placement, and job and savings coaching to help families get back on their feet.
6 services
The Atlanta Community Food Bank is one of the largest food banks in the country and supplies free food to nearly 700 partner pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and senior centers across 29 counties in metro Atlanta and north Georgia. You usually do not visit them directly for groceries; instead they help you find a nearby food pantry and can help you apply for SNAP (food stamps) and Medicaid. The fastest way to get help is to text FINDFOOD (or COMIDA in Spanish) to 888-976-2232 or use the pantry finder on their website.
7 services
Another Chance of Atlanta is a nonprofit that helps people who are homeless or struggling to keep their housing. They run a free food pantry every Friday and offer housing help, rent and eviction help, emergency motel vouchers, supportive housing for veterans, and job-readiness support across metro Atlanta. They serve anyone in need, including families, men, women, and veterans.
9 services
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.
12 services
Antioch Urban Ministries (AUMI) is a faith-based nonprofit in Atlanta that helps people who are low-income, homeless, or in recovery. They run a weekly food bank, transitional housing for men and women in addiction recovery, a mentoring program for at-risk youth, and support services for seniors. Most help is free, and you must fill out a short intake form to join their housing or recovery programs.
6 services
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.
3 services
FreeFood.org is a free online directory that helps you find food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens near you anywhere in the United States. You search by state or zip code to see nearby places that give out free food, along with their hours and contact details. It is a national website, not a local Atlanta program, and it does not hand out food itself.
2 services
This is the food pantry at Holy Cross Catholic Church, run by the Friends of St. Martin de Porres ministry (the address and phone on file belong to this church, not the FoodFinder app). They give out free groceries to people in need, letting you pick your own staple, frozen, and refrigerated foods, and they serve over 2,500 people a month. Seniors and people with serious medical conditions may be able to get groceries delivered.
3 services
