Change to Humanity

In September of 2016, when businesses, schools and grocery-stores started to close down in NW Atlanta, we knew we had work to do by helping the community to cope with their challenges at hand. We were knocking on doors while walking the streets and engaged with the people. We listened and took notes. Affordable food, fresh produce was one of the dire needs. Food became our means of building relationships and an answer to the food - insecurity and food - desert problem experienced by too many. With food-donations from Wholefoods Market, Einstein Bagels and Papa Jones, we were able to provide (up to 3 x weekly) food to individuals and families. Meanwhile the word spread and keeps spreading and people from Ada Ave NW and surrounding streets come to our food sanctuary, located at 1009 Ada Ave NW every Sunday from 11:45AM - 12:30 PM. In June of 2019, we extended our food program to the refugees in Clarkston, where the need for ANY support seems to be endless. Because of the growing food - insecurity and increasing food-demand extending to other communities, we decided to acquire a refrigerated food - truck. Being still a volunteer-based organization, we are depending on financial support .We are grateful for our volunteers and financial supporters. Thank you.

Planting Seeds of Love! 'We Care' We started collaborating with Amazon and it's AmazonFresh food delivery program through Wholefood Market, Ponce DeLeon in Atlanta. During the hot season AmazonFresh deliveries of perishable food is distributed in cooling bags, known as cooliners. The cooliners are not biodegradable and are therefore a big problem for our waste-landfills and environment. Change to Humanity offered a solution by reusing the cooliners in our food -donation project. Amazon showed great support to our proposal in offering the AmazonFresh customers the opportunity to drop of the cooliners at the Ponce Wholefoods Market at a assigned bin or call Change to Humanity when they have collected a minimum of 20 bags for pick up. That is not only a tremendous help in our efforts to be in compliance with food safety but offers safety to our food receivers too. Some of the cooliners are reused for over a year and still durable and therefore kept out of the landfills. All our customers receiving food donations have adapted to our policy to not use plastic bags but use fabric bags that fit the cooliners. We are proud to say, We love people and our environment. We Care.

We are sewing fabric grocery bags with the members of our community in NW Atlanta and members of the surrounding communities wanting to help our economically under-served community. We implemented sewing classes as a job-training and as an opportunity to use sewing as a means of income. For many retired people this is an opportunity to get involved in community projects to serve by sewing at home or meet with the sewing group circle to meet new friends. For us and for our food-receivers, it is a statement that we care for our environment and teach our children to respect our planet. We are also utilizing this project as a fundraiser to raise the funds needed to finish the re-purposing of our Community Art Center. Our goal is to sew 1000 bags by end of 2019.

In March of 2020 we are planting seeds in our community garden on a piece of land in Bankhead, NW Atlanta. Battling Food -insecurity, a community garden is a must. We invite our homeless friends and friends from the community to plant and harvest. Every active garden participant will harvest for free, onlookers will pay a fee for the harvest. All our projects are based on the Help to be Helped principle and the garden will not be an exception. The produce will also feed the elders and disabled members of the community at no cost.