Hands On Atlanta began with 12 friends in 1989, working to volunteer in their community, but now it is a network of tens of thousands of volunteers coming together to work on projects. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Hands On Atlanta was able to pivot to focus on the most important needs and to offer at-home volunteer opportunities.
“With all the changes that have taken place over the last year, the core of work continues – mobilizing the Atlanta community to tackle our city’s most pressing needs,” said Tim Adkins, the director of marketing and communications at Hands On Atlanta. “During a global pandemic when food insecurity was at an all-time high, we rallied our network and relationships to address this essential need the only way you can, with people helping other people.”
Hands On Atlanta posts 150-200 projects on their calendar every week. Its partners need volunteers to help with meal packing and distributions, plus, there are many new ways that people can volunteer from home. To help, visit the COVID-19 Relief landing page or the opportunity calendar for a full range of projects at handsonatlanta.org.
“Our work is important because we’re not tied to one specific issue or one specific partner. Everything we do is in partnership with another company, organization, school or community leader. We’re the connector, bringing people’s good intentions, big ideas and solutions to meet the biggest needs in our community,” said Adkins.
Through its partnerships, Hands On Atlanta has distributed over 850,000 meals since October, helped distribute more than 100,000 masks into the Atlanta community through a partnership with Sock Fancy and added 12 new Atlanta Community Food Bank partner agencies to its list of nonprofit partners. Hands On Atlanta transitioned to have most of its staff working remotely since March.
“There isn’t a better way to unite a divided community than through serving together,” said Adkins. “Engage. Do something good. Our community needs you.”
WHO’S HELPING?
Hands On Atlanta
Services: Hands on Atlanta partners with nonprofits and organizations to promote volunteer opportunities and mobilize community support.
How to help: To volunteer, visit the COVID-19 Relief landing page or the opportunity calendar for a full range of projects at handsonatlanta.org .
Where to donate: You can quickly donate at handsonatlanta.org/donate
How to get help: If you need direct support, visit the Hands On resource guide at handsonatlanta.org/blog/resources-for-people-in-need for help navigating things ranging from rental assistance to legal aid and advocacy.
If you are involved in or know of an organization working to bring relief to the Atlanta community during the coronavirus pandemic OR you are with an organization with supplies that you don’t know where to donate, please email us at Shannon.n.Dominy@gmail.com.
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