The Atlanta-based charity Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless said it will lay off a third of its staff and cut others’ pay, but it hopes a celebrity-aided social media campaign in June will bring in more money.
Executive Director Elisabeth Omilami, whose parents, civil rights leaders Hosea and Juanita T. Williams, founded the nonprofit in 1970, cited the economy as the main culprit. That resulted in a drop in individual donations and the loss of some larger contributors.
Hosea Feed the Hungry is best known for its programs that feed thousands of people each Thanksgiving, Christmas, King holiday and Easter and provide clothing for the needy.
Omilami said the charity will lay off six staffers, and a seventh staffer, who worked with volunteers, will continue with the nonprofit and be paid from Omilami’s salary. The layoffs are effective Friday and include a truck driver, a receptionist and an accounting assistant.
After those seven staffers, about 14 employees remain, but 3,700 volunteers also help the charity, which has a $1.4 million annual budget, Omilami said. She said the remaining staff, including herself, will take 20 percent pay cuts.
After these measures, the charity needs to raise $200,000 by August, Omilami said, or there may be more layoffs. At this point, there’s no talk of a cut in the holiday programs.
Civil rights activist Joe Beasley said Hosea Feed the Hungry fills a critical role for Atlanta’s needy.
“If they’re unable to get the resources, it will have a negative impact in the community,” he said.
Omilami said donations are down about 28 percent this summer. Besides the economy’s impact on donations, she said she has been unable to get out and raise money because she was recently in the hospital for four months for pneumonia and exhaustion.
“We’re cutting back every way we can think of,” such as not buying new computers or equipment, and cutting back on the use of consultants, Omilami said.
More money could be coming soon.
In June, Hosea Feed the Hungry will launch a social media fundraising campaign, using Twitter and Facebook. The campaign will enlist the aid of Atlanta rappers and actors T.I. and Ludacris, she said.
There also will be a contest through the campaign in which the winner will receive a 2006 Jeep Cherokee donated by Nissan of Union City.
Besides its holiday activities, Hosea Feed the Hungry runs a back-to-school program that gives supplies to students and a program that provides rent and utility assistance.
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