You want me to PAY YOU to donate my furnature? Absolutely ridiculous. I'll deal with a better run…read moreorganization.

Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta was brilliant. In the process of moving, there were some bulky…read moreitems we were trying to get rid of without throwing away, and we were recommended the Furniture bank! We loaded up a U-haul and backed it right up to their drop off garage. Staff immediately came up and asked what we were delivering. We said the whole load and they proceeded to pull things off no questions asked. What we thought was cool is they take used mattresses. We asked and confirmed again if this was true before bringing it and yes, if you have a mattress, they will wrap it in a protective sealed layer, making a mattress that may have a few stains and such a viable mattress again for those in need. When speaking with staff, we found out their great cause. Taken from their website, their mission: "To recycle gently-used furniture by collecting it from the community and giving it to individuals and families moving out of homelessness and fleeing domestic violence, as well as countless others struggling to make ends meet." This entire charity is powered by volunteers who give their time to help their community, and when you look at all of the rows of furniture items that have been loaded by volunteers for people needing that extra help, it makes you (or it made us) feel much better about dropping the things off that we no longer needed. Just a note, we delivered because at the time we were told that delivery would be about 1 month out. If you have to be out relatively soon, give these guys a heads up much sooner in the moving process. Great group, great cause and if you live anywhere near the Atlanta area and have some furniture you're looking to get rid of, give the Furniture Bank a call!

I visited UMCH as a volunteer for their garage sale. Parking and check in were easy. As you checked…read morein, they assigned you to a specific task, such as parking, loading assistance, email listserv, kitchen, etc. Volunteers are allowed to take breaks when needed and morning shift people can grab lunch in the volunteer cafeteria once done. When your shift is over, take a look around and shop. Pricing of the items is great. I found a pair of shoes, puzzles for my brother, games, and few other small things. I plan to revisit again as both volunteer and shopper.

This is a great place to get great deals. They are open every Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m…read more and the third Saturday of every month except December from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. All proceeds go to the United Methodist Children's Home to help foster children.

i contributed a fairly large amount of money last year. So far I can't get a reply to requests for…read moreacknowledgement of the donation - for tax purposes. They don't respond to emails or texts.

Hands On Atlanta Day is always a success with thousands of volunteers across the city assisting…read moreservice and school organization. Typically held on the first Saturday in October, I participated in Hands On Atlanta Day several years in a row by doing arts and crafts and planting shrubberies at a local Grant Park school. Hands on Atlanta serves the community year round. They help by uplifting and building lower income zones, food banks, senior homes, schools, pet shelters, parks, etc. Hands On Atlanta holds volunteer orientations twice a month. To get involved visit www.handsonatlanta.com.

I have worked at Annandale for almost 3 years and have loved working with the staff, villagers and…read morefamilies. The grounds are beautiful - from the walking trail, to multiple gardens, fountains and landscaping. There are many activities for those living at Annandale. Some include: an indoor pool, fitness center, art classes, music classes, horticulture program, and an arcade filled with games and activities to name only a few. If you've considered contacting Annandale for your loved one, please do! It's an amazing place.

Love this facility. They have some of the best and brightest healthcare professionals in the…read morebusiness.

It is with profound gratitude and deep humility that I reflect upon my time with The House of…read moreCherith and City of Refuge. After facing unforeseen and traumatic experiences, this organization became the very sanctuary and place of restoration I desperately needed. The staff, each one a true blessing, exemplified extraordinary dedication and grace. Their commitment was nothing short of a divine appointment; they poured their care and spiritual guidance into me like no other. We must give all the glory to God for utilizing every individual within this organization to genuinely minister to and love the brokenhearted who seek refuge here. They embraced me exactly where I was in my journey, providing an atmosphere where I could rediscover solace, peace, tranquility, dignity, and integrity, but most importantly, unconditional love. Because of their unwavering support, grounded in faith, I have been able to look onward and forward, never back. The fellowship we built was a testament to perseverance a family connection that, while not always easy, was always achievable. For the genuine love, the steadfast support, and the restorative family environment fostered by The House of Cherith and City of Refuge, I am eternally grateful.

The City of Refuge receives a grant for each student. I'm one of the students. Also The city of…read morerefuge, lets you know that you also don't need any "Tech" experience . And they offer 16 ( full time) 26 weeks ( part time) I never got received the PT option. I went to many people about my concerns. The discrimination since March 3rd 2023, has been by far one of the most unfair, unrealistic journeys in my life. On top of dealing with my mother health, spending thousands of dollars on Air BNB and Ride share, making the sacrifice to attend this program. And I received no help. From a "faith-based environment that helps individuals and families transition out of crisis. " That is federally funded by the Dept of Labor With a 5.4 million dollar grant. To help BLACK and BROWN people who are trying to better themselves. And instead of helping someone, that has a disability that's documented, even receives benefits from Social Security. BOTH DIGITAL CRAFTS AND CITY OF REFUGE decided to kick me out of the program. I figured out that the Tech Academy program is all about money, and a scam. they rush you out, with no experience or skills, so they can rush another group in there. and because I asked for help, finally started writing letters and didn't quit like the others have in the past Digital Crafts and City of Refuge Neither one of their organizations know nothing about being Black, but capitalizing off of us. White privilege The hours alone to do this class, was inhumane, unrealistic, that is why the success rate, is non existent, especially if you're Black and Brown , knowing we already deal with challenges in our community. I love being BLACK, but at times I resent it, because of the way we are treated, if we challenge something. We will automatically be put in our "place"

Legitimate bank. Friendly service. Definitely recommended. I come here every month, and no one…read morejudges me for coming back every month.

I came to the ACFB for a volunteer event with my work. This was my second time back. I always enjoy…read moremyself when I come here. The staff is all so nice and they do such a great job at explaining what ACFB is all about and how we can all do our part to contribute to something for a greater good. Both times I went, I was sorting food and making sure the appropriate things were getting passed through, and discarded if they weren't. I always have so much fun doing this, and the time just goes by so quick. It never really feels like you're working when you come here. It's just so much fun being with so many people all there for the same reason. I definitely plan on coming back in the future.

My wife and I visited Open Hand Atlanta to volunteer our time for a couple of hours to prep meals…read more Open Hand provides nutritional meals for those with chronic diseases, such as AIDS/HIV, different forms of cancer, etc. These nutritional meals promote and prolong healthier way of life. Once you arrive and sign in, you'll be taken to a waiting room area, where Open Hand staff gives you a rundown of their history and what their mission is. You also get the rules of the prep room and are gifted a one of a kind hairnet, plastic apron, and men with facial hair gets face masks. No jewelry may be at any time. Rings, necklaces, earrings, facial piercings, watches, etc. can NOT be worn. There are different things that you can do at this space, but I wanted to do meal prep. We washed our hands and grabbed plastic gloves. Keep in mind, the gloves are different sizes. The meal prep was like an assembly line. The meal we prepped was Beef Stroganoff on Noodles with Green Beans. With a scale, the first person weighed the appropriate number for the noodles, the second person weighed the right number of beef stroganoff, and the third person weighed the right number for green beans. There is then a fourth person who wipes off any excess food from around the rim of the food container. This is important so the plastic cover will seal appropriately. It's then put in this contraption that holds multiple containers and a person press seals it and puts it to the side. This is definitely quite a process, but once you get into the flow of it, it becomes easier. Some people make it a challenge against another group to see who can make the most meals. Side note: THIS PLACE IS FREEZING! The ENTIRE BUILDING IS COLD! Bring a jacket or hoody. Overall, this is a great place to come with a group or by yourself and do some charitable services. Fortunately, we came with a large group of my wife's coworkers, so we were able to knock out over 2,500 meals which was awesome! I'd definitely come back.

I volunteered at Open Hand two weeks ago (Saturday, July 22, 2017) and had a lot of fun. I didn't…read moreknow what to expect as far as working conditions, the general environment, and exactly what we would be doing. Would I be in some freezing cold meat locker? Would I be inside an insanely hot warehouse? Would I be breaking my already broken back moving heavy objects around? Would I be doing some mundane task for hours and be bored out of my mind? Fortunately, the answer to all those questions was no. I went with a big group to celebrate someone's birthday (a neat idea). Half of us did meal packing and the other half did market basket packing. I signed up for meal packing. Our meal packing session involved packing meals into bags and portioning food into individual containers (think frozen TV dinners). The food was already cooked and just needed to be heated up to be eaten. Market basket packing involves packing nonperishable foods. In this case, the food wasn't cooked and the recipients would need to cook it themselves. We signed up to work from 1pm to 4pm. Each of us had to register on Open Hand's website. After registering and reserving our spots, we received confirmation emails with information, reminders, and dress code requirements. One of the dress code requirements in my confirmation email said, "Long pants are preferred. Skirts or dresses must be shin length." I wore shorts. When standing, those shorts touched the top of my knees. My girlfriend, who also signed up for meal packing, wore shorts too. Her shorts were shorter. She ended up getting moved to market basket packing because of the length of her shorts. This wasn't a big deal, but the dress code requirements listed in the confirmation email should have been more clear about shorts or simply just said that long pants are required for meal packing. There was at least one other person in our meal packing group with knee-length shorts. When you arrive to Open Hand, the volunteer entrance is clearly marked. Each volunteer must sign in and sign out using a computer just inside the entrance. We arrived right around 1pm, checked in, and were ushered into an orientation room. The orientation was quick, about 10 minutes. A short video about Open Hand was played and then we got some in-person instruction. After that, we were whisked to our volunteer work areas. For meal packing, we had to wear hair nets and aprons. First, we helped prepare bags to place meals in, then we moved into the meal packing work area. This was a cool, clean room with various tables and assembly lines. One group was already sealing TV dinner trays when we arrived. We washed our hands and helped assemble bags with four meals in them: Monday lunch, Monday dinner, Tuesday lunch, and Tuesday dinner with cornbread and condiments (ketchup and mustard). It was pretty easy. Each person was assigned to place one or two items into each bag and pass it down. I was responsible for the ketchup and mustard. After a bag had four meals, cornbread, and condiments, it was tied and placed on a tray which was later stacked and carted off. We assembled 126 of these Monday-Tuesday meal bags. Two of our meal packing group were broken off and sent to the cornbread station where they individually bagged and sealed cornbread. The cornbread was already cooked and cut. After assembling the meal bags, we took a short break in the break room and then were called back into the meal packing room for another job. This time, we had to portion food into TV dinner trays which would later be sealed. This task was harder than the last because we had to handle food directly with our hands (wearing gloves of course) and measure correct portion sizes using scales. We packed 285 meal trays filled with chicken, mushroom risotto, and peas and pearl onions. The hands of the people scooping and portioning out the risotto and peas got tired. I helped a little bit with the peas and organizing and stacking the meal trays on bigger trays, but I mostly was responsible for placing a piece of chicken on top of the risotto. We ended up spending almost our full 3-hour allotment at Open Hand. The market basket packing group ended up finishing early, in under 1.5 hours. Volunteer Services Manager Julie Barwig was the person who oversaw our group. In the meal packing room, Andre led us for the meal bag packing and Shameka led us for the meal tray portioning. Everyone was nice and friendly. I enjoyed the experience so much that I'm now considering signing up to do meal delivery. Open Hand's mission statement: "Open Hand helps people prevent or better manage chronic disease through Comprehensive Nutrition Care, which combines home-delivered meals and nutrition education as a means to reinforce the connection between informed food choices and improved quality of life." The campus is located in the industrial Armour neighborhood of Atlanta near SweetWater Brewing Company and the Armour Yard rail yard on the southern edge of Buckhead.

Overall I think the DeKalb Chamber will be a good networking tool, but my first impression isn't…read morethat good. Their website is pretty useful and I was able to find relevant information about the county including large employers and local attractions. I decided to visit their office in person to meet with someone and hopefully get detailed information about how to join. Their office isn't very welcoming and doesn't seem to lend itself to an area that would facilitate marketing opportunities. Their new location is in a high-rise near Northlake Mall and it's down a dead end road by the new public safety complex. Once you figure out how to park, walk to the building, and then make your way up the elevator it turns into a guessing game as to which suite to enter. I found it and walked in to a quiet office without a receptionist. I waited a few minutes and then walked a little further to find someone at desk behind a wall. I'll save the boring details... let's just say that I wasn't impressed. They have several events coming up this month and their directory is pretty helpful. I guess time will tell if this turns into a fruitful relationship. Hopefully the members are more interested in making new connections than the people working in their office.

The DeKalb Chamber is one of the best places to build business connections and find the support for…read moresuccess. They offer ongoing networking and training opportunities. The members are welcoming and will assist with new leads and connections.