A lot of people don't know about Our House, but what the staff does is amazing. Our House is a…read moreplace where homeless families can get childcare for their children as they go and seek jobs, housing and other basic needs to get themselves back on their feet again. I volunteered last summer. The first time I went, I read to some 3 and 4 year olds. I almost cried when one of the kids asked me if I lived in a house. When I said yes, her eyes lit up and she said, "Really? I want to live in one, too." If I could have put all of those kids and their families into an apartment that day, I would have. Our House always needs volunteers AND donations, so help them out however you can.

I donated clothes and money to them today and I was touched by the environment and their…read morepurpose/goals. I walked in and everyone was really nice and very appreciative. The kids were happy and that was such a delight. If you read this, please make a donation. No donation is too small and little drops of water will turn into a pond. Also, volunteer if you have the time. God bless you!

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.

Beautiful peaceful garden with paved paths to walk through and admire the trees, flowers, and…read moreplants.

While visiting Atlanta, I was looking to kill some time…read more And I needed a excuse To write another rhyme. With a name like Woodlawn Gardens, I almost expected a cemetery. But instead what I found, Was a park fit for fairies! The area was once privately owned. But they've donated the land. The well kept grounds, I'd describe, As nothing less than grand! There's many paths to wander, And little gardens to see. There's even a makeshift playground Made from the trunks of trees! Such an adorable little park, In the middle of the city. Atlanta isn't the same as I remember, It's actually quite pretty!

This place is WONDERFUL! I had so much grocery I almost ran out of room to put it up.read more

St Vincent De Paul Society 2050 Chamblee Tucker Road is absolutely amazing. It serves family with…read morefood & clothing on a daily basis. This is so remarkable for me to see this in a community. Now I have to google & see if there is one close to my domicile, because I will be volunteering!!!!

The Compassionate Friends is a nonprofit which offers support to bereaved families suffering…read moreintense pain, hopeless and isolation when a child at any age dies. TCF's mission is to "provide comfort, hope and support" to every family experiencing the death of a son or daughter, sibling or grandchild. There are 600 chapters across the country, the Atlanta chapters are in Lawrenceville, Marietta, Tucker, Duluth and Sandy Springs. Each chapter meets once a month on different days so you can attend as many as needed. There's an online newsletter and several active Facebook groups. So if you need support in the middle of the night, chances are someone else is also awake and available to chat. TCF is a group that no-one wants to belong to because you've experienced heartbreak and unspeakable tragedy. But there are people who understand because they've been there. There are no counselors, only those speaking from their own experience. It's free and even though the meetings are held at a church, it's not religious based. The Tucker chapter is the only one with a separate sibling group but siblings are welcome at any chapter meeting. When you come to your first meeting, you may see a table decorated with pictures and mementos. That means someone is celebrating their child's birthday or "angelversary." There may be a table with their sibling or grand-childs favorite dessert on it to share. You might see members wearing photo buttons with their loved one on it, provided by TCF too. A name tag might say 'Tina's sister' instead of her own name. You stand in a circle holding hands and if you are able, say why you are there. You're told that everything is confidential and that you aren't there to give advice but to share what works for you. Then, you are split up into small groups to share, cry or be silent and comforted. Because the first group can be immensely hard, you're encouraged to visit at least three times. There is a lending library with helpful resources on grief and people often make bookmarks or gifts for holidays, they may give a rose or send a card on your loved ones birthday. There is a candle light vigil in December. There is an amazing annual convention every year that is reasonably priced. An Amazon Smile page allows you to choose TCF Atlanta as your charity so a percentage of the proceeds will go there. As a nonprofit, it's entirely donation based and it's a lifeline to families in need. In short, TCF offers no judgement for grieving families, only comfort, love and support. "There are no strangers at TCF meetings, only friends you haven't met yet."

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.