Hot Projects: Week of March 30

Hands On Atlanta/Atlanta Community Food Bank COVID-19 Food Packing Vol

Tuesday March 31, Wednesday April 1 and Friday April 3 From 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM + Saturday April 4 from 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM (Various Schools in APS)

This volunteer opportunity will support with food insecurity in the Atlanta community. With many recent updates and changes due to COVID-19 multiple individuals and families are not able to work; or may not have access to regular food initiatives. Hands On Atlanta will be operating 5 sites in the Atlanta Public School (APS) district. Volunteers will unload pallets of food, pack the food in meal bags to be distributed to families through a drop off-line. Volunteers may also be asked to help with hot meal distribution to children.

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Food Pantry Distribution

Tuesdays from 1:00pm to 4:00pm, Wednesday from 12:30pm to 2:00pm and Saturday from 8:30am to 11:30am (Lilburn)

Come help us feed our community healthy and nutritious meals by serving in our weekly food distribution. Volunteers will greet clients and assist them with paperwork, sort food, stock shelves, prepare bags for distribution, help clients carry food to their cars, general housekeeping and maintenance on food preparation areas and equipment.

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C3 Ministries’ Food Pantry Distribution

Thursday April 2 with shifts from 8:30 AM - 7:00 PM (Marietta, GA)

Our mission at C3 Ministries is to provide resources of four various ministries in order that families can become whole, independent and ultimately able to return to serve others. Serving over 250 families every Thursday and over 471,508 pounds of food this year, we are greatly impacting our communities and with your help, we can continue to be more successful in making an impact in our community. Give back to your community while having fun and meeting new friends, while re-stocking food shelves, loading boxes with food items and assisting in expediting boxes to attendees vehicles.

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Come Get Dirty and Have Fun on an Urban Agriculture Farm

Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturdays from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM (Ashview Heights/West Atlanta)

TLW (Truly Living Well) is a 501C3 nonprofit educational Center for Natural Urban Agriculture. We grow food, we connect people to the food, and we build equitable and sustainable food communities. It is our mission to grow better communities by connecting people with the land through education and training. Volunteers will be working together to complete farm tasks in order to keep the farm operating at peak level and its herbs and plants flourishing. Volunteer tasks include: flipping and planting beds, seeding for summer crops, filling produce beds with soil, planting of seedlings, watering, and weeding, mulch designated areas with wood chips; ability to push 40 lb wheelbarrow, process, sift and stage compost, harvest, weigh, and bundle produce for farmer's markets and more.

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Food Pantry Warehouse Associate

Saturday April 4 From 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM (Newnan, GA)

Bridging the Gap, a 501c3 non-profit, exists to feed, serve, and restore those who are hurting and in need in our community. The Warehouse Associate will be responsible for unloading and/or loading donations from the public as well as our daily food deliveries. They will also assist with weighing, sorting, and putting away of food to prevent spoilage. This person will work with the warehouse manager or warehouse team leader to methodically prepare food boxes for clients.

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Our 2020/21 AmeriCorps applications are now live! Learn more about what you'll do, what you'll get, why students and nonprofits across metro Atlanta need you, and how to apply for this meaningful year of service!

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Girl Power

Girls Inc. is inspiring girls to be strong, smart and bold, and Cox Enterprises is supporting that mission in a big way.

Today’s girls face very real and profound issues as they navigate gender, economic and social barriers. But Girls Inc. is working to ensure positive outcomes for all girls – like increasing their graduation rate, helping them solve real-life problems and inspiring them to get involved in their communities – and Cox has committed itself to the cause.

In fact, during the recent annual Girls Inc. New York Luncheon, Janet Barnard, EVP & Chief People Officer, Cox Automotive, accepted the Corporate Vision Award on behalf of Cox Enterprises for helping to increase opportunities for girls and women and inspiring them to achieve great things.

This award comes as Cox announces a new community partnership with Girls Inc. in which we will become the National Sponsor of STEM and College and Career Readiness programming across the United States. 

Scaling Nationally

Cox has been supporting Girls Inc. in a variety of ways for more than 10 years. Employees often volunteer and mentor at local chapters across the country. And, as a corporate partner to Girls Inc. of Greater Atlanta, Cox sponsors its annual fundraiser and hosts its Business and Entrepreneurship Week Marketplace Day – a program where girls learn about branding businesses, creating budgets and executing marketing plans, and then sell their goods at a popup-style artists’ market at Central Park.

In addition, Anne Harris, Director of Marketing and Creative, Cox Media, and LeVoyd Carter, executive director, diversity and inclusion, CCI, both serve as board members for the Omaha and Atlanta chapters respectively.

The expansion of Cox’s partnership to the national level significantly expands our level of involvement with Girls Inc. and aligns perfectly with our values to support inclusion, diversity and promotion of women, as well as our committed focus to STEAM-related causes.

About Girls Inc.

Girls Inc. encourages STEM learning and engagement through year-round, after-school programming, weekend activities and experiences. Through hands-on activities, girls can explore, ask questions, persist and solve problems. And, by interacting with those pursuing STEM careers, girls come to view these careers as exciting and realistic options for themselves.

Hot Projects: Week of March 23

Hands On Atlanta/Atlanta Community Food Bank COVID-19 Food Packing Vol

Friday March 27 and Friday April 3 From 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM (Various Schools in APS)

This volunteer opportunity will support with food insecurity in the Atlanta community. With many recent updates and changes due to COVID-19 multiple individuals and families are not able to work; or may not have access to regular food initiatives. Hands On Atlanta will be operating 5 sites in the Atlanta Public School (APS) district. Volunteers will unload pallets of food, pack the food in meal bags to be distributed to families through a drop off-line. Volunteers may also be asked to help with hot meal distribution to children.

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YCFP - Mobile Food Pantry (Big Miller Grove Location)

Thursday March 26 from 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM and Saturday March 28 from 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM (Lithonia)

Your Community Food Pantry (YCFP) is a subsidiary of FACDC. FACDC is a 501(c3) non-profit organization that brings free/low cost services to churches, schools, community organizations, and directly to the people. Our mission is to eliminate hunger, and to improve the overall sustainability of communities. Volunteer tasks include unpacking food boxes, unloading pallets, checking-in clients, directing traffic, cleaning-up, and more.

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C3 Ministries’ Food Pantry Distribution

Thursday March 28 with shifts from 8:30 AM - 7:00 PM (Marietta, GA)

Our mission at C3 Ministries is to provide resources of four various ministries in order that families can become whole, independent and ultimately able to return to serve others. Serving over 250 families every Thursday and over 471,508 pounds of food this year, we are greatly impacting our communities and with your help, we can continue to be more successful in making an impact in our community. Give back to your community while having fun and meeting new friends, while re-stocking food shelves, loading boxes with food items and assisting in expediting boxes to attendees vehicles.

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Reflections of Trinity/Team 58 Weekly Grocery Prep 2020

Wednesday March 25 and Friday, March 27 from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM (Powder Springs, GA)

Reflections of Trinity is a non-profit organization dedicated to meet the basic needs of those in crisis with food, clothing, and housewares and facilitates structured opportunities for people to engage in meaningful community service. Every week Reflections of Trinity outreach team, Team 58, has volunteers who come and help prepare boxes of food, load and unload trucks, put away food on shelves and in freezers, and get our Food Bank ready for the Grocery Distribution we do every Saturday.

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Food Pantry Warehouse Associate

Thursday, March 26 and Friday March 27 From 10:30 AM - 3:00 PM (Newnan, GA)

Bridging the Gap, a 501c3 non-profit, exists to feed, serve, and restore those who are hurting and in need in our community. The Warehouse Associate will be responsible for unloading and/or loading donations from the public as well as our daily food deliveries. They will also assist with weighing, sorting, and putting away of food to prevent spoilage. This person will work with the warehouse manager or warehouse team leader to methodically prepare food boxes for clients.

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Our 2020/21 AmeriCorps applications are now live! Learn more about what you'll do, what you'll get, why students and nonprofits across metro Atlanta need you, and how to apply for this meaningful year of service!

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Putting the Social in Social Distancing

Look, we’re going to have some fun with this post, but let’s be real for a second. Social distancing is critical at keeping our community and those most vulnerable safe. Avoid leaving the house, definitely avoid groups large than 10, keep a safe 6’ away from folks if you do have to venture out, and if you must Beltline, please don’t walk in herds and try hopping over to the southside or westside trail for some solo adventuring. The Eastside Trail is nobody’s friend right now.

We all know Facetime is great, especially during group chats when you’re all koala’s. Facebook and Instagram Live are also good ways to kill a few hours with friends and strangers. Google Hangouts are a fun way to connect with friends and fam too.

To keep things fresh, we went exploring to find some other things you can do to stay social while keeping your distance. Here are a few fun apps and things to try to keep the good times rollin’.

House Party

Not your mom’s Facetime. House Party is a group video chat app with integrated games like Heads Up, Pictionary, trivia, and a “Cards Against Humanity” look-a-like called Chips and Guac. It’s fun, perfect for happy hour hangs.

Zoom

While you’ve surely been using Zoom all day for work calls and to connect with your teams, don’t forget to have some fun with it. Play with the virtual background and chat room settings. Since everyone has now graduated Zoom University, there’s no “how does this thing work” and you can get straight to catching up with a sure bet, quality stream.

Stream Live Concerts

Yes, it’s awful and not fair that the spring festival season has been cancelled and every show you wanted to catch has been postponed. Lucky for you, Billboard released this awesome (updated daily) list of concerts you can stream. Plus, a bunch of musicians are getting in on the action, like Jack White’s Third Man Records, performing live shows everyday at noon!

Volunteer from Your Couch

We recently launched some really fun and easy ways you can help those in need, without leaving the house. Volunteering is a perfect cure to help stay social because it almost always involves people helping people, in real-time. Take Be My Eyes or Tarjimly for example, you can see for the visually impaired or translate for those who need language support via live chats.

Play Video Games

Spoken like a true gaming novice, if you have Xbox Live or Nintendo Switch, you can play with friends, make new friends, and probably shoot some cartoon bad guys or leave a banana on the road for Mario to wipe out on.

Join a Virtual Gym and Workout from Home

Working out or going for a run is a great way to shake the stress of quarantining, but doing it alone? Boring. Get swol with strangers and coaches using apps like Nike’s Run Club, Aaptiv, or Peloton Digital (free for 3 months).

Host a virtual Civic Dinner

Dinner dates are great. Dinner dates that bring friends together to raise awareness to serious community challenges and talk through potential solutions? That’s a Civic Dinner date. Put yours on their calendar, invite your friends and grab your iPad or laptop for a meaningful, fun conversation.

Netflix Party

Netflix Party is a new way to watch Netflix with your friends online. Netflix Party synchronizes video playback and adds group chat to your favorite Netflix shows. Try it out tonight!

That’s it. That’s our list of ways to stay social while social distancing. We’ll see you (through a screen) out there. What are you doing to stay social while social distancing? Let us know in the comments and we’ll share our favorites on our Facebook page.

PREVENTING A DOUBLE RECESSION FOR NONPROFITS: 5 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO MEET URGENT NEEDS

This is an excerpt from Points of Light CEO, Natalye Paquin

Driven by a desire to lend a helping hand, the “hands-on” world of volunteer service connects people to help each other meet community challenges. These on-the-ground organizations are powered by people, comprised of community leaders who know the specific needs and strengths of their community.

But in this new “hands-off” world of social distancing, volunteering in person has come to an abrupt halt.

With COVID-19, nonprofits are facing unprecedented headwinds. Not only are funds constricting quickly and dramatically, but now the volunteers that organizations rely on cannot perform many critical functions, while the needs of their populations they serve grow each day of this crisis.

Keep reading on Points of Light —>

5 Ways to Fight Food Insecurity Right Now

This post was updated Arpil 6, 2020 with new ways to help. View all of our relief efforts.

Food insecurity continues to be a high priority for the metro Atlanta community and several of our partners are working hard to get food to those who need it. If you’re healthy and willing to lend a hand or 2, check out these impactful ways you can help.

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HANDS ON ATLANTA MEAL PACK AND DISTRIBUTION

Every Friday through May 8, 2020, Multiple Times and Shifts, Various Atlanta Public Schools

In partnership with the Atlanta Community Food Bank and Atlanta Public Schools, Hands On Atlanta will be operating meal packing and distribution at 5 sites in the Atlanta Public School (APS) district. Volunteers will unload pallets of food, pack the food in meal bags to be distributed to families through a drop off-line. Volunteers may also be asked to help with hot meal distribution to children.t

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OPEN HAND PREP AND DISTRIBUTION

Every Mon. Wed., Fri. through April, 2020, Multiple Times and Shifts, Metro Atlanta

Open Hand Atlanta has openings 3 days a week (Mon, Wed, Fri) where they urgently need volunteers drivers to help deliver meals to clients across metro Atlanta.

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APS FOOD DISTRIBUTION

Every Mon. through May 8, 2020, 10:00am - 12:00pm, Atlanta

After Spring Break, beginning Monday, April 13, APS will be streamlining their meal distribution from providing meals five days a week to providing meals one day a week each Monday from 10 a.m. to Noon , but it will still provide the same amount of food as the daily service did. Volunteers are needed to staff the on-site distribution sites and kitchens as well as drive buses to various routes and drop locations.

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MEALS ON WHEELS MEAL DELIVERY

Every Saturday Through April, 2020, Multiple Times and Shifts, Metro Atlanta

The mission of Meals on Wheels Atlanta is to support senior independence through meals, shelter, education, and community. Their flagship program, Meal Services, provides nourishing meals to low-income and homebound seniors in Atlanta who are unable to afford or access adequate nutrition. Volunteers are needed to deliver meals to frail, homebound and low-income seniors residing in Fulton County.

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VOLUNTEER W/ A HANDS ON ATLANTA PARTNEr PANTRY

Monday-Saturday Through April, 2020, Multiple Times and Shifts, Metro Atlanta

We partner with food pantries small and large across metro Atlanta, all working hard to get food to those in their communities who need it. Again, if you’re healthy and want to help, check out our calendar of food pantry volunteer projects now.

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Help From Home

So, you want to do something good, but you don't want to leave your house? No worries, we've got your back! Here are some really easy ways you can support those in need from the comfort of your couch:

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Hands On ATLANTA | COVID-19 COMMUNITY PLAN

Updated March 25, 2020 at 7:00am

Like many organizations across metro Atlanta, we are closely monitoring the COVID-19 news and updates from the CDC and the World Health Organization. In an effort to be proactive, prioritizing the health and safety of our staff and our community, we have put together the following continuity plan.

Until further notice, we are following guidance from the State of Georgia and Atlanta’s Mayor Bottoms, and are postponing all “non-essential” volunteer projects. We will remain focused on fighting food insecurity and supporting essential nonprofit organizations and community needs. We’re also requesting all nonprofit partners and volunteer projects adhere to safety guidelines requiring a minimum of 6 ft distance between volunteers and projects less than 10 people. We’re working hard to ensure our calendar of volunteer projects and internal programs are updated accordingly and following these new safety guidelines.

A summary of our response and current activities is below.  We'll provide further updates as things evolve, but in the meantime, thanks for doing your part to ensure the safety and well-being of you and those around you!   

our internal plan

This kind of pandemic planning is new for everyone, especially us. However, we’re lucky to have the support of our fellow Points of Light Global Network Affiliates and have leaned on what others are doing across the globe to deal with the crisis. We are sharing our internal game plan, as it might be helpful for you or your organization. Our friends at the Georgia Center for Nonprofits have also created a contingency plan template. Until further notice we have:

• Closed our office from Monday, March 16 - 27. This will cancel any volunteer projects and events happening at our office location (600 Means St.) within that timeline.

• Created an internal response team to plan and implement the necessary actions for our team and greater community of partners and volunteers

• Suspended all nonessential travel outside of GA. 

• Reinforced our flexible work from home policy to accommodate staff during the time our office will be closed. 

• Asked that anyone on our team who has a fever and/or symptoms of acute respiratory illness must stay home and not come to work until they are free of fever (e.g. 100F or lower) or any other symptoms for at least 24-hours, without the use a fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medicine (e.g. cough suppressants).   

• Asked teammates if a family member is sick with an acute respiratory illness, the employee may not return to work until 14 days after the family member became symptomatic.   

• A mandatory 14-day quarantine for all staff if in the event someone at Hands On ATL tests positive for COVID-19/Coronavirus.

Our Community Plan

We are working on contingency plans with all of our partners to keep the community’s best interest first. We have:

• Created a Community Relief landing page with available volunteer opportunities, resources for those in need and more.

• Postponed our Discovery and TeamWorks! programs until further notice

• Posted all activity within the Civic Leadership Program

• Sent safety guidelines and restrictions to Starbucks Service Fellows projects - focused on food insecurity - and are updating our calendar accordingly

• Host Talk With Me Baby @ Work sessions digitally. To sign up for these email abisgaard@handsonatlanta.org

• Asked volunteers (or volunteer family members) that have been exposed to COVID-19 self-quarantine and NOT volunteer with us for at least 14-days. 

• Been listening carefully to our nonprofit and school partners, and promoting their urgent needs on our calendar and via our social media, in addition to our Relief landing page.

If any of the following conditions apply to you, we ask that you not sign-up for any project at a Community/Nonprofit Partner location and stay at home for the safety of everyone:

1. If you currently have a cough, fever, or any respiratory illness

2. If you currently have a heart condition, lung disease, diabetes, or any other serious health condition, or are over the age of 65

3. If you or anyone in your household have traveled to China, Iran, South Korea, Japan, or Europe in the past two weeks

4. If you or anyone in your household have been in close contact with anyone who is confirmed to have COVID-19

If none of conditions 1-4 apply to you and you are comfortable volunteering, you may sign up for a project.

Before you begin a project, we’ll ask that you wash your hands thoroughly for 20 seconds with soap and water or use an alcohol-based sanitizer. Supplies are limited for sanitizer, gloves and masks, please bring your own to projects if possible.

If you must stay home for the safety of our community, we have remote/digital volunteer opportunities (see Volunteer From Home below) that you may sign-up for.

VOLUNTEER FROM HOME

Here are some really easy ways you can do something good, without leaving your house:

• Answer college and career readiness questions from students using CareerVillage

• Make the world more accessible for the visually impaired and download Be My Eyes

• Give refugees and people in need of humanitarian assistance on-demand language access with Tarjimly

• Connect low-income youth with live academic support to help them on their path to achieving upward mobility with UPchieve.

Keep an eye on this page (it will be updated regularly) for news, updates and changes in our plan based on recommendations from the CDC and our community partners. Thank you for helping us tackle Atlanta’s most pressing needs!

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Please share what you or your organization is doing to keep our community safe from COVID-19 in the comments below.

Hot Projects: Week of March 9

HANDS ON ATLANTA WAREHOUSE VOLUNTEERS 
MAR. 19: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM, WEST MIDTOWN  

We're looking for a couple volunteers to help us clean, inventory and organize our warehouse. Please wear clothes that you do not mind getting dirty and closed-toed shoes. We recommend bringing water and your own snacks. Court-ordered volunteers are allowed to serve.

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GARDEN WORK DAY AT TOWERS HIGH SCHOOL GARDEN
MAR. 14: 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM, DECATUR

Join Partners in Action for Healthy Living for a garden workday and make a positive and lasting impact on the lives of the youth and families living within our community. You'll weed, prune, spread mulch, plant and general garden clean-up to get ready for planting our spring crops!

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WYLDE FARMLET WORKDAY
MAR. 14: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM, DECATUR 

Wylde Center strives to cultivate environmental stewardship and bring people closer to nature through community events, greenspaces, and educational programming. They serve all populations. Wylde Center’s largest fundraiser is their annual Plant Sale and Festival. This volunteer event will help them keep on schedule to be prepared for the festival in mid-April.

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COMMUNITY PLANTING DAY - ORCHARD TREES AT MOUNTAIN WAY

Saturday, March 14 From 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM (N Atlanta)

This program facilitated by the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance provides the opportunity for youth 10 years and older to participate in meaningful activities encouraging conservation, stewardship, and experiential learning on the second Saturday of every month. Volunteer tasks are: Trail building and maintenance, Invasive Plant Eradication, Habitat Restoration and other activities needed to manage the facility and grounds of this unique urban resource!

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MEALS ON WHEELS MEAL DELIVERY
MAR. 21: 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM, METRO ATLANTA 

The mission of Meals on Wheels Atlanta is to support senior independence through meals, shelter, education, and community. Their flagship program, Meal Services, provides nourishing meals to low-income and homebound seniors in Atlanta who are unable to afford or access adequate nutrition. Volunteers are needed to deliver meals to frail, home bound and low-income seniors residing in Fulton County.

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Our 2020/21 AmeriCorps applications are now live! Learn more about what you'll do, what you'll get, why students and nonprofits across metro Atlanta need you, and how to apply for this meaningful year of service!

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