Global Impact Development Foundation

(35 reviews)

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.

FreedOM Youth Yoga

(1 review)

We are so blessed to have Ms. Jillian share her gift and passion with our young learners at Smyrna…read moreMontessori School every week for years now. We LOVE FreedOM Youth Yoga. Jillian is full of light and it shines through every class! Our students adore her positive energy and look forward to her yoga classes every week. Jillian is joyful and energetic, playful and creative. She takes her craft very seriously and believes in the power of yoga fully and it truly shows.

From the owner: FreedOM Youth Yoga, Inc. is a nonprofit, 501(c) 3, organization dedicated to bringing the practice…read moreof yoga to all youth in Smyrna and Greater Atlanta. We are a mobile studio, which means we bring the yoga to wherever the participants are, specializing in Family Yoga, Preschooler Yoga, Kids’ Yoga, Teen Yoga, and Goat Yoga.

HOPE worldwide

HOPE worldwide changed my life in amazing ways. I got to travel to many countries as a teenager and…read morecollege student and serve poor communities around the world. It open my eyes to poverty and living conditions that I did not know existed. It gave me a completely new perspective on my life and incredible gratitude for how we are able to live in America. It taught me a deep respect for other cultures, and for people who experience times of need. It connected me to God in ways that are impossible without serving those in need with your own two hands. It help me build, lifelong friendships with people from all over the world. It gave me the courage to learn other languages and live overseas for many years. It made serving the poor part of my life's mission. HOPE worldwide also has incredible leaders and volunteers and examples of people who have given up their entire lives and careers to help those in need around the world. They are truly the worlds best volunteers. It has made me a better person in every way that matters.

My daughter volunteers through Hope WorldWide, SC chapter. They work with the Boys & Girls Club at…read morelocal schools and have a mentoring program. My daughter mentors a little girl who has brought a sense of responsibility and purpose to her. She visits her after school 1-2 days a week for a couple of hours. They do homework, play games, talk, and engage in activities the B&G Club have arranged. My daughter plans to mentor this girl as long as she can. We first started this so that she would have volunteer work on her college applications, but now she's sticking with it because she enjoys it. I encourage anyone with any kind of free time to volunteer or at least give to the many causes out there. (ESPECIALLY TO HELP SPAY AND NEUTER DOGS AND CATS!! -- and care for those lost ones who have no place to call home....) - 2 facilites in the midlands are Pets Inc (petsinc.org) and Animal Mission (animalmission.org) GIVE PLEASE!!!

Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre

3.7

(44 reviews)

We attended the tribute to Sarah Vaughn show and THOROUGHLY enjoyed it!…read more Such a beautiful location and conveniently located on the square. We were able to snag free street parking right next the theatre, greeted promptly and kindly upon arrival and checked in just a few feet from the door. We bypassed the concessions stand - which stemmed quite popular - and were escorted to our seats. Comfortable seating, possibly not a bad view in the house. Beautifully maintained. Great acoustics. And an AMAZING show! I cannot wait to return!

We went for menopause, the musical to cruising through the change my friends, and I had a great…read morelaugh and a good time.

Thrift It Atlanta

1.0

(1 review)

Difficult to find & apparently NOT open on Sunday despite Yelp & Google saying otherwise. No sign…read moreon the door with actual hours. GPS leads to Chevron, but the store is right next door (I drove in circles thinking I was missing it).

From the owner: Thrift It Atlanta is a 501 C3 nonprofit. We help with domestic violence and homelessness. Your…read moredonations and purchases help make our greater Atlanta area a better community. The founder of Thrift It Atlanta was a domestic violence victim for 17 years. This affected her in a tremendous way. Women and domestic violence are often stuck or end up, homeless to get out. She opened Thrift It Atlanta to help others like herself.

Lost-N-Found Youth

(104 reviews)

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What more is there to say. Awesome humans working there with wonderful deals to be found on some…read moreamazing items. AND all this to benefit the fight against homelessness in our communities.

Clothes are reasonably priced. However, you'd be better off going to an antique mall for…read morehousewares. Their prices are insanely high for a thrift store, especially one who is trying to help others. I support the mission, but I've compared prices in antique stores with the prices in that thrift store, and the antique stores have better prices. They would sell more if they lowered their prices to thrift store prices. They would make more money for their mission. I will no longer donate to this organization because I don't like what they do with their pricing.

Keep North Fulton Beautiful

(31 reviews)

Great center. Helpful folks. Well kept. Many items accepted…read more Only 1 and 2 plastics. But 5,6 & 7 being actively recyclable is a fallacy. It's a function of the plastics lobby to make you think it's recyclable. 5 6 and 7 rarely have the capability of being recycled. We need to ban packaging that is not 1 or 2.

I have been coming to the recycling center for almost 10 years now. It's the only place I know of…read moreto recycle glass (green, clear, and brown) that accumulates from consumption of everyday items. The service is free of charge. It's easy to drive up, start sorting recyclables, and then drive off. I appreciate all the work people do here at the facility to stay organized and keep the property clean. It can get busy on Saturdays but the week is very efficient. This is great service to the community and awesome service for residents in Fulton County. Thank you for valuing our community and ensuring we all have a place to recycle.

Bullseye Movers

4.8

(60 reviews)

Bullseye Movers did an outstanding job with our move from Mableton to Cumming. We moved a four…read morebedroom house, and they brought a large box truck that somehow fit everything. Chris is an absolute Tetris genius. I'm pretty sure he used every cubic inch of that truck and made it all fit without issue. We labeled our boxes with the rooms they belonged in, and the crew placed everything exactly where it needed to go in the new house. They also took great care in protecting our furniture, which gave us a lot of peace of mind throughout the move. One thing we really appreciated was their help with disassembly and reassembly. It saved us a ton of time and hassle. The entire crew was professional, efficient, and great to work with. If you're looking for movers, I would highly recommend Bullseye Movers. They made what could have been a stressful day feel easy.

Absolute top notch service from the home visit to assess the scope of the job for pricing to the…read morefinal delivery of all our household goods. The crew worked efficiently and was very meticulous in wrapping everything in blankets and shrink-wrap to ensure that nothing was damaged. No time was wasted. The price was reasonable well worth it!

Global Impact Development Foundation - nonprofit - Updated July 2026

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Drawchange

4.7

(7 reviews)

The best part about it? Drawchange made it so easy to go and volunteer with them at the homeless…read moreshelter, and especially Cindy with her guidance and support at all times, they made us feel not just volunteers but like superheroes. Without a doubt I 100% recommend Drawchange if you or your company are willing to live a great experience, painting smiles in the face of a group of homeless children, and also having a great time doing a lot more than just art with a group of kids that have it so hard in life...please try to help Drawchange, volunteering, donating, however you can, they're making a difference, do it for the kids: their smiles, laughter, and heart. We connected with the kids, we left the place with a renewed sense of hope and life, which comes from the kids. What a great opportunity to give back to our community, for a roofing and construction company like us it really makes sense to participate in activities outside of work that connect us together even more, as the team we already are, and if at the same time we can help homeless children experience a happy, joyful and fun time? well, is a win-win scenario for everybody. Thank you Drawchange! Deliana, CFO at Hd Roofing and Construction.

Drawchange is an AMAZING organization to volunteer with. Every team member puts 100% into each…read moresession for the children. I have been volunteering with Orlando drawchange for close to a year now and have seen how well each art project is tailored for the children and what they are going through in their day to day lives. I highly recommend drawchange as the perfect organization to support and volunteer with. Keep up the great work!

Atlanta Union Mission

4.0

(4 reviews)

This was one of the best volunteer experiences that I've ever had. What I participated in was…read morecalled Mural Painters at the Carpenter's House. I found the event via the Hands On Atlanta Website. (Check my review for that. http://www.yelp.com/biz/hands-on-atlanta-atlanta) I arrived expecting to paint large murals on walls. Instead I found that the artist was actually there to explain that we would be painting murals, together with the residents of the Atlanta Union Mission, on large canvases that would eventually be hung together. Fabulous!! I loved the interaction that this encouraged. The artist, I can't remember his name, takes 6 large canvases and draws a mural across all of them. Then he puts dots of paint in each section so that volunteers and residents can fill it in later. It's a twist on the paint by number thing. He then ships the murals to some 128 different countries to beautify hospitals. He believes that art is therapeutic. It's good for those of us who paint it and those who view it. Anyway, I sat for about 2 hours talking with residents while doing my favorite thing: painting. It was wonderful to talk to the guys about their lives and share a little of mine. At the end of the 2 hours, I felt like I had grown as a person. (I know it sounds sappy, but it's true.)

I have supported this charity for many years and can't say enough about their fine work providing…read morefood and shelter for the homeless. Highly recommend!

Food4Lives

(5 reviews)

My husband and I serve at Food4Lives CT because we live in Connecticut. It's so gratifying to cook…read moreand serve the unhoused especially with the snow and freezing temps we've had this year. Food4livesCT serves fresh veg meals in Hartford and Middletown CT every week in rain, snow, sleet or sun. No charge ever!

This is such an incredibly generous and caring organization that spreads highness, support and…read moresupplies to people every week in Hartford and Middletown. Year-round, regardless of weather. They are there with a hot meal, non-perishable food, clothing and always a smile and a kind word

H.E.R.O. for Children

I have volunteered with quite a few organizations in and around Atlanta and HERO for Children is by…read morefar the best. No other organization comes close! I started volunteering here last summer for one of their large events which was a huge Field Day. There were just as many volunteers as children and EVERYONE was having a great time. I cannot imagine the amount of planning that went into having this event go off without a hitch. Anyway, HERO for Children is an organization that seeks to improve the quality of life for children living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. They do this by teaching life skills development, providing emotional and mental support through mentoring relationships, and just making sure that the children have access to a wide range of life experiences. It's great! I have been mentoring with them for less than a year but, I can already tell that this is going to be a long term commitment. If you are looking for a way to get involved, I would highly recommend HERO for Children.

Awesome organization! I cannot wait to start working with them. The kids are fortunate to have this…read moreorganization helping them.

Children's Restoration Network

'TIS THE SEASON...(VOLUNTEERING)…read more Commonly known as CRN, this non-profit provides services to homeless women and children. Today I had the pleasure of volunteering to sort and package donated food items for Thanksgiving dinners. A great number of people came out and business was handled in a timely and efficient manner. The warehouse was packed with large groups such as boy scouts, sororities, corporate groups and others. I chose to volunteer with my young neighbor so we were a team of two. There was a lot of great energy in the space and people were genuinely kind and helpful. Not only did I have a great time helping others, I just enjoyed being able to spend time with my neighbor and catch up with her busy middle school life. She on the other hand, was able to get some additional community hours for Beta Club so we knocked out several birds with one stone. CRN has a variety of volunteer needs through-out the year and is always looking for additional support and assistance. I know that they will be needing assistance with donating, collecting and delivering toys for Christmas. They will also need volunteers to wrap gifts so if you have a group of friends or willing family members who are looking to "give back" please contact CRN regarding specific opportunities. .

A great organization that helps the homeless single mothers and children for almost 25 years! I…read morehave volunteered with this organization for a few years and I am constantly amazed by the dedication from the CEOs,employees and volunteers who serve the Atlanta and surrounding areas. A great organization to get "plugged" into if just for a couple hours or as an ongoing "mentor" to one of these deserving children.

Sweetwater Mission

4.3

(4 reviews)

I have to these folks a shout for doing solid work. There's a lot going on here to help low-income…read moreresidents in Cobb and Douglas Counties. Well-thought-out solutions that do more than offer simple hand-outs. There is education happening here. Job placement. Family support. Access to healthcare and other necessary resources. And yes, food. It's a well organized effort. A well-oiled machine. And there are plenty of success stories to tell. But there is always more to do. You guys know I'm not religious. Sweetwater's success is defined by the service ethic of a fantastic staff and many dedicated volunteers. They could use more help in the effort to help others. If you volunteer there, please tell them I said HI.

Great place. All volunteers. Can get free food and clothes. Have to come early. Get a number to be…read moreserve. Only serve certain number of people a day. Clean and very nice people. Always crowded. Sometimes standing room only

Kate's Club

Why have I taken so long to rave about this place!?! I'm…read moresuch a foodie, I completely haven't mentioned my love of this organization and the good it does in the community. So the big question, what is Kate's Club? It's THE place to know for youth and adults with kids grieving the loss of a parent, guardian or sibling. Through conversation, arts & crafts and everything in between they offer free help for school aged kids to have safe place to vent. As someone who has experienced the million & 1 ways people want to help you, but just don't know how to relate I can tell you this organization can be life changing. Your child can have a place where those in their age group are relating and equally figuring out what's next for them. Grief is something that can go away and reappear over time. The kids are all school aged 5-17, essentially some have been going for years and some have lost someone as recent as the month they enroll. It's one of a kind and holds a place in many hearts in the community.

This is a wonderful organization for children who have lost a parent or sibling. It has truly been…read morea blessing for my daughter.

HOPE worldwide

HOPE worldwide changed my life in amazing ways. I got to travel to many countries as a teenager and…read morecollege student and serve poor communities around the world. It open my eyes to poverty and living conditions that I did not know existed. It gave me a completely new perspective on my life and incredible gratitude for how we are able to live in America. It taught me a deep respect for other cultures, and for people who experience times of need. It connected me to God in ways that are impossible without serving those in need with your own two hands. It help me build, lifelong friendships with people from all over the world. It gave me the courage to learn other languages and live overseas for many years. It made serving the poor part of my life's mission. HOPE worldwide also has incredible leaders and volunteers and examples of people who have given up their entire lives and careers to help those in need around the world. They are truly the worlds best volunteers. It has made me a better person in every way that matters.

My daughter volunteers through Hope WorldWide, SC chapter. They work with the Boys & Girls Club at…read morelocal schools and have a mentoring program. My daughter mentors a little girl who has brought a sense of responsibility and purpose to her. She visits her after school 1-2 days a week for a couple of hours. They do homework, play games, talk, and engage in activities the B&G Club have arranged. My daughter plans to mentor this girl as long as she can. We first started this so that she would have volunteer work on her college applications, but now she's sticking with it because she enjoys it. I encourage anyone with any kind of free time to volunteer or at least give to the many causes out there. (ESPECIALLY TO HELP SPAY AND NEUTER DOGS AND CATS!! -- and care for those lost ones who have no place to call home....) - 2 facilites in the midlands are Pets Inc (petsinc.org) and Animal Mission (animalmission.org) GIVE PLEASE!!!

Helping Mamas