As much as I love to indulge in the sheer enjoyment of eating my way around Atlanta, there is…read moreactually another passion in my life that I devote a good deal of time to, as well. Let me introduce you to StandUp for Kids. What does StandUp do? It's summed up best by our Executive Director: "We are more than an organization, we are a movement with a mission to create a culture that will not tolerate our children living on the streets." StandUp is not your typical nonprofit. For starters, there aren't any paid staff, not even the ED. It's run entirely by volunteers. And not just your average, come out for a day and clean up the park volunteer, either. Nope. If you don the Purple Shirt (our signature color), you are setting yourself apart. It's not all feel-good warm-fuzzies, either. You have to be willing to do some dirty work. Sometimes even some boring work. Clothes have to be sorted. Dishes have to be washed. The trash needs to get hauled to the dumpster. But at the end of another exhausting night roaming the streets of downtown, or staffing our drop-in center, we purple people look around and know that...hey, we've done some good. Kids that were once on the street are now in apartments. Kids that were kicked out of homes and trying to fend for themselves now have some people to turn to for help. StandUp for Kids is NOT a religious organization. It is NOT a government agency. We are a group of people willing to do what it takes to help kids have a better, healthier, happier life than what has been thrown their way thus far. And it's my favorite way to spend a Wednesday evening.

WE REPEATEDLY FAIL EACH OTHER and I couldn't care less, I won't, I refuse. F*ck the Homeless with…read moretheir open hands, begging for a handout while I sit 2 hours in traffic everyday, my life sqaundered while the meter runs at $3.00 a gallon. Others fight to eke out an existence, giving up life for less than minimum wage, begging on a corner for work from bigots because they're not allowed to be in this country. Seeing them battle for work makes it difficult to care about panhandlers who seem to 'want' to live on the street. I do what it takes to not be homeless, why can't they? Every Wednesday night, nearly without fail, I find myself surrounded by them; kids, teens, and young adults on the verge of never having a better existence than the one they have right now on the streets. The longer they're out there without help, without breaking the cycle of their poverty, the less likely it'll ever change. Most haven't reached the point of begging on the streets. Full of pride they'd rather steal, and even then with this bunch that seems to be a very last resort. I volunteer at StandUp for Kids and it's always a battle with myself. After 10 hours of work and commute, spending another 5 hours voluteering isn't at the top of my list and I don't want to go. Two hours later, as I stand in the kitchen spooning food and listening to a chorus of melody and syncopated rap rhythms, I see what the other, more caring volunteers see in these kids. As a group of young black males sit together, rhythmically pounding the table, beat boxing and rapping in circle, it's easy to witness them open up and forget the dire situation in which they live. They're relaxed here, and when their defenses lower you can see something in them that very few others will, their potential to be greater than what they're headed for right now. StandUp For Kids isn't a right-away feel-good volunteer project for many of us who spend time there. Sure there are the weekly dinners provided by a church group, or corporation, or even restaurant, but for the rest of us, it's a crazy commitment that allows us to see actual change and development in these youth. When TROIS brings food - great food such as excellent breaded teriyaki chicken, it's a welcomed treat and the kids show their appreciation. Requiring nearly 24 hours of training and background checks before you're even allowed to work with the kids, this isn't for everyone. It probably isn't for me - and I don't think about that too much, pushing those thoughts to the back of my head and pulling better reasons up front. Pulling the good reasons, the sort that they throw up on commercials to pull at your heart and get you to give. I grind my teeth at the cheesy thoughts floating around in my block of a head. This 'doing good' schtick is eating away at my cynicism, erasing the cold bastard I so often claim to be. It's hard. Every now and then I get tired and I want to stop. It's easy to just stay home and do nothing. No one will come calling, asking me to come and help out. They'll just go on about their business and I'll be a memory. On those nights when I'm tired, and on the very rare occasion when I'm somehow roped into giving a ride home to a pregnant teen about to give birth, my disposition isn't in top form. But it's hard not to change attitudes when I arrive at her home and witness 10 people in one room, strewn across the floor, sleeping soundly while the walls creak from the cold outside. They're conditions worthy of a 'save the children campaign' and before I can say much of anything, the pregnant teen says thank you and pushes me back into the night, away from seeing anymore than the too much I already have. Hers is a reality completely foreign to me and although we welcome anyone at the center, that doesn't mean the feeling is or should be reciprocated with her home. So I go, every Wednesday night and I work with the more committed, more experienced and absolutely more caring volunteers, trying to help these kids from a life they didn't sign up for, but are clearly living. It's difficult and progress is rarely noticeable, but there are moments. Glimmers when one person shines and you see that they want something different, and without you, without this group of people, they have much less of a chance out there to be something great, or even something where they don't have to worry about their next meal. They don't need help surviving. They're already doing that. They need help breaking a cycle of poverty that many of them were born into and don't know how to escape.

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.

They help leaders increase the impact of their organizations. It like a mutual fund for doing good…read more They train and support all types of leaders and increase the number of people served by that leader. I highly recommend them. The co-working space is the coolest. https://www.plywoodpeople.com/

Great facility and location. Amazing use of space! Creative people. Excellent for events.read more

We attended a wedding at Trees Atlanta's headquarters, the Kendeda Center, located in the…read moreReynoldstown neighborhood of East Atlanta. We had a great time. As someone who is in the throes of wedding planning myself, I think this is a good, affordable venue for a small-to-medium size wedding and reception. At the time of writing this review, the Kendeda Center's multi-purpose space can accommodate up to 125 guests in a banquet-style setting and can be rented for only $3,000 for a weekend day. In Atlanta, that is a steal. Wedding venue rentals in and around town easily go for more than double and triple that, so if you're on a budget, this place definitely fits the bill. It's an excellent value. Limited parking was available on-site behind the building. Plenty of additional parking was available in a fenced-in gravel lot at the corner of Memorial and Chester. This lot was located in the same block as Trees Atlanta and was a very short walk away. I saw one security guard patrolling the entrance to the building. The immediate area felt safe. The wedding ceremony was quick and took place outdoors. The Kendeda Center has a nice "wooded" area outside which is ideal for a wedding ceremony. The only bad thing was there were a bunch of mosquitoes so lots of people were getting bitten. Good thing the ceremony was quick. The Kendeda Center's multi-purpose space was perfect for the wedding reception. It was a clean, modern, industrial-looking space with a cool tree in the middle. Trees Atlanta provided the chairs and tables, but setup was responsibility of the bride and groom. I guesstimate this wedding had under 75 guests, so there was plenty of space to spread out and relax. The space wasn't crowded and I felt very comfortable. The bride and groom hired a bartender and arranged catering from two restaurants. Trees Atlanta doesn't have an "approved caterers" list nor do they charge for bringing in outside catering, as far as I know, so that's also a plus with this venue. I thought the chairs were comfortable with great lower back support (I have a bad back). The reception went off without a hitch. There was a stage/dance floor, microphone and speakers (both inside and outside), music, speeches, and dancing. Sound quality, for the most part (before and after the ceremony, music on the outdoor speakers was scratchy), was good. All food and drinkware were compostable. Proceeds from the event benefited Trees Atlanta which is a non-profit that protects and expands the city's "urban forest." The Kendeda Center opened in 2008 and earned LEED Platinum Certification in 2009.

This was certainly a different venue to attend!…read more I came out this way for MPI's (Meeting Professional International) monthly meeting, and they had utilized the Trees Atlanta Kendeda Center for their event space. I was a little skeptical about the location, being off Memorial Drive, but realized this whole area is being revitalized! In terms of what Trees Atlanta does for the community, you'll need to check their website, as my review is based solely on the event space utilized. The MPI group had rented the multi-purpose space and board room out, which you can find rates on their website. M-F Day Non-Profit: $125/hr and M-F Day Ind/Corp: $175/hr for multi-purpose. Board room is $75/hr for non-profits M-F Day and $100/hr for ind/corp M-F Day. The event space was very nice, and has a shaded courtyard in the back with seating. I really liked the silver tree in the middle of the main area. There were probably around 80 people in attendance for the event, and everything was set-up with tables of 8 for the meeting. Lunch was catered and brought in, and there were nice restrooms onsite to use. All the staff here were very friendly as well. The food that was catered was very good! My only complaints, as a vendor and sponsor to the event being held here are: Parking and access to the building. We parked behind the building and there wasn't much space back there. We also didn't have access to the ramp behind the building, due to the doors being closed. We had to bring our equipment in the front entrance, and that is all steps. Otherwise, a good space to use for your event.

Great nonprofit that does homelessness and hunger prevention in Atlanta. They provide rent and…read moreutility assistance, transportation passes, groceries, and has a men's clothing closet. Accept food and men's clothing donations Monday-Friday 9-5 and until 7 on Wednesday. Located in the First United Methodist Church on the corner of Peachtree & Ralph McGill.

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!

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!