Feeding Our Neighbors in Atlanta: What We’ve Been Up To

It’s been a while since we’ve shared an update here. Since our last post in September, we’ve been busy doing what we set out to do: showing up for our neighbors.

Through our Feeding Our Neighbors outreach program, we’ve been consistently serving at three locations throughout Atlanta: the Georgia Harm Reduction Coalition, Kroger on Cascade Ave, and Woodruff Park. Our hope isn’t simply to visit a neighborhood once and disappear. We want to build a consistent presence—to become familiar faces and create spaces where our neighbors know they can find us.

We’ve learned that a meal can be the beginning of a relationship, not the end of an interaction.

More Than a Meal

At our outreach events, we serve warm, nutritious meals, but food isn’t all we bring.

We’ve distributed clothing, shoes, pantry staples, hygiene items, community resource brochures, and other essentials. We’ve also started handing out devotionals written by our ED, Our Daily Bread devotionals and creating space for prayer.

Our neighbors are invited to write down prayer requests, and if they would like, we will pray with them right there at the event.

For us, this is an important part of what it means to serve.

We don’t want to simply hand someone a meal and forget about them when they walk away.

We want to do life with people. We desire to partner with our neighbors in praying for their needs even after our events have ended.

We want to know our neighbors, listen to them, encourage them, and walk alongside them when we can. Most importantly, we hope to bring the light and love of Jesus into the neighborhoods we serve.

What We’ve Learned From Showing Up

Since beginning our outreach, we’ve seen firsthand that hunger doesn’t look the same for everyone.

We’ve met older adults, families, working individuals, and people carrying burdens that aren’t always visible. We’ve learned that sometimes what our neighbors need goes beyond a meal. They may need someone to listen, a resource to help them take the next step, someone to pray with them, or simply the reminder that they are seen, valued, and not forgotten.

That’s why Feeding Our Neighbors has continued to grow beyond a meal distribution program.

At each event, we’re creating opportunities for food, fellowship, prayer, resources, and connection.

And we’ve been encouraged by how many people have come alongside us to make it possible.

So far, we’ve served approximately 80–120 neighbors at each outreach event, worked alongside 35 volunteers, distributed more than 700 pounds of donated food, and provided more than 250 clothing and shoe items. We’ve also shared more than 200 resource guides to help connect our neighbors with additional support throughout Atlanta.

We’re so grateful for every person who has helped make that possible.

There’s a Place for YOU in This Mission

As we’ve continued to serve, one thing has become increasingly clear:

We need more people to carry this mission with us.

TMSK is growing, and there are so many ways to come alongside us. You can volunteer at an outreach event, donate to help us continue serving our neighbors, share our mission with your friends and networks, or use your own skills and connections to help us reach more people.

We also need people with skills in fundraising, grant writing, community partnerships, communications, event planning, and leadership.

Every act of support helps us show up for our neighbors.

We don’t expect one person to do everything. We’re building a community of people who are willing to do something—and together, those things can make a tremendous difference.

SERVE Could you can give your time? A skill (social media, storytelling, grants, etc.)?

GIVE Are you able to give once or sign up to give a recurring gift?

PRAY Will you pray for our neighbors and our mission?

SHARE Do you have friends and family to share our mission with?

Regardless there is a place for you in this mission.

We’re Just Getting Started

When we first began writing about TMSK, much of what we shared was a vision for what we hoped to become.

Today, we’re able to look back and see what God has allowed us to build so far—and we’re excited about where He will take us next.

We will keep showing up, building relationships, and serving our neighbors with dignity.

And we want to continue creating opportunities for people to experience not only a warm meal, but also community, hope, prayer, and the love of Christ.

There is still much work to do, and we thank you in advance for partnering with us and for continuing along in this journey with us.

Together, we can strengthen our community, nourish our neighbors, and bring hope to those we serve.