Atlanta Angels
Atlanta Angels is a local chapter of the National Angels network, which has been transforming the foster care experience since 2010. It began with a simple but powerful idea: relational trauma is healed through healthy relationships. The Atlanta chapter was co-founded by an adoptive mom and foster mom in Cobb County, who both had firsthand experience with Georgia’s foster system.
The mission of Atlanta Angels is to walk alongside children, youth and families in the foster care community by offering consistent support through intentional giving, relationship building and mentorship. The vision is to ensure that every foster parent feels radically supported and every child and youth in foster care has the opportunity to reach their fullest potential.
One beautiful example of their programs at work comes from Alana and Pam. Alana connected with Atlanta Angels after recently aging out of care and becoming one of the 20% of young adults experiencing homelessness after aging out of care. A Program Coordinator met her for a warm meal, which ignited a transformation in her life. After being matched with Pam as her mentor, Alana tackled her program milestones with a level of determination and resilience that we admire greatly. Today, Alana has left homelessness and addiction behind, has an apartment of her own, is in school working towards her degree in automotive studies and is working in the automotive industry. Everyone at Atlanta Angels is so proud of Alana. We all need healthy, encouraging relationships to thrive, and it's incredible to see what she has done with someone in her corner.
Volunteers have the opportunity to be matched with youth experiencing foster care or with a fostering family, providing meaningful support and encouragement throughout their journey. AtlantaAngels.org
Atlanta Outdoor Club
On any given day in metro Atlanta, a group of strangers is lacing up at a trailhead along the Chattahoochee, at Sweetwater Creek or on Kennesaw Mountain. By the end of the hike, they aren't strangers anymore. The trails are where connections begin.
Founded in 2000, the AOC is one of Atlanta's largest outdoor communities, with about 2,500 members and more than 50 events every week. Membership is free and open to adults 21 and older. Every event is led by a volunteer trip leader, and each carries a difficulty rating so members can pick their challenge and work their way up.
You'll find weekday evening loops, early-morning in-town walks, BeltLine urban hikes and full-day climbs in the North Georgia and Carolina mountains. But hiking is just the start. Members backpack, kayak, go caving, whitewater raft, bike and paddleboard.
Multi-day trips take groups to national parks, along the Appalachian Trail, and past trips to destinations include Peru, New Zealand, Japan and Switzerland. AOC Learn events teach skills from beginner hiking to backpacking, and social events keep friendships going off the trail. The club also gives back to the places members love, volunteering with the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park and the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club.
Gerrilyn grew up in a family where "hike" wasn't in the vocabulary. After retiring as a federal judge, she signed up for a trail run. "I had no idea what a trail run was," she admits. A patient trip leader waited at every intersection. Seven years and 600-plus hikes later, she leads events herself.
Latin American Association
The LAA was founded in 1972 by sheriff deputy Angel Ortiz and Stratton Frank, a Miami native who moved to Atlanta in 1971. Ortiz and Frank founded a small organization to serve Atlanta’s then-emerging Latino population by helping immigrants find jobs and affordable housing. Ortiz and Frank wanted to help immigrants from Latin America settle into their new home country. Ortiz initially worked from the trunk of his car, interpreting for families and providing resources to help them adapt to their new community.
The mission of the Latin American Association (LAA) is to empower our community to adapt, integrate and thrive. The vision is ‘Opportunity for All.’
By the numbers: 74,000 services annually. 22,000 Individuals and families served. 8,530 individuals for public benefits they are qualified to receive. Hunger stopped for 6,074 families with 323,990 pounds of food from the pantry. Homelessness was prevented for 200 families, with $295,000 in housing assistance. 72 families were rescued from domestic violence situations. Educational and workforce readiness programs were provided, with 2,067 youth services delivered. 9,967 economic development services provided to the community, including job training and workforce development programs, adult education and entrepreneurship classes. Some 2,345 Immigration Services for individuals and families. TheLAA.org
Giving Kitchen
In 2012, Atlanta chef Ryan "Hidi" Hidinger was diagnosed with stage-four cancer. Friends and colleagues across the restaurant community rallied around Ryan and his wife, Jen, helping cover the family's living expenses during his treatment. That extraordinary response became the foundation for Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit created in 2013 to make sure food service workers facing crisis have somewhere to turn.
Today, Giving Kitchen serves food service workers nationwide — from restaurants, bars and coffee shops to catering, concessions, cafeterias and food trucks. Giving Kitchen provides emergency financial assistance to workers facing illness, injury, the death of an immediate family member or a housing disaster and connects them to a network of community resources spanning housing, health, employment and family services. Since its founding, Giving Kitchen has helped more than 41,000 food service workers and awarded more than $18 million in financial assistance.
But supporting the food service industry isn't only about showing up when something goes wrong — it's about celebrating the people who make food service what it is. Two out of three Americans have worked in food service. It's where friendships form, families are supported and communities are built.
Giving Kitchen's vision is to build a food service community where crisis is met with compassion and care. Help support its mission to provide critical support to food service workers during their darkest times.
This holiday season, the need is greater than ever. Help make sure no food service worker faces crisis alone by making a gift and supporting GK’s mission: Donate.givingkitchen.org/Save-a-Seat
Chattahoochee Riverkeeper
Founded in 1994, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper's mission is to educate, advocate and secure the protection and stewardship of the Chattahoochee River and its lakes and tributaries for all the people and wildlife who depend on the river system.
Through CRK's Trash-Free Chattahoochee initiative, volunteers have removed more than 38 tons of trash and recyclables from our watershed this year alone. That's about the same weight as eight school buses!
You can support Chattahoochee Riverkeeper's trash removal projects, water quality monitoring, advocacy and educational programs by signing up to volunteer or making a donation at Chattahoochee.org.
Furkids Animal Rescue & Shelters
Furkids was founded in 2002 by Atlanta native Samantha Shelton after she discovered a frightened mother cat and three kittens outside her home. When she learned the family would likely be euthanized because the local shelter lacked space, Samantha stepped in to save them. What began as a small foster network has grown into one of Georgia’s largest no-kill animal rescue organizations. Furkids has rescued and altered more than 80,000 animals and will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2027.
Furkids gives animals with nowhere else to turn the time, medical care and compassion they need to heal and find loving homes. Its no-kill model extends to animals who are critically injured, chronically ill, orphaned or frequently overlooked because of their age or medical needs. By healing each animal physically and emotionally, Furkids gives thousands of cats and dogs every year the chance not simply to survive, but to begin again. Its programs also address animal overpopulation and help keep pets with the people who love them through spay and neuter services, affordable veterinary care, fostering, education and community support.
For an injured, sick or abandoned animal, the difference between being turned away and being saved often comes down to space and access to medical care. In 2026, Furkids opened two state-of-the-art facilities, the Sutherlin Dog Shelter and Giaquinto Medical Center, at its nine-acre headquarters campus near Alpharetta, giving the organization the ability to say yes to more animals with nowhere else to go. Together with its award-winning, cage-free cat shelter, the new facilities bring rescue, veterinary medicine, rehabilitation and adoption together on one campus, while expanding access to affordable veterinary services for community pets. With the full campus now operational, Furkids expects to double the number of animals it can save each year.
Readers can adopt or foster an animal, volunteer, make a donation, contribute needed supplies or support Furkids by shopping at or donating gently used items to one of its thrift stores.
Johns Creek Thrift Store and Furkids Pet Boutique at 9850 Nesbit Ferry Rd.