Give Atlanta

One of Atlanta’s most famous sons, Martin Luther King Jr., once said, “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.” Decades later, thousands of Atlantans volunteer, raise funds, and donate to causes. You don’t have to look far to find local celebrities—from rock star chefs and business moguls—who leverage their fame for good.

Michelle Nunn, CEO of CARE, shares her favorite things that give back to the causes she cares about most.

Atlanta is a city on the rise, always reaching for more and the next. That’s evident in the city’s economic growth, business innovation, and how it attracts the best and brightest talent from around the country. Thanks in part to challenges like GIVE Atlanta, it’s also a hotspot for generosity.

In Grove Park, a neighborhood just west of Bankhead, a familiar story is playing out. The first chapter might begin in the 1950s, when black Atlantans first started moving to the neighborhood and white residents tried various tactics—including bombing one black woman’s home—to keep them out.

An eclectic and energetic mix of groups are joining forces to combat a common opponent: sex trafficking in metro Atlanta. Nonprofits, faith-based organizations, elected officials, government agencies, law enforcement, and volunteers are using the buildup to next year’s Super Bowl to boost awareness and attack a problem that plagues the area.

Furkids was born out of a need for adoption and no-kill shelter options in the metro Atlanta area after Shelton came across a cat family outside her home in 2001. She started volunteering at a PetSmart in 2002 and organizing adoptions out of the Perimeter store.

A new class of Atlanta philanthropists and activists tell us why they give, how they’re doing it, and what they’ve learned along the way.

In the fall of 2001, Samantha Shelton looked out her kitchen window and realized she had houseguests. The visitors—a gray mother cat and her three small kittens—trekked through the yard and settled on the deck of her Buckhead home.

Meet needs across the city—and around the globe—with these handmade and hot items.

The origin story of nonprofit Giving Kitchen, which supports food service workers in times of crisis, has captured the hearts of Atlanta and beyond since its inception in 2013. Since its founding, Giving Kitchen has been dedicated to providing emergency assistance to food service workers through referrals and financial assistance.