May 2022 • Helping Neighbors in Need in Sandy Springs & Dunwoody Since 1987 |
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Making Connections, One Neighbor at a Time |
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Last month, Eric came to us, needing some help. He couldn’t make ends meet and was living in his car. We were able to provide him with emergency food and clothing, but a place to stay was paramount. While our volunteers were working with Eric, another gentleman client walked in, heard a bit of Eric’s story and said: “Follow me, I can hook you up.” Long story short – one client helped another client find a safe place to stay. Connection through shared story; neighbors helping neighbors.
With prices rising in all areas of life, budgets are smashed and margins are consumed. Many families who made it through COVID now find themselves facing the ‘food-or-rent’ decision – do I buy food for the family or pay the rent? They need a connection. CAC is connecting with them, and many of you have been a part of making that possible. Don’t stop. The need is not diminishing. The first quarter of 2022 saw an average of 557 requests for help per month, a 64% increase over the first quarter of 2021!
You can be that connection through volunteering (yes, we need volunteers), shopping at our Upscale Thrift store (all proceeds go toward getting help to our clients), donating items (everything gets used to help neighbors) or making a direct donation (funds buy food, help with rent and utilities). Be a part of the connection.
Thank you all of you who believe in CAC enough to lend your support in so many ways. We appreciate you. Come by for a visit. Coffee is on!
Francis K. Horton, III
CEO, CAC
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CAC's South Sandy Springs Branch is Now Open |
Our new branch at 120 Northwood Drive is officially open and serving our south Sandy Springs neighbors. It is located next to two other community service nonprofits, LaAmistad and Los Niños Primeros, and is within walking distance of many CAC clients. CAC’s new branch features a self-choice food pantry and offers financial assistance interviews on an appointment basis.
On April 27, Mayor Rusty Paul cut the ribbon for the grand opening of all three organizations, followed by an open house for all interested parties. On May 7, hundreds of neighbors attended ‘A Day in the Park’ community event, featuring food, music, and fun activities for the whole family. See below for pictures from both events!
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Urgent Need for Volunteers - Help Us Meet the Need
CAC is a volunteer-driven operation, with more than 230 volunteers a month that help greet clients, assist with client intake, sort food or clothing, and more. Join this group of amazing change-makers and volunteer today! Just a few hours of your time can make a world of difference to someone in need.
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Moise found the CAC Career Center via a referral from our financial assistance team. He had recently been laid off from his job as a chef at Benihana, and was looking for a way to keep his family (wife and four daughters) in their current house.
In addition to financial assistance to secure their living situation short-term, Career Advocate Darcy helped Moise secure a new job. Darcy helped him expedite his existing culinary studies at the Atlanta Art Institute by helping him find scholarships to take more course hours, helped him polish his resume, and explored creative career options within the culinary field. Through Darcy's efforts, Moise has secured a great job in the kitchen of a prestigious golf course, and is now in a position to support his family through his own efforts.
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CAC and Goodwill of North Georgia have joined forces to provide jobseekers in Sandy Springs and Dunwoody with expanded career services offerings. Additional opportunities will include connecting job seekers to high demand careers through job training and credential attainment through Goodwill. Almost 20,000 north Georgians found a job with the help of Goodwill in 2021. Read more
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Help Needed for Local Youths This Summer |
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Children in our community are in need. Before the pandemic, 1 in 7 children were food insecure; COVID and the subsequent economic troubles have increased this rate by around 20%. More than 50% of the kids in our local public schools rely on free and reduced breakfast & lunch, and do not receive lunches during the summer. Help support the children of our community through our summer youth programs: Summer Lunches and Tools for School. Your support of CAC helps 2300 children in Sandy Springs and Dunwoody each year. |
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Summer Lunches
5 easy-to-prepare lunches per week, per child, throughout the summer, distributed through all three food pantries
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Needed:
• Monetary donations to fund bulk purchases of food/meals throughout the summer
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Tools for School
Free backpacks with grade-appropriate supplies at the beginning of the school year for students from Pre-K to high school
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Needed:
• Large backpacks with laptop compartments
• Monetary donations to buy in bulk: $40 allows us to buy $50 worth of supplies and one backpack
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VITA Tax Prep Assistance Nets $277,639 in Tax Refunds |
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CAC once again participated in the IRS' Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, an initiative in partnership with United Way that helps those that helps file tax returns for those in need who qualify. Led by volunteer site coordinator Daniel Weiss, our group of 16 volunteers helped prepare 198 federal tax returns (including 36 prior year returns) and 206 state tax returns for 167 clients, providing them with a total refund amount of $277,639! Since 2012, CAC has made a $4.8M local economic impact by helping neighbors with their tax returns.
Sarah McCormick was the CAC VITA 2022 Volunteer of the Year. She has been a volunteer at CAC for six years. This year, Sarah stepped into the VITA quality reviewer role and helped ensure all returns were as accurate as possible. CAC staff members describe Sarah as knowledgeable and compassionate. Congratulations, Sarah!
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Adult Education Students Work Towards Better Lives |
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Graciela, mother of three, has perfect attendance this semester for our 74-hour ESOL curriculum. Her friend Amalia let her know about the class, and together, they seized the opportunity! Their goal: to improve their English skills to get better jobs and better their children's lives. Graciela says, “It depends on each person’s interest to learn and succeed in this country, and the CAC gives us the opportunity!” |
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HOURS:
Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 3:00 pm
The first 3 Saturdays of the month,
9:30 am - 12:30 pm
ADDRESS:
8607 Roswell Rd, Sandy Springs, GA 30350
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THIS Friday, May 20 is FABULOUS FRIDAY!
FURNITURE 25% OFF • EVERYTHING ELSE 50% OFF
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Introducing Two-for-Tuesday! Each Tuesday will feature different 'buy one, get one free' deals. Come by on Tuesdays and see what's on sale!
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Upscale Thrift will be closed on Monday, May 30 for the Memorial Day holiday.
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Thank You to our Food 'n Fun Donors! |
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Top Donors
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Knights of Columbus, Saint Jude the Apostle Catholic Church
- St. Vincent de Paul, Saint Jude the Apostle Catholic Church
- Farm House Veggies
- Temple Sinai
- Temple Emanu El
- Dunwoody United Methodist Church
- Solidarity Sandy Springs
- Austin Elementary
- Honey Baked Ham
- Jewish Family & Career Services
- Primrose School of Dunwoody
- Jack and Jill
- St. Jude the Apostle Catholic School, 5th Grade
- Heards Ferry Elementary
- Harry Norman
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Thank you to our community partners for helping make this year's Food 'n Fun food drive a success! Our contributors, ranging from large organizations to individuals, gathered 55,782 pounds of food for our food pantries! This food will help us feed our neighbors this summer.
It's not too late to get involved; click below to donate to our food pantries, or to learn what we need more of on our shelves.
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Self-Choice Mini Market Food Pantry
Upscale Thrift Store
8607 Roswell Rd, Sandy Springs, GA 30350
Adult Education
Career Center
1130 Hightower Trail, Sandy Springs, GA 30350
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South Sandy Springs Office
120 Northwood Drive, Suite 150 & 160
Sandy Springs, GA 30342
Dunwoody Office
5 Dunwoody Park South, Bldg 5, Suite 113, Dunwoody, GA 30338
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Funding for CAC is provided in part by the City of Sandy Springs, Fulton County Human Services
and the United Way of Greater Atlanta.
The Community Assistance Center (CAC) brings together the Sandy Springs and Dunwoody communities to provide compassionate assistance to neighbors in need by providing financial support, helping to meet basic needs and promoting self-reliance. CAC works to prevent homelessness and hunger locally with the support of 28 congregations of all faiths, public and private grants, civic organizations, schools, businesses and individuals. Supporters provide financial resources, in-kind donations and volunteer manpower.
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Help today: Shop • Donate • Volunteer |
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