“I felt safe and that there were people that cared.”

Thank you for restoring a sense of security for Gigi and her
daughter, Aria.

Bang, bang, bang! Gigi heard a loud knock on the front door. When she went to open it, she found three men pointing taser guns at her. Gigi clutched her newborn baby in her arms as the men shouted to get out of her apartment now.

Gigi was shocked. She was only one month behind on paying rent, and this was apparently the apartment owner’s aggressive way of handing her an eviction notice. Gigi only had moments to pack before her property was padlocked.

Finding help at Atlanta Mission

Devastated, Gigi had no idea where to turn next for help. But she remembered a short stay at Atlanta Mission when she had first moved to the city. There, she encountered genuine warmth and kindness, so Gigi reached out for help once again. “When I got the news I had a bed, I was so excited because I didn’t have to worry anymore. I felt safe and that there were people that cared,” she shares.

Moving past pain

The season of time spent at Atlanta Mission has been beyond anything Gigi could’ve hoped or imagined. Not only have her physical needs been addressed through healthy food, secure shelter, and diapers and clothes for her baby, but she’s received emotional support to deal with deep wounds from the past.

“I had a brother who passed away from suicide. I had been raped and molested when I was little—things that I had buried,” Gigi says. Burying such pain deep drove Gigi to turn to drugs as a teen. “I was on this path of self-destruction,” she recalls.

Through addiction counseling, parenting classes, and trauma support at Atlanta Mission, today, Gigi’s become a better version of herself. She has newfound confidence and a brighter outlook on her future. She knows her time spent has been purposeful because God’s given her a vision and a calling. She wants to open a transitional house for women like herself: single moms walking in sobriety and needing a fresh start.

Aria’s First Christmas

Christmas at Atlanta Mission was especially memorable. Gigi didn’t think she’d be able to get her baby girl, Aria, any presents, but the community rallied around her and purchased exactly what she had hoped for her daughter: a beautiful princess costume and a tea set.

“There’s so many women being helped”

Gigi recognizes that the renewed peace she carries today is because of your faithful support. “You’ve helped so many people. Don’t stop. Don’t think that you’re not appreciated. It’s not just about me and Aria, there’s so many women being helped.”

Thank you for giving Gigi a chance to heal, grow closer to God, and find new purpose.

Inflation Impacts Homelessness

The numbers show the impact on the most vulnerable people.

Soaring housing costs—combined with high food and gas prices—mean more low-income families are vulnerable to homelessness.

Rent prices have risen faster than wages in the metro Atlanta area

Food and gas price increases in the last year

Average price per gallon of gas in Georgia is now $3.72 vs. $2.97 a year ago

Grocery store prices are up 12.2% from a year ago

Soaring housing costs—combined with high food and gas prices—mean more low-income families are vulnerable to homelessness.

You can give twice as many meals and a
place to call home this Christmas

Your generosity is a blessing!

_____________________

Your gift can change so many lives. It can care for parents who have lost jobs and are facing homelessness. It can care for children who wouldn’t otherwise have enough to eat this holiday season. It can care for neighbors coming out of addiction and needing a fresh start.

This is the comfort—and the feeling of home—you’ll give through the simple gift of a Christmas meal.

Your gift goes even further!

Thanks to a special Matching Challenge, any gift you give now will double—dollar for dollar—up to $100,000. With Christmas right around the corner, that means you can help twice as many people this holiday season.

Please take advantage of this Matching Challenge by sending a generous gift today to help those in greatest need.

Thank you!