Up to 30,000 of Atlanta’s poorest residents are expected to turn up to Turner Field on Thursday for home-cooked Thanksgiving meals, a medical clinic, a clothing center, barbers and beautician services at the 40th annual Thanksgiving Festival of Services organized by the nonprofit Hosea Feed the Hungry.
The group will host the event in association with New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and the Braves Foundation. Organizers estimate that approximately 20,000 to 25,000 Atlanta residents are homeless and that 60 percent of those people are children, while a growing number of residents can be classified as "working poor."
"Because of the economy, rising unemployment rates and the recent September floods around Atlanta, Hosea Feed the Hungry is serving increased numbers of clients throughout the year who tell us they can’t believe they are in our lines," said Hosea Feed the Hungry executive director Elisabeth Omilami.
The Atlanta-based Hosea Feed the Hungry began in 1970 when founders Hosea and Juanita Williams served a Thanksgiving dinner to 100 homeless men in Atlanta.
The group now hosts four annual Festivals of Service holiday meals, complete with cosmetic services, medial screenings, and employment and housing referrals.
"Every year, our holiday dinners, which are now being replicated in other cities, represent the hard work of thousands of volunteers who make this happen for the needy in Greater Atlanta," said Omilami.
A growing number of people nationwide lack access to essential goods and services such as food, housing, clothing, medical care and basic hygiene as the economic downturn forces people into homelessness. An estimated 1.5 million Americans are likely to experience homelessness over the next two years as unemployment rises, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
