2023 Holiday Resources For Food Service Workers
Our Stability Network team has put together a collection of resources for food service workers for the upcoming holiday season. Resources include food and holiday gift assistance, legal support, and other resources to provide safety and stability for food service workers facing hard times.
If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, please call the National Suicide Hotline at 988. The holidays can be tough for many of us; they are available 24/7 to take your call.
If you need food over the holidays, you can find local food pantries at Food Finder.
Food Assistance
Food Finder — Visit foodfinder.us to locate food pantries near you.
Holiday Gift Help
NATIONAL/MULTI-STATE HOLIDAY GIFT HELP RESOURCES
Be An Elf — is a nonprofit organization that partners with USPS Operation Santa to give gifts to families experiencing financial hardship during the holidays. You can write a letter as a family and explain why you need financial assistance this year. You can also have your children write their letters and what they want to receive on Christmas. While there is no promise or guarantee of receiving assistance through this program, it increases yours chances.
To keep the magic, address the letter to:
Santa Claus
123 Elf Road
North Pole 88888Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program — This program is available at most Salvation Army locations nationwide and assists families in providing gifts to their children who would otherwise go without. To learn more about the Angel Tree program and The Salvation Army’s holiday programming, visit their website and enter your zip code to find the location nearest you. As a note, these programs tend to begin in October – the sooner you can apply, the more likely you are able to participate!
Toys for Tots — To apply for assistance from free Toy program near you, the household needs to have a child under the age of 13. In addition, each parent that is requesting a Christmas gift from the free Toys for Tots program will need to bring Social Security cards for each child that is part of their application, a picture identification as well as bring proof of residency in that town. The application start date will vary by local town or city, but it is often in September or October. If and when approved, usually a voucher or ticket is given to the parent, and they will need to redeem it at a Toy for Tots distribution site in their community. This voucher or ticket will allow the parent to collect free Christmas toys for their kids. They need to do this before all relevant deadlines have been crossed, as Toys for Tots is time sensitive.
GEORGIA HOLIDAY GIFT HELP RESOURCES
Cobb Christmas (770-428-2601) — Cobb Christmas offers residents of Cobb county to register for Christmas Gift assistance. Registration can be done on their website. Qualifications: Applicants must be low income and live in Cobb County, Georgia. Cobb Christmas applicants must have dependent children living in their household with them. Cobb Christmas will share registration of clients with other organizations offering holiday assistance; this may potentially disqualify some families for assistance from other organizations. Registration for 2023 programming begins soon.
Hope for Christmas — Hope for Christmas is a holiday program that provides Christmas gifts to families in need. The program serves families in Atlanta/Fulton, Bartow, Cherokee, Cobb, Floyd, Paulding, and Pickens Counties. Registration is open from October 1-st-31st. Once clients go through the registration process they will be contacted by mid-November regarding their registration. The pick-up date for gifts is on December 9th.
MUST Ministries Toy Shop — MUST Ministries Toy Shop serves Cobb and Cherokee County children 0-18 years old during the holiday season. Children receive toys, blankets, hats, scarves, gloves, underwear, socks, and a family game. Registration is November 1-4, 2023 at Town Center Mall in Kennesaw, GA, on the Second Floor of the Belk store. Documents needed for registration include Picture ID, Birth Certificate for each child or Guardianship Paperwork, current school records for school age children or shot records for pre-school children. Registration times: November 1, 2, & 3 from 11:30AM-2:00PM or 5:00PM-7:PM. Saturday, November 4th from 11:00AM-2:00PM at 400 Ernest Barret Pkwy, Kennesaw, GA 30144, Second Floor on Belw Wing.
Miscellaneous Aid
NATIONAL/MULTI-STATE MISCELANNEOUS AID
Bianca’s Kids — Bianca’s Kids grants wishes to children who are struggling due to mental, physical, emotional or financial issues and who are 18 years of age or younger. A wish recipient DOES NOT have to be a foster child. Before submitting your wish, please be aware that you are certifying that all of the information you are providing Bianca’s Kids is true. Also, if you are not a family member of the wish recipient, it is important to gain permission from a parent or guardian of the child before you submit a wish on their behalf as all photos/information submitted to Bianca’s Kids from your wish will be made public if your wish is chosen to be granted.
ICNA Relief — ICNA relief offers a variety of services year-round for families in need, and every year typically hosts a warm clothing drive. Programming varies depending on location, so get started by visiting their website, selecting your state, and exploring what programming is available to you. Additionally, their programs and events are shared widely through social media flyers and text shares, so consider giving them a follow on Facebook, Instagram, or X.
GEORGIA MISCELLANEOUS AID
Jewish Family and Career Services of Atlanta — JF&CS’s The PAL Program is Atlanta's only Jewish Big Brother/Big Sister Program for children ages 5-17, who are being raised in a variety of family situations—often by single parents, grandparents, legal guardians, or they may have siblings with developmental disabilities. Twice a month, “Little PALs” spend time with their Big PALs doing things they enjoy, and also get to experience planned events through the PAL program including Shabbat dinner, Hanukkah party, mitzvah day, and free tickets for sporting and cultural events.
Legal Support
GEORGIA LEGAL RESOURCES
Atlanta Legal Aid (404-524-5811) — Atlanta Legal Aid Society has offered free civil legal aid for low income people across metro Atlanta. They have five offices and are located in three Children's Healthcare of Atlanta hospitals. They provide pro-bono services and a variety of self-help clinics, and countless community education programs. They have specialty projects that work with special populations, including those with disabilities, seniors, victims of domestic violence, people with cancer or HIV/AIDS, veterans, and caregivers. Call the number listed above or complete an online intake application.
Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation (404-521-0790) — Legal nonprofit organization that is dedicated to providing pro-bono legal services to residents in Atlanta who may be experiencing any of the following: intimate partner violence, children in high-conflict custody disputes, tenants in disputes with their landlords, employees denied their wages, and people who have recently lost a family member. Clients can contact them through their website, by phone Monday-Thursday from 9:00-1:00PM, or by visiting the Housing Court Assistance Center inside of the Fulton County Courthouse.
NORTH CAROLINA LEGAL RESOURCES
Legal Aid of North Carolina (866-219-5262) — Visit their website to be connected to free legal assistance. Legal Aid of NC specializes in eviction, domestic violence, healthcare, and employment law. Legal Aid of NC has a team of lawyers, social workers, and pro bono volunteers to assist all that need help. Apply online between 12:30 – 4:00pm or by phone 8:30am – 1:30pm M-F and Monday and Thursday from 5:30pm – 8:30pm.
TENNESSEE LEGAL RESOURCES
Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands (833-837-4663) — The Eviction Right to Counsel (ERTC) program provides free legal services and education to low-income Nashvillians facing eviction. The ERTC program seeks to reduce evictions and increase housing equity in Nashville. Services range from legal advice and advocacy to full representation in court. To qualify, you must: live in Davidson county, have income at or below 400% of the Federal Poverty Level ($58,320 income for a single person household per year), and you must be a renting tenant. If you are experiencing any of these problems, call us directly at 833-837-4663 and leave a message about your problem. You will need to leave your name, birthday, and phone number. The ERTC program will call you back as soon as they can. If you have a court date, please say that date when you leave a message.
They can assist with the following problems:
You are being evicted
Your landlord locked you out of your home or cut off your utilities
You received a notice on your door saying you have to leave your home
You are in danger of losing your Section 8 Voucher or your income-based housing
Your landlord has treated you differently based on your race, gender, color, religion, home country, or disability, or because you have kids
You are a person with a disability and are having problems with your housing
Warming Centers
WARMING CENTER RECOMMENDATIONS IN METRO ATLANTA
In Atlanta, warming centers are typically announced in December unless inclement weather demands otherwise. The best way to locate warming centers or shelters is to Google search for “Atlanta Warming Centers.” The City of Atlanta website will typically announce a few recreation centers that will serve as warming centers and their hours. Partners for Home is typically a reliable source of information regarding shelters offered through other nonprofit organizations or shelters in the Metro Atlanta area – you can check their Facebook for most up to date information on warming centers and hours of operation. Lastly, most local news stations will release articles with information on warming center locations, operations, and intake as freezing weather approaches.
WARMING CENTER RECOMMENDATIONS IN METRO NASHVILLE
Nashville has an established Cold Weather Community Response Plan. Metro’s cold weather overflow sheltering plan will activate when the National Weather Service’s official local forecast is predicted to reach 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below for three or more hours in zip code 37203, and the Metro overflow shelter will begin receiving guests when primary community partner shelters reach maximum capacity. You can receive updates on warming centers and shelters by visiting their website: https://www.coldweathernashville.com/ or by subscribing for text updates by texting “Nashvillewinter” to 84483.
WARMING CENTER RECOMMENDATIONS IN METRO CHARLOTTE
In Charlotte, most local news stations will release articles with information on warming center locations, operations, and intake as freezing weather approaches. Our recommendation is to follow Mecklenburg County, the City of Charlotte, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management Office (CMEMO) on social media as they typically work together with local shelters to create an intake plan and coordination.