HomeAid Atlanta - A Collection ofItems to Drive

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1 How To Conduct a Collection in Support of HomeAid Atlanta s 2015 Essentials Drive 1. Select a contact person. Someone who is able to promote the drive within your company/organization. 2. Determine the dates you plan to collect items. The official collection dates Monday, April 27, 2015 to Tuesday, May 5, 2015 but you may begin your collection earlier if you wish. All collections must be delivered by 5 p.m. on Wednesday May 6, Select a collection location in your building, and provide a box or bin (or baby crib, stroller, etc.), for donors to deposit their items in. Choose a place that s convenient for employees/customers/members to leave their donations. 4. Post flyers and/or send an announcing the Essentials Drive. A flyer template is available from HomeAid Atlanta and can be customized to fit your needs, including the items you are collecting, specific collection info (i.e. dates, location), as well as a place for your logo. A sample announcement is included with this kit. Be sure to change the information highlighted to accurately reflect the specifics of your collection. Collection Site yard signs are also available from HomeAid Atlanta which you may place outside your building if you would like to serve as a community drop-off location. 5. Conduct the drive. Official collection dates: Monday, April 27 Tuesday, May 5, 2015 Essential items needed: diapers (sizes 1 & up), pull-ups (size 4 & 5), baby wipes, baby food, formula. You may choose to collect all of these items or narrow it down to just a few categories, for example diapers and baby wipes. All items must be new and in their original packaging. 6. Ask donors to fill out the donation log (included with this kit) if they wish to receive a receipt for tax purposes. HomeAid Atlanta will send donation receipts based on the information provided, so please make sure to return the donation log to HomeAid at the conclusion of the drive. 7. Deliver your items to HomeAid Atlanta s office no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6, HomeAid Atlanta s office is located in the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association building at 1484 Brockett Road, Tucker, Georgia Let us know if you need help in getting items to our office. Questions? Please see the included FAQ list, or contact Jean Hilyard at HomeAid Atlanta at or homeaid@atlantahomebuilders.com Thank you for your generous support! You are helping homeless mothers and their children receive necessities which they desperately need.

2 Answers to Frequently Asked Questions: HomeAid Atlanta s 14 th Annual Essentials Drive April 27 May 5, Who is HomeAid Atlanta? HomeAid Atlanta is a nonprofit organization that builds new lives for homeless families and individuals through housing and community outreach. HomeAid acts as the housing developer and liaison between homeless service providers, builders, trade partners and community volunteers. To date, HomeAid Atlanta has completed 16 housing developments which serve more than 750 homeless children, women and men each year. For more information, visit 2. What is the Essentials Drive? The Essentials Drive is HomeAid s annual community-wide drive to collect essentials such as diapers, baby wipes, baby food and formula for homeless infants and toddlers. The drive is conducted in conjunction with Mother s Day, providing a great opportunity to help homeless mothers and their babies. Sadly, an estimated 75,000 Georgians are homeless each year, with the majority of those being women and children. Thanks to the support of many, more than 155,000 essential baby items were collected through the drive last year, assisting hundreds of moms and babies in the metro Atlanta area. 3. What items are needed? Essential items needed include diapers (sizes one to toddler), baby wipes, baby food (stage one to toddler), formula, baby laundry detergent, and other baby products (e.g. bottles, sippy cups, pacifiers, soap, etc.). Monetary donations and gift cards (ex. Target, Walmart & Babies R Us) are also accepted. The greatest need is for diapers, baby wipes, baby food and formula. 4. Are there any items that are not accepted? Yes, unfortunately we cannot accept any used items. All items must be new and in original packaging. 5. Where do the collected items go? All items collected are distributed to local nonprofit organizations serving homeless families and children. Several of these organizations operate facilities built in partnership with HomeAid Atlanta. The following groups will or have been recipients (more information about organizations on the following page): Action Ministries (Atlanta) Atlanta Dream Center (Atlanta) Atlanta Mission (Atlanta) City of Refuge (Atlanta) Ceek to Fulfill (Conyers) Community Advanced Practice Nurses (Atl) Decatur Cooperative Ministry (Decatur) Genesis Shelter/Our House (Atlanta) HavenATL (Atlanta) HomeStretch (Roswell) Nicholas House (Atlanta) Phoenix Pass (Conyers) Partnership Against Domestic Violence (Atl) Rainbow Village (Duluth) Sheltering Arms (Atlanta) The Drake House (Roswell) United Methodist Children s Home (Decatur) 6. When is the drive? The official drive dates are April 27 May 5, 2015, but many locations start earlier to have a longer collection period. As long as items are delivered on May 6, the start date is up to you.

3 7. How do we get the items we collect to you? It is most helpful if you are able to deliver the items to HomeAid Atlanta s office in Tucker no later than 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6 for sorting. If you need assistance with delivering your items to HomeAid Atlanta, please contact us at or homeaid@atlantahomebuilders.com. 8. Who should I contact if I have additional questions? Please contact Jean Hilyard at HomeAid Atlanta, or homeaid@atlantahomebuilders.com Essentials Drive Beneficiaries In 2015, the baby items collected during HomeAid Atlanta s Essentials Drive will be distributed to the following nonprofit organizations: 1. Action Ministries Action Ministries housing program enables families and individuals to move from homelessness to independence. This program provides a single family home to a homeless family for up to 24 months. Action Ministries housing program currently serves 56 families with children. 2. Atlanta Dream Center Atlanta Dream Center s focus is to reach, rescue, and restore Atlanta s inner-city men, women, and children, including the homeless and victims of sex trafficking, and to meet their physical and spiritual needs. Atlanta Dream Center is home to many programs including Out of Darkness. Out of Darkness operates a 24-hour rescue hotline offering assistance to victims of sex trafficking as well as safe temporary housing for these victims until appropriate restorative services are secured. 3. Atlanta Mission Formerly Atlanta Union Mission, this organization is Atlanta s largest and longest-running provider of services to homeless men, women and children. Atlanta Mission is home to My Sister s House, which offers overnight shelter and residential discipleship programs for homeless women, as well as women with children. Atlanta Mission s Atlanta Day Shelter for Women and Children is the entry point into Atlanta Mission s Women s and Children s Services. This campus builds relationships with homeless women in order to meet their personal needs. 4. City of Refuge City of Refuge is a non-profit organization dedicated to community development efforts that lead to stability and sustainability of the local community. City of Refuge is home to the Kindred Spirit Home, providing housing for pregnant teens; Eden Village, a program helping homeless women and children move toward self-sufficiency; and many programs for children and youth. 5. Ceek to Fulfill Ceek of Fulfill is a nonprofit organization that assists youth aging out of foster care and helps disadvantaged and disconnected youth become thriving and independent young adults. Ceek to Fulfill works with youth from all backgrounds including pregnant teens and those with children. 6. Community Advanced Practice Nurses CAPN is a group whose professionals provide free-of-charge health care services to Atlanta s homeless and economically disadvantaged population.

4 7. Decatur Cooperative Ministry Decatur Cooperative Ministry is a faith-based cooperative that provides a continuum of services for homeless and at-risk families in the Decatur/DeKalb area to enable them to become self-sufficient. It operates a transitional housing program for homeless families as well as an emergency shelter for homeless women with children. 8. Haven ATL This program of the Salvation Army is dedicated to serving women who have fallen victim to commercial sexual exploitation in the Metro Atlanta area through prevention, education, case management, and outreach. 9. HomeStretch HomeStretch helps homeless families in the North Fulton area overcome their housing crises and return to self-sufficiency by providing short-term transitional housing in combination with an individualized support program including mentoring, money management and life skills development. 10. Nicholas House Nicholas House provides a safe, transitional group home for families of any size or makeup in order to keep them intact and off the street. The average family stay is 11 months, but shelter is available for up to 2 years. 11. Our House/Genesis Shelter Our House provides quality early childhood education and comprehensive support services to families who are experiencing homelessness. In 2014, Our House merged with Genesis Shelter, Atlanta s first and only emergency transitional housing facility exclusively for homeless newborn babies and their families. Our House and Genesis provide counseling and support programs to help these families get back on their feet and transition back into permanent housing. 12. Partnership Against Domestic Violence- For 40 years, PADV, the largest nonprofit domestic violence organization in Georgia, has provided professional, compassionate, and empowering support to battered women and their children in metro Atlanta. PADV began as an all-volunteer agency in 1975 and incorporated in Today, the agency has 36 full- and part-time staff with an administrative office and two 24-hour emergency shelters in Fulton and Gwinnett counties. 13. Phoenix Pass Phoenix Pass is a long-term transitional housing complex serving families, particularly women with children, who are experiencing temporary homelessness in the Conyers/Rockdale County community. Phoenix Pass gives these families an opportunity to reestablish self-sufficiency in a residential setting. The focus of the program is to empower homeless families with supportive services and the resources to recover and rebuild a productive and stable lifestyle. 14. Rainbow Village - Rainbow Village is a transitional housing community for homeless families with children. Most of the heads of household at Rainbow Village are women who have fled lives filled with domestic violence and poverty. 15. Sheltering Arms Sheltering Arms is Georgia s oldest non-profit early childhood program offering highquality affordable childcare and education, comprehensive support services, professional development for early childcare educators, and community outreach. 16. The Drake House The Drake House is a crisis residential assessment center for homeless women with children in the North Fulton area. TDH provides immediate residential housing combined with an empowerment program designed to provide stability for the children and assist the family in working toward self-sufficiency. 17. The United Methodist Children s Home Established in 1871 to care for Civil War orphans, the Children s Home now offers transitional housing for families with small children, as well as a foster care program and programs for older youth.

5 Updated 3/2/15 Sample Announcement Help Homeless Moms and Babies through HomeAid Atlanta s 14 th Annual Essentials Drive Did you know that women with children are among the fastest growing segments of the homeless population? For many of these families already struggling to make ends meet, necessities like diapers and formula can be simply unaffordable. In honor of Mother s Day, we invite you to take a moment of your time to help homeless mothers and their babies by participating in HomeAid Atlanta s Essentials Drive. In support of the Drive, we are collecting [LIST OF ITEMS] from [DATES]. Please help us make a difference! Simply bring your donations to [LOCATION IN BUILDING] and place them in [LOCATION]. HomeAid Atlanta will distribute all donated items to local nonprofit organizations serving homeless families and young children. Contact [NAME OF CONTACT PERSON AT YOUR COMPANY/ORGANIZATION] with any questions at [PHONE NUMBER/ ]. For more information about HomeAid Atlanta, please visit HomeAid Atlanta is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the development of housing for the temporarily homeless in affiliation with the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association. Federal nonprofit tax ID #

6 Thank you for contributing to the Essentials Drive! You are helping provide essentials to homeless moms and their children. If you would like to receive a donation receipt for your contribution, please provide the following information and a receipt will be sent to you. NAME ADDRESS, CITY, STATE, ZIP PHONE ITEM(S) DONATED HomeAid Atlanta is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the development of housing for the temporarily homeless in affiliation with the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association. Federal nonprofit tax ID #