Atlanta nonprofit donates food, gifts to hundreds on Christmas

ATLANTA - Hundreds of kids and their families got toys and food this Christmas thanks to the nonprofit Hosea Helps.

Everywhere you looked at the Georgia World Congress Center on Monday, there were smiles lighting up the room.

"This is like the closest thing that I have to family down here. This is like it's bringing back the feeling that I used to get back home when I was growing up, so it's very heartwarming for me," Tiawnee Summers said.

Hundreds of families, as well as people experiencing homelessness, were there to take in the Christmas cheer. Every child received bags of age-appropriate gifts.

From haircuts to hot plates, the goal was for everyone to look and feel their best. And no one knows how powerful that can be better than Pastor Shawn Sutton who attended these events years ago.

"I came here in Georgia, and I ended up being homeless. And now, I'm hosting and I'm able to give back where I came from," Sutton explained.

Hosea Helps has been hosting this event for years. Now, that it's back at the congress center for the first time in three years, leaders say funding is low.

"Any disposable income is being spent on the high prices we see in every area today. And so that's that dollar, or five dollars to twenty that might come to us," Elisabeth Omilami, the development director for Hosea Helps, said.

But, they were determined to still go on serving a community they say is often overlooked.

"Seeing this reaffirms to us that we're not crazy and there is a need," Omilami said.

Hosea Helps

"There's two Atlantas. There's the rich and famous, and then there are people we see that helped build this city that are being left behind," she added.

You can find out more on how to donate or get involved here.