Update: Culturally specific food pantries and other food resources

In Clarkston last week, a business owner was in the final stages of stocking his new grocery store before its official grand opening. The back of the shop was lined with shiny metal stock pots, ideal for communal meals, and the aisles were already filled with everything from instant halal ramen to biscuits sourced from countries all over Southeast Asia. The store has technically been open for several weeks, but so far it’s been quiet. The owner, who came to the U.S. over a decade ago as a refugee from Burma, was waiting to receive his EBT reader—the machine that lets customers pay with food stamps. “We’ll do much better” then, he said. 

Many of his customers are part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, a federal initiative that provides funds for low-income households to purchase food. SNAP recipients use their EBT cards to pay for those groceries. Though the owner said he had applied for the EBT card reader three months ago, he still hasn’t received it.

Over the past year, 285 South has been covering the fallout of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, whose updated SNAP eligibility requirements have caused more than 7,000 noncitizens in Georgia to lose access to benefits. Many families losing those benefits are of mixed status; they might have children who are U.S. citizens or some family members who have green cards. Those family members are still receiving food stamps, and the rest of their family often relies on their benefits to get them through the month.  

In a room at the back of the grocery store, the four-month-old baby of one of the employees was just waking up from a nap. The baby was the only person in the employee’s family who is a U.S. citizen, so  the $270 she receives every month through SNAP is helping to feed her family of five.

Fueled by the changes to SNAP, many of the communities we’ve been reporting on have been experiencing growing food insecurity on top of other challenges: the rising cost of gas and groceries, economic instability, and the ripple effects of immigration enforcement activity. We asked the state agency that administers SNAP, the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS), how they are supporting Georgia residents losing their benefits. A DHS spokesperson responded with a link to a website: “DHS provides significant funding to nonprofit feeding partners across Georgia. Families can visit feedinggeorgia.org/our-food-banks to find resources in their community.”

285 South has been keeping a regularly updated list of area food pantries, including places where you can find culturally and religiously specific items, such as halal meat and Maseca (corn flour). We’ve also added food centers operated by the Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB), who referred us to a “Get Help” map where people in need can enter in their zip code and find food pantries in the area. They also have a number for people to call if they need help navigating benefits like SNAP: 678-553-5917. These benefits navigators are accessible in English and Spanish. 

Food pantries at immigrant-specific organizations: 

• Latin American Association: People can pick up one or two bags of food, depending on family size, once a month. Walk-ins are accepted Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. at 2750 Buford Highway, Brookhaven. Call 404-638-1839 for details.
• Latin American Association, Norcross location: Food provided every Thursday by appointment only. Call 678-205-1018 to make an appointment. 5320 Jimmy Carter Boulevard, Norcross.
• Madinah Food Pantry: Delivers free, culturally appropriate food for Muslim families in need of halal foods, including meat. Submit a request here.
• ICNA Relief Georgia Food Pantry: Open Friday through Sunday from 3 to 6 p.m. Halal items are available. For more information contact munsif.luthfullah@icnarelief.org or call 770-300-0067. 4773 Memorial Drive, Decatur.
• Center for Pan-Asian Community Services: Food distribution on Fridays, first come first serve. Around 9 a.m., people can line up to grab a ticket, with food distribution starting at noon. 3510 Shallowford Road, Atlanta.
• Little Bodega: We Love Buford Highway’s weekly food pantry serves 12 local families identified to have the greatest needs. Every six months, they switch the families they support. To join the wait list, reach out to program manager Delia Mendez at delia.mendez@welovebuhi.org. 

Additional food pantries and resources:

• Clarkston First Baptist Church: Food pantry every Wednesday from 1 to 5 p.m. and the fourth Saturday of the month, 9 a.m. to noon, at 3999 Church Street, Clarkston.
• Suthers Center Food Pantry: Weekly drive-through on Saturdays from 8 to 10 a.m. at St. Martin in the Fields Church at 3110 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Brookhaven. 
• St. Vincent de Paul Georgia: Must fill out this form to arrange pickup. Pickup is Wednesdays from 10 to 11 a.m. at 2050 Chamblee Tucker Road, Chamblee. 
• Malachi’s Storehouse at Saint Patrick’s Episcopal Church: Food pantry open on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. People can either drive through or walk up and receive food and clothing at 4755 North Peachtree Road, Dunwoody. 
• Toco Hills Community Alliance: Food pantry open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 1 to 3:30 p.m. No appointment is needed, and people can pick up a bag of groceries every week. A limited amount of hot lunches are available for unhoused people, and once a month they organize a mobile food pantry. 1790 Lavista Road, Atlanta.
• Atlanta Community Food Bank, Marietta: Appointments are required, and the food distribution hours per day are available here, at 1605 Austell Road, Marietta.
• Atlanta Community Food Bank, Stone Mountain: Appointments are required; call 478-394-4547 or text FOOD to 678-884-4564. 1979 Parker Court, Stone Mountain.
• Atlanta Community Food Bank, Jonesboro: Appointments required; call 478-394-4547 or text 404-994-3482. 6805 Tara Boulevard, Jonesboro.
• Atlanta Community Food Bank, Atlanta: Appointments required; text FOOD to ‭404-474-0578‬ or call 478-394-4547. 3500 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Atlanta.
• Gwinnett County coordinates support – whether housing, food, of healthcare access- by connecting folks to local organizations. Call their One Stop for Help Community Navigators at 770-822-8850. *Language line access, so English is not required.*