Matthew Pieper and his team had to act quickly. There were more than 3,000 people in the Greater Atlanta region that relied on Open Hand Atlanta—he serves as its executive director currently and has been with the organization for a total of 11 years—for their meals each day. Open Hand Atlanta operates with a staff…

Artist Ronnie Land grew up in the wetlands of Jacksonville, Florida, but he said he gravitated toward Atlanta — there was something about its soul that he fell in love with. “I was coming up here and pulling pranks and doing pop-up shows in the mid-80s,” Ronnie, who professionally goes by “R.Land,” says. “I felt…

You’re working a full-time job, and it’s barely enough for you to support your family, but you get by — many times it’s thanks to the support from your neighbors, resources in town, local nonprofits, churches, etc. You’re straggling that line of poverty, but things are OK for now. You have a lot to be…

“If the Census were easy, we wouldn’t have all of y’all here at 8 in the morning,” says Polly McKinney. She acts as advocacy director for Voices for Georgia’s Children. This particular morning, she’s a participant in United Way of Greater Atlanta’s thought leadership breakfast known as the “InForum” series. The InForum series is a…

A crowd of students and adult volunteers bustle about at Eldridge L. Miller Elementary School in Stone Mountain. They’re exchanging some laughs as they get acquainted with one another during an ice cream social that the school is hosting. While the occasion has been lighthearted and fun, it’s far more than a casual get together.…

Veronica Mount knew she wanted to start her own nonprofit in 2014 — she established the 501c3 — but there was still a lot for her to learn. The United Way of Greater Atlanta’s Volunteer Involvement Program (VIP) gave her the knowledge she needed. Mount is the executive director of Land of Promise (LOP). The…