People in need line up for food from Hosea Helps at Christmas food drive in Atlanta

ATLANTA — The holidays are a little brighter for many families in need thanks to the Hosea Helps Christmas Drive Thru.

Vehicles started lining up in Southwest Atlanta for the annual food drive at about 3:45 a.m. on Saturday.

The nonprofit organization Hosea Helps worked to make sure everyone has what they need for a special holiday meal, distributing boxes of food for those who waited in line.

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“It’s going to include a whole turkey that comes from Georgia partners like Kroger and Publix. It’s going to include a food box, a case of water,” Hosea Helps CEO Awodele Omilami told Channel 2′s Brittany Kleinpeter.

The packages contained what so many in line had hoped to unwrap this holiday.

“I only get $23 in food stamps,” Susan Good said. “If it wasn’t for Hosea Helps, I wouldn’t eat.”

Omilami said, unfortunately, Good’s story is not unlike many others.

“We’re seeing a lot of middle-class families where they’re experiencing what we call a sudden loss of income,” Omilami said. “When those two income households become single income households within three months they’re in danger of homelessness.”

According to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, one in eight Georgians are food insecure.

That’s why Hosea Helps’ work is so critical, especially during the holidays.

“The truth is most of the homeless individuals living in Atlanta are whole families living in hotels. Families that are living in their cars or families who are homeless but they’re living with other family members,” Omilami said.

Organizers of the event told Channel 2 that they collected information from each of the individuals who participated, learning what needs they have so that they can help them in the future.

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