HOMEAID ATLANTA ANNOUNCES 2011 ESSENTIALS FOR YOUNG LIVES® DRIVE

ATLANTA – April 4, 2011 – HomeAid Atlanta announced today its 2011 Essentials for Young Lives® Drive will take place April 25 – May 2 in honor of Mother’s Day.  The 10th annual drive is a community-wide effort to collect “essential” baby items for homeless mothers and their infants.  Items being collected include diapers, baby wipes, baby food, formula and baby hygiene products.  Everything collected through the drive will be distributed to local nonprofit organizations serving homeless families and children in the metro Atlanta area. With women and children being among the fastest growing segments of the homeless population, the need for these essential baby items is great.

 

Businesses, community organizations and individuals are invited to participate in the drive by collecting essential baby items amongst their employees, friends and families.  Donations of new items can be dropped off at any of the Essentials drop-off sites located around the metro Atlanta area. A list of drop-off sites is available online at www.homeaidatlanta.org/dropoff. Donations can also be made through HomeAid Atlanta’s baby registries at Babies “R” Us and Target. To access the registries, enter “HomeAid” for the registrant’s first name and “Atlanta” for the last name.  All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

 

More than 20 local companies and organizations have already joined hands with HomeAid Atlanta to collect items for the 2011 Essentials for Young Lives Drive, including Align the Spine Wellness Center, The Atlanta Academy, Atlanta Remodelers Council, Atlanta Sales & Marketing Council, Bank of America, Boral Bricks, CB Richard Ellis, CharterBank, Coldwell Banker NRT Development Advisors, Dunwoody Baptist Church, Evolv, Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, John Willis Homes, Lincoln Property Management Company, Mast Custom Woodworks, MetLife Home Loans, Northwest Exterminating, Oneida Builders, Purdy Real Estate, State Bank & Trust Company, SunTrust, Technology Dependent Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta-Scottish Rite Campus, Upper Cervical Health Centers of America and Weissman, Nowack, Curry & Wilco. 

 

Atlanta-based UPS is teaming up with HomeAid Atlanta for the fifth year to assist with delivering the donated items to seven local nonprofit organizations that provide housing and supportive services to homeless families and young children.  These organizations operate facilities that have been built in partnership with HomeAid Atlanta and include Decatur Cooperative Ministry (Decatur), Genesis – A New Life (Atlanta), HomeStretch (Roswell), My House (Cherokee County), Phoenix Pass (Conyers), Tapestry Youth Ministries (College Park and Fairburn) and The Drake House (Roswell).

 

Recipient organizations greatly value the support.  “The Essentials for Young Lives are just that...they are the items that the children we care for simply can’t do without.  Because these ‘essentials’ are provided by this wonderful drive, we can stretch our evermore limited funds to other important areas.  The love that comes with these items lets us all know that people do care and want to help give these little ones what they so deserve.  Thank you for caring about them,” said Donna Carson, executive director for My House.

 

Essentials for Young Lives was first launched in Atlanta in 2002 and since then more than 240,000 essential baby items have been distributed to homeless mothers and their babies. As the growth in homeless families increases the demand for homeless services, the need for essential baby items continues to grow.  This Mother’s Day, it is HomeAid’s desire to honor and celebrate mothers by ensuring they are given the tools to provide for their children’s needs.

 

For more information about the 2011 Essentials for Young Lives Drive, visit www.homeaidatlanta.org/dropoff or contact HomeAid Atlanta at 678-775-1401.

 

About HomeAid Atlanta:

 

Founded in 2001, HomeAid Atlanta is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working in partnership with the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, and is a local chapter of HomeAid America, a leading national provider of transitional housing for the temporarily homeless. The HomeAid mission is to build and maintain dignified housing where homeless families and individuals can rebuild their lives. 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 that serve the temporarily homeless, including victims of domestic violence, teen mothers, abused and abandoned children, and homeless families. For more information about HomeAid Atlanta, visit www.homeaidatlanta.org.