Hosea Helps serves 10,000 meals for Christmas

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    ATLANTA, GA (WGCL) — Hosea Helps started as a program to feed the homeless and hungry. It’s grown to be bigger and more impactful than many could’ve imagined at its inception.

This year at the Georgia World Congress Center, people in need received free hot meals, Christmas gifts for children, hair styling, medical services, legal services, employment assistance, and a warm outpouring of love and support.

Tanisha Shaw came to Hosea Helps this Christmas to have her hair styled. She says she once battled low-self-esteem and this free service helps.

“It makes me feel very confident like a new person,” Shaw told CBS46’s Hayley Mason. “It really makes me feel like a person and shows who I really am as a black woman, and I feel like a pretty black woman.”

Amira Smith has been volunteering as a barber with Hosea Helps programs since 1998.

“I love doing this because I love putting a smile on people’s faces,” Smith said. “I call it turning a caterpillar into a butterfly. And, it just makes me feel good and it makes them feel good.”

She says a lot of the people she sees are not homeless but are down on their luck.

“A lot of them can’t get a fresh haircut to go get a job,” Smith said. “So, if I can do that for them. That makes me happy and that warms my heart.”

This year, the Fulton County Magistrate Court set up a free legal clinic to answer questions and set up follow-up assistance.

“What we are finding today is we are able to do a lot of help on-site,” said Fulton County Chief Magistrate Judge Cassandra Kirk. “So, it’s people saying I think I missed my court date. That’s something we can look up and get back to them on. There are people saying I want to understand what this process is… Particularly, for this population, it’s wonderful, because people just have quick questions. It’s something that you shouldn’t have to pay $1,500 for just to ask a question.

54,00 volunteers worked together to prepare 10,000 meals this Christmas. Organizers tell CBS46 that is costs approximately 20,000 just to put the event together for one day. The Hosea Helps team is still trying to raise funds for its own building.

For more information on how to help the organization, visit: 4 Hosea

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