MLK Day is special no matter where you are, but here in Atlanta, it just means more.

Channeling the mantra of our friends at Atlanta Influences Everything, for the 2024 MLK Days of Service, presented by Delta Air Lines, Hands On Atlanta set out to showcase the good we can create by coming together to help build Dr. King’s “Beloved Community.” We put the spotlight on our community of do-gooders and changemakers and challenged Atlanta to help us tackle our city’s most pressing needs. More than 3,000 volunteers stepped up to serve over January 11-15, 2024. These volunteers braved cold temps to support 50 nonprofits and schools across metro Atlanta.

Here’s a look back at some of the projects and lasting impact they created:

Monday, January 15

MEALS4KIDS MEAL PACK

The U.S. Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, and newly appointed CEO of Points of Light, Jennifer Sirangelo joined 175 volunteers from Delta Air Lines at Wild Heaven Brewery to pack over 3,000 meals for students at Love T. Nolan Elementary, Usher Collier Elementary, and Scott Elementary. In addition to hard work and impact, 2024 Hands On Atlanta Civic Fellow, Jason Thomas, was presented with the Daily Point of Light Award, in recognition of his outstanding commitment to volunteering and service.

Friday, January 12

970 JEFFERSON TAKEOVER

The Hands On Atlanta warehouse at 970 Jefferson St. (home of the original Atlanta Community Food Bank) is a perfect place to fight food insecurity and support our neighbors in need! The built in community of nonprofits opened their doors to 125 volunteers from The Home Depot, Kilpatrick, Bennett Thrasher, and Deloitte for a morning of good! Volunteers packed 400 hygiene kits that were distributed Saturday morning through Ebenezer Baptist Church, to the Old Fourth Ward community near the historic church.

Thursday, January 11

LATIN AMERICAN ASSOCIATION MURAL AND RENOVATION

Volunteers from the Home Depot and OneDigital helped kick-off our MLK Days of Service by painting an awesome mural, designed by XXX and executing various tasks throughout the building. They painted bathrooms, renovated the staff room, put together new furniture, and a built a big storage to complete the renovations. But wait, there’s more! Volunteers from 5 projects over the 5 days painted a “traveling mural” of 12x12 canvases that came together for a 2nd large mural to be displayed at the Latin American Association offices!

WREN’S NEST BEAUTIFICATION

Monday, January 15

Volunteers from the community, Salesforce, Fiserv, ADP, Alston & Bird, and 48 members of our AmeriCorps engaged in a variety of projects to help the Wren’s Nest continue their mission of preserving storytelling traditions, cultivating the next generation of readers and writers, and celebrating self-expression. Together, they built benches, landscaped, built a new shed, installed shelving and executed a neighborhood cleanup.

Sunday, January 14

10TH ANNUAL MLK SUNDAY SUPPER

300 corporate and community leaders from across metro Atlanta gathered for an intimate, vulnerable, and thought-provoking evening at the 2024 MLK Sunday Supper presented by Coca-Cola. 11Alive’s, Cheryl Preheim emceed the night, moderating a panel on the night’s theme of “Challenging the Status Quo”. The panel featured Dr. Lakeysha Hallmon, founder, The Village Market, Bem Joiner, co-founder of Atlanta Influences Everything and Dr. Eloisa Klmentich, President and CEO of Invest Atlanta. The main course for the evening were guided table conversations, led by 35 of Atlanta changemakers. After the conversations concluded, Soul Food Cypher performed a “rap up” before Jay Bailey, President and CEO at Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs closed the evening as our challenge speaker.

You can click here to host your own meaningful conversation on Challenging the Status Quo thanks to our friends at Inclusivv.

Here are some more highlighted moments: