Photos by City of Atlanta Government

On Monday, September 12, close to 400 volunteers spent the day at the Georgia World Congress Center packing more than 172,000 meals for families across metro Atlanta, commemorating the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance.

Now an annual day of service in Atlanta, this is the 3rd year Hands On Atlanta has partnered with MyGoodDeed (d.b.a. 9/11 Day) the 501(c)(3) nonprofit that created the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. Their mission is to take back the day, transform the anniversary of 9/11 into a national day of doing good, and in the process rekindle the spirit of unity that arose in America in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Together, we’ve engaged thousands of volunteers and packed over 500,000 meals for metro Atlanta families!

Atlanta Mayor, Andre Dickens and members of the Mayor’s Office joined the meal pack and spoke to the volunteers, sharing his energy, the impact and power of today’s event and thanking all the volunteers and organizers for their efforts.

For this year’s event we teamed up with Meals of Hope, Brave Public Relations, the Georgia World Congress Center, and the Atlanta Community Food Bank (the recipient of the 172,000+ meals) for a meaningful and fun day of service. Guest emcee and WSB-TV evening anchor, Karyn Greer kept the energy in the room electric and brought authenticity to the work and the purpose of uniting in service.

Ashley Graylee, a volunteer from Novelis summed up the event perfectly saying, “Coming together and doing something good for others, it just feels good, and it feels like 21 years later we are still honoring those who have lost so much.”

Learn more about 9/11 Day and how you can get involved at www.911day.org and for more meal packing opportunities and events or to discover other ways to fight food insecurity across metro Atlanta visit www.handsonatlanta.org/food.

feeling inspired?

You don’t have to wait to do something good. From September, 20-27, 2022, we’re teaming up with the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation for Hands On Atlanta Week - Atlanta’s biggest week of service. There are hundreds of opportunities and events you can sign up for addressing food insecurity, education, environmental sustainability and more throughout the week.