Annual Heart & Home gala honors Atlanta trailblazer, raises funds to address homelessness and food insecurity

Mayor Andre Dickens reaffirms his administration’s commitment to provide support and solutions around two of Atlanta’s most pressing challenges in remarks at the event

ATLANTA – May 21, 2024 – Local nonprofit organization Intown Cares, a leader in addressing homelessness and hunger in Atlanta, honored Bill Bolling with the Community Impact Award and raised $547,000 in support of programs and services at the 11th annual Heart & Home gala. Presented by Acadia Shutters and Iconex, Heart & Home was held on May 4 at the Oceans Ballroom, Georgia Aquarium. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens delivered remarks at the event, reaffirming his commitment to affordable housing and supporting Atlantans who are unhoused or challenged with food insecurity. Almost 500 guests attended Heart & Home, including Georgia state representatives Betsy Holland, District 54, and Saira Draper, District 90; and Jason Dozier, Atlanta City Councilmember, District 4.

“We were thrilled to honor Bill Bolling at Heart & Home for his tremendous service to make Atlanta a better place to live for everyone,” said Brad Schweers, Executive Director of Intown Cares. “The success of Heart & Home this year represents the connection and collaboration taking place around the complexity of homelessness and food insecurity. Solving these issues requires people from all walks of life serving – with head, heart, and hands – to make Atlanta the best city for all our neighbors. We are so grateful for our community of supporters and the dedication and partnership of Mayor Dickens and the City of Atlanta.”

A leader synonymous with advancing initiatives to help Atlantans prosper, Bolling is co-founder, board chair, and senior advisor of Food Well Alliance, a collaborative network of local leaders working together to build thriving community gardens and urban farms across metro Atlanta. Before co-founding Food Well Alliance, Bolling founded the Atlanta Community Food Bank in 1979 and served as its executive director for 36 years. He is also the founder and moderator of the Atlanta Regional Housing Forum, a quarterly gathering of affordable housing stakeholders established to inspire action in advocates and concerned citizens to increase the region’s ability to produce more affordable housing.

Dollars raised at Heart & Home will help support Intown’s approach of removing as many barriers as possible for neighbors who face some of the greatest obstacles to housing and food security. That includes deploying one of the most effective homeless services teams and operating one of the most innovative low-barrier food distribution programs in the Atlanta area. Intown executes its proven models to address chronic homelessness and food insecurity in collaboration with community partners, including Trans Housing Coalition, Clifton Sanctuary Ministries, Second Helpings, and Goodr. Since 2016, Intown has assisted more than 1,000 neighbors in navigating the journey to permanent housing and distributed food for more than 1,000,000 meals.

The Heart & Home Committee was chaired by Kelly Goldston, Intown Cares Board Director and Chief Digital Officer of Spanx. Heart & Home sponsors include:

Presenting Sponsors – Acadia Shutters and Iconex

Changemaker Sponsor – Atlas Holdings

Sustainer Sponsors – Amazon, Dorsey Alston Realtors/Stephanie Marinac and Harvin Greene/Jeanne Stickler, First Fidelity Financial Group of Atlanta/Kent Balch, Mary and Jane Kirkpatrick, Slappey & Sadd, Spanx, and The Home Depot Foundation.

Neighbor Sponsors – Atlanta Medical Aesthetics, MJ Impastato and Chris Dawson, King & Spalding, Meta, Perennial Properties, Robin and Mark Pollack, and WPromote. 

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About Intown Cares

Intown Cares is the nonprofit that goes the extra mile to help Intown Atlantans meet their most essential human needs, food and housing. We specialize in serving those who have the hardest time getting housing make the transition to their own homes; and we provide easy access to food for any who need it. Intown Cares is defined by persistence. The people we employ, the process we follow, and the perspective we share are all guided by a single, unifying idea: solving hunger and homelessness requires imagination, flexibility, and a willingness to take the extra step.

For more information about Intown Cares, visit www.intowncares.org. Also, connect with Intown on social media: @IntownCares on Instagram and Facebook  

For media inquiries and interviews, contact communications@intowncares.org

To support Intown’s mission through contribution, visit https://intowncares.org/donate, or reach out to Brad Schweers, Executive Director at brad@intowncares.org.

To get involved, sign up to volunteer https://intowncares.volunteerhub.com/vv2/, or contact Laura Sakamaki, Director of Food Programs at laura.sakamaki@intowncares.org for information on group activities or food drives.