Sandy Springs food pantry grows from humble beginnings to serve thousands

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Solidarity Sandy Springs co-founder Jennifer Barnes said the food pantry has 10 to 15 different types of produce each week.

Credit: Bob Pepalis

Solidarity Sandy Springs began with a simple goal in 2020 of feeding perhaps 10 families for two weeks at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Five years later, the food pantry services up to 750 families per week.

“At this point, we are a good safety net for our neighbors who are going through a little bit of a tough time, and it helps us build community,” said Jennifer Barnes, a co-founder of the nonprofit organization.

Since its inception, 5,000 unique volunteers have helped Solidarity Sandy Springs, Barnes said during a five-year anniversary celebration on March 26 at its location in the Sandy Springs Plaza at 6315 Roswell Road. Volunteers and supporters of the food pantry joined the celebration.

“We could never do it without our volunteers. They are the heart of what makes everything go round. We are able to operate with two employees on a pretty shoestring budget. And thanks to the volunteers, we’re able to feed our neighbors,” Barnes said.

Jason Sheetz, owner of Under the Cork Tree restaurant at 5600 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs, attended the food pantry’s five-year anniversary celebration. He remembers its beginnings as his restaurant was its first location.

“I got a phone call from the ladies that started Solidarity, and it was a couple weeks after COVID had started and everything shut down,” Sheetz said.

He had emptied the food from the restaurant. When the call came, he stuck the key underneath the wine barrels at Under the Cork Tree. Two weeks later he stopped by and saw that the dining room was the donations receiving area and the tapas bar was the market.

Sheetz said five years later the food pantry is amazing.

The free food pantry has been set up like a little market where people can come in and shop for staples. Barnes said the food pantry’s pride and joy is fresh produce, with 10 to 15 items in stock.

A lot of the food comes from donations. The $5,000 weekly budget for fresh produce is about $2 per person to increase the nutritional density for the local residents they serve, Barnes said.

The food pantry gets food from the Atlanta Community Food Bank, Second Helpings, and Midwest Food Bank of Georgia.

Sandy Springs City Council members Melissa Mular and Jody Reichel attended the anniversary celebration, along with Mayor Rusty Paul.

“I think it’s amazing when you think about how they started just delivering bagels and just doing what they could,” Mular said. They’ve moved multiple times, and they come back and they’re bigger, they’re better.”

Solidarity Sandy Springs accepts monetary donations online. The 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization offers several options, including monthly donations and sponsorships.

Food donations can be dropped off Monday through Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. at its Sandy Springs Plaza location. The food pantry has a most-needed pantry items list online.

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Rough Draft Atlanta.