Hosea Helps hosts "Mommy & Me" giveaway in Atlanta, continuing decades-long legacy of community support

Families lined up at the headquarters of Hosea Helps this weekend for the nonprofit's "Mommy & Me" giveaway event, where volunteers distributed diapers, wipes, food boxes, baby clothes and other essentials to mothers and children across metro Atlanta.

The event, held Saturday at the organization's southwest Atlanta headquarters, was designed to support mothers facing food insecurity and rising economic pressure.  

"Today we are fighting statistics about Black women," said Elisabeth Omilami, CEO of Hosea Helps and daughter of late civil rights leader Hosea Williams. "Thirty percent of them experience food insecurity."

Omilami said many mothers who attended the event spoke openly about the emotional and financial stress they face while trying to care for their children.

"You gotta do something, and that's what Hosea Helps is about," she said.  

The event highlighted not only the growing need for food and childcare resources, but also the enduring legacy of one of Atlanta's most recognizable civil rights organizations.

Founded by Williams — a top aide to Martin Luther King Jr. and a prominent leader in the Civil Rights Movement — the organization has spent decades serving vulnerable communities in Atlanta through direct-action programs centered on hunger relief, housing support and emergency assistance.

Williams, who helped organize the historic 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches and later became known throughout Georgia for community activism, founded what became Hosea Helps after witnessing widespread poverty and hunger in Atlanta neighborhoods. The organization's annual Thanksgiving dinners and emergency food drives eventually became staples of the city's outreach efforts.

Omilami said the work continues because the needs remain urgent.

"We are the largest African-American food bank in the Southeast," she said. "We're open every day and we do direct services to individuals."  

She added that many families continue struggling with the rising cost of essentials, especially diapers and food.

"If you look at Maslow's triangle, the most important thing that we could provide is food," Omilami said.  

One mother who attended the giveaway told CBS News Atlanta she learned about the event through a friend and immediately came for support.

"I've got a little one and I'm pregnant with another," she said. "It's definitely a relief to know that there are different resources out here to try and help moms."  

The organization said community donations and volunteers remain critical to keeping programs operational year-round.

According to Omilami, roughly 80% of Hosea Helps' funding comes from individual donors and volunteers who help sort supplies, distribute food and assist families directly.  

"People know that Hosea Helps is there for them," she said.