The holidays are a busy season for local nonprofits, with many organizations working to provide support to families in need. If you want to help, you have options beyond making a financial donation. Here are some local ways to give your time, resources, or skills this holiday season.
Thanks for Giving
📍 Find drop-off locations on their website.
📅 Food drop-off Nov. 16 and 17. Volunteer shifts Nov. 16 to 20.
The Center for Family Resources runs Thanks for Giving, a food drive that gives Cobb County families facing food insecurity a Thanksgiving dinner and groceries for the holiday week. This is its 40th year, and it packs enough food for 1,000 families.
Volunteers sort, pack and box the food alongside more than 400 others. You can also host a food drive with your school, office, church or HOA, which makes it a good pick for a group.
MUST Ministries Christmas Toy Shop
📍 MUST Donation Center, 1280 Field Pkwy, Marietta, GA 30066
📅 Donation Center open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
MUST Ministries has helped neighbors in need since 1971, and its Christmas Toy Shop lets parents in Cobb and Cherokee counties pick out gifts for their kids at no cost. Families choose new toys plus warm basics like blankets, hats, gloves and socks, and thousands of children are served each Christmas.
Bring new toys or clothing to the Donation Center, or buy from their Amazon wish list from home. Volunteers can also work as shoppers, walking families through the Toy Shop to help them choose gifts, and Spanish speakers are especially needed.
Santa on Wheels
📍 Find drop-off locations on their website.
📅 Check their website for this season’s dates.
Santa on Wheels is the holiday toy program from the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office and the Cobb Sheriff’s Foundation for kids in households that need extra help this season. Last year was its fourth, with toys for up to 3,000 children, mostly ages 1 to 12.
Drop off a new, unwrapped toy at a collection spot. Last year those included courthouses, schools, local shops and Walmart stores in Marietta, Smyrna, Mableton and Kennesaw. It’s an easy errand stop, and you can also give money online to buy more toys.
Cobb Christmas
📍 Find drop-off locations on their website.
📅 Volunteer setup Dec. 15 to 17. Family pickup Dec. 18 and 19.
Cobb Christmas is a volunteer-run nonprofit that has given toys to children from low-income Cobb County families since 1963. Each child ages 3 to 13 gets three new toys, and about 1,000 families receive gifts each year.
Drop off new, unwrapped toys at a Stuff-A-Bus stop, where a CobbLinc bus collects donations around the county the week before the giveaway. You can also join more than 400 volunteers who sort and hand out the toys, which works well as a one-time December commitment.
Sweetwater Mission
📍 6130 Hotel St, Austell, GA 30106
📅 Volunteer shifts Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Sweetwater Mission has helped South Cobb families since 1968, with a food pantry in Austell and weekly mobile food distributions in Mableton. Around Thanksgiving it hands out turkeys and fixings, and almost 500 turkeys went out at a single Mableton distribution last year.
Pantry volunteers help shoppers choose food, carry groceries to cars, restock shelves and sort donations, and the holiday program needs help sorting and assembling donated items. New volunteers start with a monthly orientation, so it suits anyone with a free weekday morning.
Give What Fits Your Capacity
You do not have to commit an entire weekend or spend a lot of money to help. A box of requested food items, a new toy, an hour of volunteer time, or a small donation can all support local holiday programs.
If your schedule is tight, look for a drop-off donation that you can add to your regular errands. If you have more time, consider a volunteer shift or family-friendly service event.
Find Your Way to Give Back
There are plenty of ways to support Cobb County organizations during the holidays. You can donate something already on your shopping list, spend a few hours volunteering, or choose a program that lets your family or friends participate together.
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