In 2019, Food Well Alliance and Westside Future Fund partnered to purchase and revitalize 970 Jefferson St. NW, the historic site of the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Bill Bolling and John Ahmann played pivotal roles in making this acquisition a reality, turning a shared vision into a success. The two organizations collaborate on managing the facility, with Food Well Alliance overseeing the warehouse and upstairs space, while Westside Future Fund is responsible for maintaining the rest of the building.
Today, 19 nonprofits and local enterprises utilize 970 Jefferson, operating from this revitalized space to collectively contribute to the betterment of the Westside community and beyond, embodying the shared vision that inspired the partnership. We’ve launched a new series, the 970 Partner Spotlight, to highlight each of these incredible organizations and their work. This issue features Hands On Atlanta, a dynamic nonprofit that connects thousands of volunteers with meaningful service opportunities across the city.
Mobilizing Volunteer Power to Meet Atlanta’s Greatest Needs
From corporate boardrooms to school hallways and community gardens, Hands On Atlanta serves as one of the city’s most powerful engines for volunteerism. The organization plays a key role in advancing community-based solutions by mobilizing thousands of volunteers to serve across the city.
“Hands On Atlanta is the great aggregator of the Atlanta community,” said William Webber, Associate Director of Corporate Impact. “We bring together everyone from corporate groups to college students to everyday residents who want to give back—and connect them with the right opportunities.”
That means promoting 25 to 50 volunteer opportunities a day and serving as a bridge between Atlanta’s philanthropic-minded companies and the grassroots nonprofits that need their help.
“Our nonprofit partners are often run by one or two people. They don’t have the capacity to plan custom volunteer events for 500 people,” Webber explained. “We step in to design and lead those activations so they can focus on their mission.”
Hands On Atlanta’s work focuses on three major pillars: educational equity, environmental sustainability, and food security. They also manage the largest AmeriCorps program in Georgia, placing more than 40 members in Title I schools across metro Atlanta to serve as tutors, coaches, and program leaders. These AmeriCorps members are a direct line to the community’s evolving needs—whether that means providing snacks for students who arrive late and miss breakfast, or hosting Saturday programs that offer safe, enriching spaces for kids and families.
A Culture of Collaboration at 970 Jefferson
The synergy between organizations at 970 Jefferson is what makes the space special, according to Webber. Proximity leads to problem-solving, innovation, and shared impact.
“I want to know what everyone is doing so that we can enhance and build up that mission too,” said Webber. “Even just knocking on WFF’s door and asking what you’re seeing out there—that kind of knowledge-sharing is priceless.”
Hands On Atlanta often collaborates with partners like Food Well Alliance, Urban Recipe, and Second Helpings Atlanta, who are also based at 970 Jefferson. Webber recalled a recent example where a community partner (Restoring One’s Hope of Atlanta, Inc.) identified 500 food-insecure students from the Atlanta University Center. He had the food and the volunteers, while West Side Future Fund had the community organizing experience and the funds.
“Let’s do a massive pack that supports your community,” Webber proposed. And they are currently planning that event.
These moments of synergy—whether it’s donating environmental STEM kits, sharing tents, or planning full-scale activation events—are what keep Webber and his team rooted at 970 Jefferson.
“Everything we do is in partnership with a community organization, a school or a corporate partner. The collaboration between the organizations at 970 is such a beautiful thing. It makes solving big problems in our community a little easier and removes obstacles to create more impact.”
Supporting the Westside
Many of Hands On Atlanta’s initiatives center around neighborhoods on Atlanta’s historic Westside, often in partnership with other 970-based organizations.
One standout example is their support of Cure Violence, a grassroots organization located just around the corner from 970 Jefferson. Cure Violence operates with deep community ties and minimal resources—and Hands On Atlanta helps amplify their impact by donating items like snacks, hygiene kits, and educational materials for the youth they serve.
“They told me, ‘We just want some chips for the kids,’ so I gave them a thousand bags of chips that they can hand out from now into eternity,” Webber recalled with a smile.
Their Westside work also includes large-scale beautification projects. Last year, Hands On Atlanta led a massive volunteer effort at Booker T. Washington High School. With the help of the Atlanta Braves, Home Depot, alumni, and neighbors, they added more than 100 tons of dirt to restore the school’s ball fields, painted murals on shipping containers, and transformed an overgrown courtyard into a vibrant hangout space with flowers and picnic tables.
“These are the kinds of impact events that truly transform a space and show the community that people care,” said Webber.
The Power of Shared Purpose
Webber regularly organizes “970 Takeover” events that bring together nearly every organization in the building for coordinated service days.
“There’ll be something happening in the parking lot, something in every corner of the warehouse. People can see the action and understand what’s really going on inside 970,” said Webber. “It’s not just a building—it’s a place where incredible things happen every day.”
If you’d like to get involved and volunteer with Hands On Atlanta, visit their website and browse thousands of volunteer opportunities at www.handsonatlanta.org.
To learn more about the organizations working out of 970 Jefferson Street NW, visit 970jefferson.org.