Meet Soul Supplies | Soul Supplies is a homeless outreach nonprofit that distributes backpacks filled with essential supplies to people experiencing homelessness across the City of Atlanta.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Soul Supplies and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Soul, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
As a nonprofit organization, Soul Supplies is dedicated to restoring dignity and hope to people experiencing homelessness by providing what we call “soul backpacks” filled with essential items such as hygiene products, winter supplies, and care resources. We want to remind those without shelter that they are seen and valued.
Soul Supplies Atlanta is a nonprofit dedicated to restoring dignity and hope to people experiencing homelessness. By uplifting those who need compassion and support, we give resources to those who need them the most. With each backpack we give, we help Atlanta move toward a future where everyone, regardless of their circumstance, has a chance to rise. With your donation, we can make a difference! DONATE NOW: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=H36LGBQARL6F6.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Our backpacks are individualized to cater to the unique needs and vulnerabilities of four different subpopulations: unsheltered homeless individuals, sheltered homeless individuals, homeless individuals living in encampments, and youth experiencing housing insecurity. We work closely to supply our community partners with these backpacks to ease the burden of homelessness and initiate a relationship between caseworkers and the unhoused. Our mission is to build bridges through backpacks to ease the burden of homelessness. Founded in 2019, Soul Supplies has grown from a single-person led group giving out a couple backpacks in a park to a nationally-recognized nonprofit serving people across the state with a five-person staff and individual distribution events consisting of over 300 backpacks and 14,000 supplies. We have remained entirely youth-led and have been fortunate to have received tremendous support along our journey, which has allowed us to truly make a difference in the community. We have raised over $27,000 for the unhoused in Atlanta, including grants from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Chick-Fil-A, and Whole Foods. With our funding, we have passed out over 79,000 supplies to unhoused communities. We have received coverage in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, FOX 5 News Atlanta, Marietta Daily Journal, and several other publications. We hope that everyone understands that each person matters, no matter their circumstance, and to make the world a better place for everyone, we need your help.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If our best friend came to Atlanta for a week, we’d start by taking them to Ponce City Market for dinner (Minero, H&F, or just grabbing snacks from different stalls) and then wandering the BeltLine at night. The next day we’d brunch at Ladybird, rent scooters, and ride the BeltLine down to Krog Street Market for ice cream or dumplings, then hang around Inman Park and maybe stop by The James Room. We’d do a downtown day with the Georgia Aquarium, drink some international drinks at the World of Coco-Cola, and take a stroll at Centennial Olympic Park , and lunch somewhere casual like Shake Shack; if we’re feeling it, we’d walk through the High Museum of Art afterward. One day would be for being outside and walking Piedmont Park, exploring the Atlanta Botanical Garden, and then heading to New Realm or Ponce rooftop for the view. For a chill “food + exploring” day, we’d take them to Little Five Points to shop around, get Fox Bros for lunch, and hang out around Inman Park or Krog again later. We’d also have a Buckhead day: breakfast at Flying Biscuit or Pancake Social, browsing stores at Lenox or Buckhead Village, and grabbing dinner at somewhere fun like Antico for pizza. We’d end the trip with coffee or pastries at Bread & Butterfly, walking around Grant Park, checking out the MLK Historic District, and finishing with something fun like Dave & Buster’s at The Battery or catching a Braves game if they’re in season.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Soul Supplies would like to dedicate their shoutout to Emory Paul, the founder of this organization, whose unwavering support and mentorship helped shape this upcoming generation’s journey and purpose in dedicating their services to the homeless. He founded the organization in high school, and the guidance he offered allowed us future leaders of Soul Supplies to create an impact across the communities of Atlanta. We are endlessly grateful for the wisdom he shared as well as the example he set that allowed us to step into his shoes and change our community for the better.

Website: https://www.soulsupplies.org/

Instagram: @soulsuppliesatlanta

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/soulsupplies/

Twitter: @soulsuppliesatl

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soulsuppliesatlanta