During the holiday season, Georgia charter schools are demonstrating a remarkable commitment to supporting families and their local communities. From food drives and meal box programs to holiday gift initiatives, students, families, staff, and board members are coming together to provide essential resources and bring joy to those in need. Their efforts reflect a shared dedication to service, compassion, and community engagement, making a meaningful difference across the state. 

Schools making an impact include Westside Atlanta Charter School, Sankofa Montessori, Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School, Georgia Fugees Academy Charter School, Four Points Preparatory Academy, Amana Academy North Fulton, The Main Street Academy, and Baconton Community Charter School.  

Westside Atlanta Charter School
During November, Westside Atlanta Charter School came together in an incredible way to support its school community. Each class participated in the annual food drive by contributing items from a designated list, enabling counselors and the Family Engagement Coordinator to assemble complete Thanksgiving meal baskets for families in need. In addition to the food donations, the school’s staff generously raised $650, which allowed the purchase of 22 turkeys to accompany each basket. Thanks to this effort, Westside prepared 22 full Thanksgiving meal boxes to be distributed to families needing extra support this holiday season. 

The school is deeply grateful for the compassion, teamwork, and generosity shown by students, families, and staff. This initiative reflects the strength of the Westside community and its commitment to caring for one another. 

Baconton Community Charter School
Baconton Community Charter School is actively supporting families in need through several community service initiatives this season. The school is hosting both a food drive and an Operation Christmas Child campaign through partnerships with the Boy Scouts and the Union Baptist Church. Baconton’s middle school students are assembling shoeboxes for children who may not receive gifts during the holidays, in collaboration with Samaritan’s Purse. 

This month, the school will launch a shoe drive to collect new or gently worn shoes for individuals in need, further demonstrating its commitment to service and community support. 

Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School
Over the past month, Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School organized a community-wide food drive to support Atlanta Public Schools’ Food Hub. Thanks to the sustained generosity of ANCS families and staff, the school delivered a full carload of food each week for three consecutive weeks, helping ensure that families across the district had consistent access to essential items. 

In addition to food donations, the school collected $9,700 in grocery gift cards for ANCS families. Recipients were identified either by reaching out to the school directly or through staff who recognized a need and connected them with assistance. 

The school’s annual Holiday Helper program is also underway. This year, ANCS is providing toys, gas cards, and grocery cards to 49 families, including 80 students, to help ease financial strain and ensure students’ basic needs are met during the holiday season. 

Four Points Preparatory Academy
Four Points Preparatory Academy partnered with the Town of Braselton and several local public schools to support families participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. 

Georgia Fugees Academy Charter School
Board members at Georgia Fugees Academy Charter School, along with friends and neighbors, pitched in to assemble family boxes filled with rice, beans, fruits, pasta, and other pantry staples. The collective effort resulted in the delivery of 75 boxes to assist families in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and others in need. 

Amana Academy
During the holiday season, Amana Academy North Fulton’s Parent Teacher Organization operates a small food and support pantry for families and hosts a school-wide food drive. Families also receive holiday gifts through a partnership with North Point Community Church. 

Locally approved charter schools like Amana Academy’s Alpharetta campus do not receive a matched Direct Certification list from the Department of Education, so some students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals through SNAP or Medicaid could otherwise miss out. To address this, the school manually verified all 730 students in the DOE’s Direct Certification portal, ensuring that approximately 60 students previously overlooked were able to access these meal benefits. 

The Main Street Academy
The Main Street Academy collaborated with a local organization to provide Thanksgiving meals for seven families. The donor organization chose to remain anonymous. 

Sankofa Montessori
Sankofa Montessori marked November with an impressive food drive that collected more than 2,700 donated items. The generosity of families and staff across the school community showcased the powerful impact that can occur when people unite to support one another. 

The drive served several meaningful purposes. Sankofa families and staff were invited to “shop” from the collected items to help meet household needs, ensuring immediate support within the school community. Remaining donations will be delivered to the Clayton County Community Services Authority, helping stock local pantries and extending the effort’s reach beyond the school.