Reflection of Trinity’s vision is to build stronger communities through service and to be the leading model nonprofit in the fight against hunger, assuring that no family goes hungry. This is accomplished all while keeping an eye to continually adding services and programs to better meet the plethora of challenges at-risk and marginalized families face daily.
The organization is the brainchild of Founder Laurie Wong, who felt a calling in 2000 to respond to the benevolent needs of her community. At that time, there were no other charitable programs or active nonprofits serving her neighbors in Powder Springs, a community surrounded by those struggling with poverty and need. Used clothing drives to distribute items to the poor and thrift community sales benefitted hundreds of impoverished households. Community support and a growing volunteer base resulted in opening a brick-and- mortar Reflections of Trinity Thrift Store in 2003. In addition to selling donated items to secure program funding, the thrift shop was an opportunity for those in need to receive clothing, furniture, and household necessities at no charge – and with dignity.
Joined by dedicated volunteers, Reflections continued to aid other nonprofits with meals and resources, supporting the missions of Safehouse Outreach, Seven Bridges and other agencies working to alleviate hunger and poverty in the Atlanta area, preparing and serving over 3,000 meals each year, over a decade, to the homeless. Reflections has always been the very essence of meaningful community collaboration; faithfully aiding individuals and sister nonprofit organization wherever and whenever there was a need. In 2005 when thousands were displaced by Hurricane Katrina and came to Cobb County, Reflections donated the entire inventory of the thrift shop to victims in need. Again in 2009, when nearby Austell was struck with horrific floods, causing hundreds to lose their homes, Reflections temporarily closed the thrift store to offer it as a centralized donation center. All the contents of the store were given to flood victims, depleting the entire store.
The community responded in kind after this generous outpouring: the inventory was completely replenished within two months after giving it all away.
Over the years, Reflections has been a first responder in every major hurricane in the U.S. and abroad, transporting thousands of food items, bottled water and human essentials to the people of Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, as well as over 26,000 lbs. of water, diapers, and necessities to Puerta Rico residents in 2017 after a hurricane ravaged that island. Reflections has been quietly on the forefront of every major disaster since its inception. Most recently, Reflections reacted with speed to the devastation in Florida caused by Hurricane Ian in late September 29=022 and sent 8 pallets of water--—13,824 bottles of water-- to displaced Floridians.
Depleting the thrift store inventory in response to Hurricane Katrina was the catalyst that led to another opportunity to raise funds for the community. Reflections’ leadership saw the opportunity for increased funding through online used product sales, leading them to the Internet in 2005 to launch the Reflections of Trinity eBay store. It quickly gained traction and was even recognized in 2016 by eBay as the Grand Prize Winner of the inaugural “eBay Shine Awards” for charitable community impact and business performance on the eBay platform. Online sales allow for a national and international audience, expanding the organization’s footprint significantly across the globe. Reflections is often called upon to consult on best practices and successful online sales for nonprofits.
With the combined retail and online sales success fueling nearly all the organization’s funding, Reflections established the Reflections Food Pantry adjacent to the retail store in 2012, providing healthy and free groceries to those in need in Powder Springs and surrounding communities. Over the last 10 years, the food pantry has grown in scope, volunteers and supporting partners, distributing fresh and nonperishable food to over 500,000 individuals, an estimated 10,000,000,000 lbs. of food. A dedicated and robust volunteer network supports over 1,200 families each week with three distinct food programs providing a healthy assortment of perishables and non-perishables from each food group to young and old, ensuring that no household struggles with food insecurity. In June 2021, the food pantry gained an additional 6,000 sq. ft. by converting the retail thrift store into a new food pantry space to adequately serve our existing clients and expand our community reach in underserved regions. The thrift store downsized to 1,500 sq. ft and remains in the same retail center.
Although not widely known, today Reflections provides more food to Cobb County’s hungry than any other nonprofit organization in the region. In 2021, the pantry distributed close to 3 million lbs. of food, serving over 55,000 unique individuals. The organization is on track to surpass that number in 2022, in large part due to the ongoing residual economic impact of COVID on the area’s working poor, as well as skyrocketing food prices. Today Reflections provides food to over 6,900 unique individuals each month and has served 39 Georgia Counties.
Food insecurity refers to a household that lacks access to enough food--and only limited or irregular availability of nutritious foods, for each member of the household to be adequately nourished and healthy. The relationship between food, economic security, and public health is interrelated. When family incomes drop, food insecurity rates rise, directly impacting health and nutrition. According to the USDA, more than 34 million people, including 9 million children, in the United States are food insecure. Many households that experience food insecurity do not qualify for federal nutrition programs and must visit their local food banks and rely other food programs to combat hunger.
The number of children experiencing hunger in our community is frightening. The most recent census data (2020) for the metro Atlanta region’s 29 counties estimate that 11% of children are food insecure and 16% of children face going to school hungry each day. The Atlanta Community’s Food Bank finds that those statistics have not improved. An estimated 53% of Georgia public-school students will qualify for and truly need free lunches during the 2022-2023 school year.
Located in Powder Springs in the South Cobb County region often referred to as the “Red Zone” due to high under and unemployment, low earnings, hunger and Title 1 schools with dismal literacy and graduation rates, Reflection’s primary focus is serving those living in surrounding Powder Springs neighborhoods. But no one in need is ever turned away when seeking aid and encounter data gathered remarkably reflects that residents of 39 unique Georgia counties have turned to Reflections of Trinity for aid. In addition to Cobb, the highest concentration of Georgians benefitting from food distribution and Reflections of Trinity’s largest food distribution initiative occurs each Saturday and is open to the public, 8:30 am – 12:00 pm. Food is distributed via a volunteer-manned, drive-through format.
Each client/family receives an 85-100 lbs. box of assorted fresh and non-perishable foods, (fruits, vegetables, bread, meat, snacks, and canned goods), It is estimated the contents of the box could sustain an individual for a week or more, and 3 days or more for a family of four.
Most of the food is sourced from the Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB) where Reflections is ranked as one of the top 3 food distribution agencies in the ACFB distribution region.
Each month, approximately 2300 unique families/individuals receive food through our efforts. There are an estimated 852,574 in the 29-county metro Atlanta area experiencing food insecurity, according to the Inspire Foundation and the Georgia Senate Food Insecurity Roundtable. Reflections of Trinity is effectively feeding nearly 28,000 of them each year and are only limited in aiding the rest by the available donations of dollars and goods.