Cars wait in line for food and water donations before the storm hits Atlanta

Описание: (23 Jan 2026)
RESTRICTIONS SUMMARY

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Atlanta - 23 January 2026

1. A volunteer putting a pack of water bottles in a car
2. Various of cars waiting in line for food donations
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Karen Thrash, Atlanta resident:
"I'm here because the storm is coming and the access to where I live is very difficult because I live on the back street of a main street. And it's important that I pick up now because we might not get to the store and I'm low on food and I only get 24 dollars worth of food stamp, me and my husband. So it's important that I come here to get help. I might not get anything later on."
4. Volunteer putting a pack of water bottles in a car
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Karen Thrash, Atlanta resident:
"The shelves are very empty. Most of the major store, Walmart, Publix, Krogers, the stores are being wiped out."
6. Various of empty shelves in the water aisle at a Publix in southern Atlanta
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Lakeia Blackmon, Atlanta resident:
"This has been such a marvelous help like we didn't have anything. This is going to get us through the storm."
8. A volunteer moving donations to the curb
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Afemo Omilami, COO of non-profit Hosea Helps:
"This is what is going to help people mix they food out, make their coffee, their tea, keep warm, heat up a little."
10. Various of contents of donations
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Afemo Omilami, COO of non-profit Hosea Helps:
"What is going on today is a food and water give out in response to a storm that's coming to our city. People called us yesterday worried, concerned, frightened, saying 'We don't have the money to buy what we need and we're afraid the storm is gonna catch us, and, we need help."
12. Mid of water bottles on the floor
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Afemo Omilami, COO of non-profit Hosea Helps:
"Our city is not a storm city, one snowflake can send people into a terror. So I get it. They're afraid they're going to be caught short. And we don't want that to happen."
14. Wide of cars waiting in line
STORYLINE:
Dozens of cars waited in line to pick up food and water donations in Atlanta ahead of the upcoming winter storm.

Donations include canned produce, peanut butter, pasta and apple sauce.

Karen Thrash is a 74-year-old retiree who lives in Atlanta. Because she is on a back street, she is worried that she won't be able to make it outside after the storm hits.

"We might not get to the store and I'm low on food," she said. Thrash said she gets $24 worth of food stamps every month. "It's important that I come here to get help. I might not get anything later on," she added.

The COO of the non-profit Hosea Helps, Afemo Omilami said he organized the donations because Atlanta residents needed assistance.

"People called us yesterday worried, concerned, frightened, saying 'We don't have the money to buy what we need and we're afraid the storm is gonna catch us, and, we need help," he said.

Thrash said most of the stores are being "wiped out" and the shelves are "very empty."

"Our city is not a storm city," Omilami said. "One snowflake can send people into a terror. So I get it. They're afraid they're going to be caught short. And we don't want that to happen."

Omilami said he had approximately 200 boxes ready to be pickep up, but wasn't sure how long they would last.

AP Video by Emilie Megnien

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