Mission Agape has introduced a number of impactful community programs since its inception in 2011. The non-profit provides more than 30,000 meals to the homeless and underprivileged in numerous counties. It collaborates with city governments and community groups to stock local food pantries and distribute grocery boxes. It networks with various state, county and city officials - such as outgoing Lilburn City Councilmember Yoon-Mi Hampton – to provide resources for the needy, too.
“Our programs have garnered appreciation from governments, community partners and their beneficiaries,” said Xavier Kim, Mission Agape’s Care Program Director. “Our ultimate objective is to empower the homeless, foster self-sufficiency and fulfill lives.”
In Lilburn, our police department has benefitted twice from Mission Agape’s “Love Jacket” program. This past holiday season, Agape representatives visited LPD headquarters to donate winter coats to the department. Officers keep the coats in their patrol vehicles to distribute when they come across someone homeless or in need of warm clothing.
The 2023 holiday season marked the second consecutive year that Mission Agape has hosted the Love Jacket program in Lilburn. For that, the nonprofit is our January Citizen of the Month.
Since 2015, Mission Agape has distributed more than 6,000 new coats via mission partners like the Lilburn Police Department and like-minded charities. The jackets distributed last year were purchased during the Las Vegas Apparel Show held in June.
Mission Agape, with its volunteer force of some 50 members and executive team, stands ready to serve in 2024. The organization delivers sandwiches weekly to the Atlanta Mission Center and Salvation Army shelter in downtown Atlanta. They serve the Hispanic community’s day laborers with sandwiches and chicken soup. And the hope is to initiate mental health counseling for those who can least afford it in the community.
“All these programs will be sustained in 2024,” Kim said.