Outreach
The Cathedral of St. Philip has a long history of serving our community through charitable grants, volunteerism, and hosting or attending events that fundraise or raise awareness for Atlanta area nonprofits. Our primary outreach focuses on issues of homelessness and food insecurity.
We are in touch with our various community partners to stay up-to-date about what the Cathedral can provide to help care for our neighbors in need, which changes regularly. For more information about our most urgent needs please view our most recent newsletter. To be added to the Outreach newsletter campaign, please contact Sara Craig-Goodell.
For specific questions about the Cathedral's mission and outreach, please contact the Rev. Canon Julia Mitchener. We have a dedicated team of volunteers called the Community of Outreach Partners (CoOP) that assist with most of the outreach activities at the Cathedral, for example, lunch packings, setting up and serving meals for holiday parties for LaAmistad students and Church of the Common Ground, and volunteering for the PCCI 5K. If you are interested in joining the CoOP team or if you wish to learn more about volunteer opportunities, please contact the Rev. Canon Julia Mitchener.
Please consider making a donation to the Cathedral's Mission and Outreach fund to help us support our community partners and engage the parish in meaningful service. If you wish to support the Cathedral’s outreach ministries by contributing to the outreach endowment fund, please contact David Rocchio. Thank you!
Outreach Partners and Agencies
AID Atlanta
Before Easter, members of our All God's Children community prepare Easter baskets and treats and deliver them to AID Atlanta, a non-profit organization that works to reduce new HIV infections and improve the quality of life for those with HIV/AIDS, including primary care services and housing support. AID Atlanta is also a 2025 Ricks-Wheeler grant recipient.
Bashor Night Shelter
Several parishioners from the Godly Play Parents group volunteer at the Bashor Homeless Men's Shelter, a non-profit shelter open November 1 - March 31. Open seven nights a week, the shelter provides guests with a hot meal, bagged lunch, and breakfast; showers; access to medical and foot care; and recreational activities such as yoga, basketball, and art. One of the things that makes the shelter so unique, is that they are an all-volunteer organization with no paid staff.
BCM Georgia
We provide financial support for BCM Georgia, an organization that prevents homelessness by providing emergency funds for rent and utilities for low-income families. Their Foundation 3 program helps working families that are experiencing or are on the brink of homelessness establish a solid financial foundation. The program targets three essential areas: safe housing, stable employment, and education. Their Budget for Life™ program is a 12-month virtual financial education program that partners with working families to build the skills, habits, and knowledge needed for long-term financial stability. There are multiple volunteer opportunities including as a Budget 4 Life Coach, collecting necessary items for families in financial distress, providing financial educational support, and writing notes of encouragement for participating families.
Buckhead Cares
Buckhead Cares, a satellite office of our long-term outreach partner Intown Cares, is designed to address the gap in emergency and triage services among the growing community of unhoused individuals in Buckhead. Buckhead Cares is funded by the Cathedral in conjunction with Peachtree Road United Methodist Church (PRUMC), the Cathedral of Christ the King, Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church, and the United Way. Currently, one case manager, Tanya Davenport, meets with clients on Tuesdays and Thursdays at PRUMC as well as on Friday mornings. Her work includes help with documentation, benefits applications, transportation, housing, healthcare, and food support. The Cathedral refers multiple individuals to her each week. Plans for 2026 include adding a second social worker to the Buckhead Cares team and perhaps starting a Buckhead area food pantry.
The Boyce L. Ansley School
The Boyce L. Ansley School is a tuition-free private school for children who have experienced homelessness. Their program supports families as they navigate into stable housing and provide tailored education for each child based on their needs with a flexible schedule that can include an extra meal or providing extra time to sleep. Members of St. Monica’s Guild volunteer at the school at the end of the year and provide gift baskets for the hardworking teachers. The Ansley School was the beneficiary of the 2024 Cathedral Giving by Design event.
Church of the Common Ground
The Cathedral provides monthly lunch packings for Church of the Common Ground, (CCG) a church without walls, which provides a Holy Eucharist service and lunch for the unhoused community in Woodruff Park on Sundays. Church of the Common Ground is a ministry of the Diocese of Atlanta. CCG also provides a non-medical foot clinic called Common Soles. Our 25:35 ministry provides lunches one Tuesday a month for the foot clinic (For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.- Matthew 25:35) Volunteers can help with the foot clinic, help pack and deliver lunches, or become a pastoral caregiver. CCG also provides a foot clinic during our annual Homeless Requiem. Please contact the Rev. Canon Julia Mitchener to join the volunteer team for Church of the Common Ground.
Church of the Holy Comforter
Church of the Holy Comforter (CHC) is a ministry of the Diocese of Atlanta which serves a diverse community of worshipers. About 60% of their congregation lives with mental illness. CHC hosts The Friendship Center, an inclusive day program and community that promotes the mental, physical, and spiritual well being of adults marginalized by mental health challenges and poverty. Cathedral volunteers provide lunch and join CHC for worship quarterly. Other volunteer opportunities at CHC are available here.
Crossroads Atlanta
We support Crossroads Atlanta monetarily with end-of-year grants, through participation in the Annual Homeless Requiem, with deliveries of hygiene kits from St. Veronica’s Guild, and several of our parishioners volunteer regularly at their shelter or serve on the board. We also host a bottled water drive for their food pantry during the summer, so their street outreach team can distribute the water to our unhoused neighbors.
El Refugio
El Refugio is the Spanish name for “the refuge.” Volunteers at El Refugio support immigrants at Stewart Detention Center (SDC) and their loved ones through hospitality, visitation, support, and advocacy. Volunteers provide aid — a meal, a bed, gas money — to anyone visiting someone detained at SDC and can also provide legal referrals and advocacy for detainees. The number of immigrants held in detention across the U.S.has reached its highest level on record. As of November 2025 around 65,000 people were locked up in a network of over 200 private and publicly run facilities. Within this network, Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia holds more people than almost any other facility. Our Deacon for Hispanic Ministries and Pastoral Care, Juan Sandoval, visits and offers support and prayer to families staying at El Refugio. The Cathedral also provides monetary support through end-of-year grants.
Read an article about El Refugio from The Marshall Project.
Emmaus House
Emmaus House operates a number of programs to support the residents of Peoplestown and surrounding neighborhoods. These programs include a food pantry, the Lokey Help Center which provides social services, and the CDF Freedom School in the summer, among others. The Cathedral supports Emmaus House in several ways. Volunteers provide and serve dinner for families in the Freedom School program in July, St. Anne’s Guild collects donations for Thanksgiving meals, members of St. Monica’s Guild host a yearly toy drive for the Christmas celebration, and we provide monetary support in the form of yearly grants for other programs that serve our neighbors in need. There are more opportunities to volunteer with Emmaus House, which can be found here.
Habitat for Humanity
Members of the St. Clare’s Guild deliver gift boxes at Christmas to the 27 Habitat for Humanity homes the Cathedral helped build over the years. Remarkably, all but two of the original homeowners still own those homes, and they look forward to the visits and gifts every year.
Intown Cares
Intown Cares helps individuals experiencing homelessness navigate the complex barriers they face to get permanent housing and address food insecurity by providing a food pantry and grocery delivery for families in need. The Cathedral works with Intown Cares in a number of ways. The Cathedral Farmers Market operates the Rescued Crops to Feed our Neighbors program. Each week the market buys unsold crops from their farmers and donates them to the Intown Cares food pantry and shelf stable goods can be dropped off weekly during market hours. There is also a bin for donations year-round in the breezeway of the main entrance to the Cathedral. In addition, the Cathedral hosts a hygiene kit pack several times a year. These hygiene kits are then distributed at the food pantry. Intown Cares staff and guests also participate in the Homeless Requiem.
LaAmistad
Our Cathedral LaAmistad groups have grown significantly this fall, with 32 elementary school aged children and 9 kindergartners participating in this after school program. In September of 2025, the Cathedral received an award from LaAmistad for our long-term commitment to Latino students and families in the community. Parishioners continue to assist in this ministry by providing snacks and tutoring, playing the piano for chapel, organizing holiday parties, and teaching hobbies and skills such as music, fiber arts, and sports.
Mercy Care Atlanta
A number of parishioners with medical expertise are now volunteering at Mercy Care, metro Atlanta’s premier source of free and reduced rate healthcare. Mercy Care also provides free healthcare screenings and vaccinations during the Cathedral’s annual Homeless Requiem. Mercy Care accepts both clinical and non-clinical volunteers to serve their patients, who are provided with medical care regardless of their ability to pay.
Parish Grove
Parish Grove, formerly Cathedral Towers, is dedicated to the mission of low-income senior housing in the heart of Buckhead. In addition to weekly Bible studies and monthly Eucharists, parishioner Dianne Otwell serves as volunteer chaplain. St. Anne’s Guild hosts a monthly birthday party for residents and provides refreshments for special events such as the annual Blessing of the Animals, the Christmas Carol Sing, and the Spring Garden Party. The creation of a special fund by the Cathedral Towers Board has allowed us to provide free tickets to many of the Cathedral’s musical events and the Parish BBQ so that residents may join us for fellowship and fun.
Personal Care Items Ministry
Each year during Epiphany, the St. Veronica’s Guild raises funds to purchase personal care items which are distributed quarterly to Emmaus House, Crossroads Ministries, Church of the Holy Comforter, and Church of the Common Ground. While the bulk of their fundraising is during Epiphany, you can donate any time by clicking here.
Project Community Connections, Inc.
In February, the Cathedral hosts a 5k run benefiting our partner agency Project Community Connections, Inc. (PCCI). The race is designed to raise awareness of homelessness and housing insecurity. The event includes a Kid’s Dash and a festive race village.
Prison Ministry
Numerous guilds contribute money to buy gifts for the women at the Lee Arrendale State Prison at Christmas. We also support Parole Advocates Inc., a non-profit that helps secure parole and/or helps prisoners of non-violent crimes to reenter society with the support and tools they need to be successful. In addition, Parole Advocates Inc. raises public awareness of issues facing the criminal justice system in the State of Georgia.
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Other Mission and Outreach Programs:
Cathedral Giving by Design
Cathedral Giving by Design, formerly known as the Antiques Show, is an annual event held at the Cathedral for the past 54 years. This event, chaired, supported, and organized by members of the Episcopal Church Women, is a fundraiser with a beneficiary chosen each year by a committee of Cathedral members. The two-day event takes place in January and celebrates home and hospitality. To date, this event has raised nearly $7 million for non-profit organizations in Atlanta.
Cathedral Scholars
The Cathedral Scholars program aims to provide financial, vocational, communal, and spiritual support to members of the Cathedral of St. Philip's community who seek to further their educational goals. Thanks to the generosity of so many parishioners, twenty-two young women and men, who otherwise would not be able to attend college, will be attending with the help of a scholarship from the Cathedral.
Discretionary Fund for the Needy
The first Sunday of every month, the loose offering benefits our discretionary fund for the needy. This program allows the Cathedral to provide emergency funds for families and individuals in the Cathedral community who are experiencing homelessness, food insecurity, medical crises, or other situations that have created a sudden financial hardship.You can support this ministry by making a donation here.
Episcopal Church Women (ECW)
The Episcopal Church Women guilds are made up of a community of Cathedral women, usually with a common interest or mission. Many of the ECW guilds support a specific outreach ministry or organization. Every woman in the Cathedral parish is welcome to join any of the guild or ECW hosted events.
Homeless Requiem
The Annual Homeless Requiem which takes place in November for All Saints’ Day, is a solemn service in memory of unhoused individuals who have died in the past year. Transportation to and from the Cathedral is provided for guests, Atlantans currently experiencing homelessness, from various shelters and Woodruff Park so they may join us for this special service. Before the Requiem, guests are welcome to visit community providers for free healthcare screenings, a foot clinic, clothing closet, and more, then enjoy a warm, communal meal. Following dinner is a choral prelude in the Cathedral, followed by the Requiem service itself. You can support this ministry year-round by donating here.
Ricks-Wheeler Fund Grants
The proceeds of the James Wynn Ricks, Jr. and Kenneth Wayne Wheeler Fund, a gift of the late Jim Ricks, are designated to support programs and activities which minister to persons living with HIV/AIDS. The amount available for disbursement each year now exceeds $30,000, and grant requests are reviewed by a committee of Cathedral parishioners. While engaging with our community partners by volunteering and serving with them, the Cathedral also contributes monetarily to ensure stability for our partners’ ongoing efforts to serve our neighbors. 2025 Ricks-Wheeler Grant recipients include Aid Atlanta, H.E.R.O for Children, Open Hand Atlanta, Positive Impact Health Centers, and Status: Home. Applications to receive a grant open in February.
Youth Mission Week
Participants in Youth Mission Week engage in relational ministries with a number of our community partners for one week over the summer. For more information about the Cathedral's youth programs, please contact Keith Dumke, Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries.