To support its mission of feeding food insecure neighbors in Tucker, NETWorks Cooperative Ministry will be hosting a fundraising golf tournament on May 11.
NETWorks is a cooperative of churches throughout Northlake, Embry Hills, and Tucker meeting the food and financial needs of neighbors and partnering with them to find long-term solutions to poverty.
Every neighbor NETWorks serves receives 75 pounds of food per household member a month, which they can “buy” at the organization’s food pantry on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Each member gets to shop the pantry like they would a grocery store, choosing what their family wants and needs.
Anyone who lives in NETWorks’ service area, has a child who attends school in the service area, is a member of one of the 21 partner churches, or self-discloses as homeless is eligible for food assistance from NETWorks. However, non-members are never turned away without help.
“If somebody comes and they don’t fit into any of those criteria, we don’t let them go away hungry,” Stephanie Shapiro, the Director of Development at NETWorks, told Rough Draft. “We still give them food and we give them resources for a food pantry that’s closer to where they live.”
Related story: Welcome Co-op in Tucker adapts to changing needs of refugees
Even if a member exceeds their pound allotment for the month, they are still provided with a pre-packed bag of groceries. Shapiro says this is because NETWorks operates within a trauma-informed framework.
“When people come here and they’ve suffered from food insecurity, that’s a trauma, and it takes a while to overcome that trauma,” she said. “So, the first shopping trips that they have here, they want to gather as much food as possible because they’re afraid that they’re not going to see food again.”
The organization also has mobile food pantries in 21 partner churches across the area, a financial assistance program for people potentially facing eviction, and a hydroponic farm where the organization’s volunteers and staff grow fresh produce, greens, and herbs. This produce is used to stock the food pantry and sold at the Tucker Farmers Market and local restaurants. For people living without an address, NETWorks offers mail service so that they can receive benefits checks and register to vote.
In 2025, the organization distributed nearly 500,000 pounds of food, or 406,000 meals, across the Tucker area and provided $135,000 in financial assistance. From January to March of this year alone, NETWorks has assisted over 1,000 households.
NETWorks Cooperative Ministry will be fundraising to support this work on May 11 with the Putting Out Hunger golf tournament at Heritage Golf Links. The tournament is beginner-friendly with a scramble format and mulligans available for purchase.
All registrations include cart and green fees, access to the driving range, breakfast from Chick-Fil-A, and lunch from Baldinos. Shapiro said the organization aims to raise $30,000 with the event, a goal she believes the Tucker community will rally around and achieve.
“Tucker just comes together and shows up for stuff,” she said. “It’s such an awesome town. I’m so proud to be a resident and see what we can do. It’s just going to be a wonderful event.”
For those who cannot attend the tournament, Shapiro says the organization is always in need of cash and food donations. More information can be found on the NETWorks Cooperative Ministry website.
