Who We Are

Our Story

The seeds of the Hope and Dignity Community Center were planted in 2014 when David
Gillespie teamed up with Cliff Dawkins, a Fulton County Chaplain and well-respected caretaker
of the community. It all started with Pastor Cliff cooking burgers and hotdogs in the parking lot of
his church, True Worship Christian Fellowship, while David leveraged his connections to provide
free clothing and hygiene kits.

As time passed, David’s involvement grew deeper. He started working directly with community
members, helping connect them to housing and basic services. In the early days, these efforts
took place in the church’s unpaved parking lot, often on car hoods, vulnerable to that day’s
weather. We began to realize that our work went well beyond just practical assistance; it was
about encouraging a sense of dignity and building hope within the community.

A generous donation in 2017 allowed us to build an actual building! In June 2019, the Hope and
Dignity Community Center opened, providing a more dignified and secure space to offer our
services, and a place dedicated to guiding our community members towards more stable lives.
As we helped our adults find stability, the HDCC also became a place where children could play,
learn, and have fun. In 2022, a generous donor built Angie’s Kitchen, adding to True Worship’s
work to feed the community. Angie’s Kitchen’s team became a key partner of the HDCC, and is
a beacon of light for the entire community.