East Cobb News

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Cobb Community Foundation (CCF) proudly announces the astounding success of the 2025 Match Magic Giveathon. Over a three-week campaign ending December 2, the community rallied to raise $1,710,586 for 27 Cobb County nonprofits—shattering the initial $1 million goal and doubling last year’s results. Nonprofits raised $1,572,643, and with the $137,943 match pool, the total impact will help families access food and basic needs, support children’s education, and provide housing, safety, and health services for neighbors across Cobb County.

Cobb Community Foundation’s crowdsourcing efforts have grown by leaps and bounds—from $71,000 in 2023 to $800,000 in 2024, and now $1.7 million in 2025—a 112% increase over last year’s already successful campaign and a powerful testament to the community’s generosity.

“While some donations to Match Magic come from existing supporters, last year we learned that 66% of donors were new and 75% of returning donors gave more,” says Shari Martin, President and CEO of Cobb Community Foundation. “It’s been our goal since 2018 to replace the $1.2 million once awarded to nonprofits through the County. Thanks to Corporate Champion grants and Match Magic, we’re getting very close.”

HOW MATCH MAGIC MADE HISTORY

Selecting Nonprofits and Building the Match Pool

“Out of 50 applicants, a panel of 30 trained community leaders selected 27 nonprofits,” says CCF Director of Programs, Lisa-Ruth Karnes. “These organizations serve critical areas including food security, education, housing, health, the arts and animal welfare.”

The Match Pool was once again seeded with a generous $50,000 donation from Walton Communities, followed by $25,000 from Genuine Parts Company, and $10,000 each from S.A. White Oil Company and the Pressley Family Charitable Fund. Numerous other donors helped grow the pool to a total of $138,000. “Offering a match of any size always sparks excitement, even a proportional one,” says Karnes, and CCF looks forward to the day when they can raise a pool large enough to offer a 1:1 match.

Exceeding Ambitious Goals

CCF set $1 million as the initial campaign goal. “We were actually a little nervous about meeting that goal,” shares Martin, “but this year’s total surpassed every expectation we had!”

And there are many great success stories to share. Matthew 25:40 Car Care Ministry was the top fundraiser, raising $385,327. These funds will help complete a $1 million facility so they can resume low-cost car repairs for low-income families, especially single moms, with hopes to reopen in early 2026.

In addition, The Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre, Good Samaritan, and Food Security for America each raised over $100,000, and Loving Arms Cancer Outreach came very close. The amounts listed below reflect only the funds raised by each nonprofit through the campaign—not yet including the proportionate matching dollars they will receive from the Match Pool.

Arts, Culture & Humanities

$11,365 – Acworth Cultural Arts Center – Creating a Performing Arts Center for North Cobb
$3,060 – ArtsBridge Foundation – Giving students transformative arts education experiences
$100,625 – Friends of The Strand (Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre) – Helping Cobb students shine on stage

Human Services

$22,835 – Aloha to Aging, Inc. – Empowering families facing Parkinson’s and dementia
$17,775 – Blue Thanksgiving – Supporting law enforcement officers and families in crisis
$87,015 – Circles Cobb – Helping families move from poverty to lasting financial independence
$35,940 – Family Life Restoration Center – Fighting food insecurity in Cobb County
$97,799 – Loving Arms – Supporting cancer patients in crisis
$385,327 – Matthew 25:40 Car Care – Keeping families moving with low-cost auto repairs
$45,437 – Simple Needs GA – Providing basic needs and comfort to families starting over
$13,229 – The Center for Children and Young Adults – Providing safe housing for foster care teens
$30,485 – Tillman House – Helping families achieve financial stability and stay housed

Food & Nutrition

$48,098 – BackPack Blessings, Inc. – Feeding Cobb students over weekends
$141,510 – Food Security for America – Delivering fresh produce to families in need
$59,046 – Reflections of Trinity – Providing weekend meals to at-risk students

Housing

$31,857 – Cobb County Bar Association Children’s Emergency Fund – Helping students and families avoid homelessness
$51,525 – LiveSafe Resources – Offering safety and shelter for domestic violence survivors
$24,555 – Serenade Heights – Providing housing support for single moms and children

Youth Development

$4,685 – Cobb PAL (Police Athletic League) – Empowering youth through sports and mentorship
$15,465 – Four Corners Group – Restoring hope and purpose for youth in crisis

Animal Welfare

$26,220 – Atlanta Humane Society – Keeping pets and families together

Workforce Development

$5,482 – CobbWorks, Inc. – Connecting people to career training and opportunities

Mental Health & Healthcare

$91,400 – Cumberland Counseling Centers – Providing affordable therapy for Cobb families
$120,065 – Good Samaritan – Offering healthcare for the uninsured
$13,845 – Highland Rivers Foundation – Supporting mothers in recovery and healing
$74,798 – NAMI Cobb – Creating a drop-in center for mental health connection
$13,200 – YouthCentric – Helping teens reduce stress and build resilience

A Grateful Nonprofit Community

“This incredible success is truly the result of collaboration at its finest. The nonprofits worked tirelessly to maximize their donations, and of course, our community’s generosity is, as always, overwhelming,” said Martin. 

“This is what we mean when we say we mobilize people, ideas and resources to ACTIVATE GOOD in and around Cobb.”

Looking Ahead

Within the next few days, CCF will be announcing the amounts raised by each of the participating nonprofits as well as the portion of the match pool to be received by each one.  Community members can continue supporting CCF by visiting cobbfoundation.org.

Related:

• Indivisible Cobb launches winter coat and toy drive
• Jim Ellis partners with MUST for 2025 holiday giving campaign
• Veterans service group raises $15K in Cobb golf event
• Michael Paris named 2025 East Cobb Citizen of the Year