Brownieland Pictures September Volunteer Project with Lost-n-Found Youth

For our September Volunteer Project, the Brownieland Team collected and donated items to Lost-n-Found Youth (LNFY), an Atlanta nonprofit with a mission to end homelessness for all LGBTQ youth by providing them with the skills and support needed to live independently. Since 2011, LNFY has served a ​critical need​ in the Atlanta community. Year after year, LNFY has welcomed youth into its drop-in center and has been able to move hundreds of young adults from homelessness to independent living. Proceeds from the Lost-n-Found Thrift Store support street outreach, a youth center, and transitional housing for homeless LGBTQ youth.

October is one of Lost-n-Found Youth’s favorite months of the year. LNFY will open the month with its inaugural ​”Running for Home” Virtual 5K​, happening October 4th through 11th. Proceeds from the race will directly support LNFY’s programs and services and help offset the decrease in contributed revenue typically received from the organization’s annual gala that was canceled due to COVID-19. Lost-n-Found Youth (LNFY) will celebrate Atlanta Pride 2020 with a series of events, beginning October 1st and running through the end of the month. Additionally, Lost-n-Found will participate for the first time in ​Atlanta Celebrates Photography​,​ the month-long, citywide photography festival by holding exhibits at the Lost-n-Found Thrift Store and Park Avenue Baptist Church in Grant Park. The exhibits will include work by acclaimed Atlanta photographer, ​John Stephens​ , and photography by Lost-n-Found youth. 

Lost-n-Found Youth (LNFY) is the outgrowth of Saint Lost and Found, an LGBTQ homeless youth fund project of the Atlanta Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. There are approximately 3,374 homeless youth sleeping on the streets of Atlanta on any given night. Twenty-eight percent of those individuals are LGBTQ+, leaving over 950 homeless LGBTQ+ youth on the streets of Atlanta. That’s where Lost-n-Found Youth steps in. LNFY provides the following services for its clients: case management, treatment adherence, skills-building workshops, mental and physical health support, transitional housing, clothing vouchers, street outreach, recreational activities, three daily meals, showers, and HIV/STI screening. LNFY provides an environment free of bias and harassment with access to culturally competent services and care that affirms their identities. Learn more about this incredible nonprofit HERE and how you can get involved HERE.