Our History

For over 20 years, Reflections of Trinity (Reflections) has offered compassionate services to support local families in crisis, those caught in the cycle of poverty and continually struggling to obtain the most basic human needs: food, clothing, and access to daily living necessities.

The organization is the brainchild of Founder Laurie Wong, who felt a calling in 2000 to respond to the benevolent needs of her community. At that time, there were no other charitable programs or active nonprofits serving her neighbors in Powder Springs, a community surrounded by those struggling with poverty and need. 

Used clothing drives to distribute items to the poor and thrift community sales benefitted hundreds of marginalized households. Community support and a growing volunteer base resulted in opening a brick-and mortar Reflections of Trinity Thrift Store in 2003.

In addition to selling donated items to secure program funding, the thrift shop was an opportunity for those in need to receive clothing, furniture, and household necessities at no charge – and with dignity.

Joined by dedicated volunteers, Reflections continued to aid other nonprofits with meals and resources, supporting the missions of SafeHouse Outreach, Seven Bridges and other agencies working to alleviate hunger and poverty in the Atlanta area, preparing and serving over 3,000 meals each year, for over a decade, to the homeless.

Reflections has always been the very essence of meaningful community collaboration; faithfully aiding individuals and sister nonprofit organization wherever and whenever there was a need. In 2005 when thousands were displaced by Hurricane Katrina and came to Cobb County, Reflections donated the entire inventory of the thrift shop to victims in need. Again in 2009, when nearby Austell was struck with horrific floods, causing hundreds to lose their homes, Reflections temporarily closed the thrift store to offer it as a centralized donation center. All the contents of the store were given to flood victims, depleting the entire store.

The community responded in kind after this generous outpouring: the inventory was completely replenished within two months after giving it all away.

Over the years, Reflections has been a first responder in every major hurricane in the U.S. and abroad, transporting thousands of food items, bottled water and human essentials to the people of Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, as well as over 26,000 lbs. of water, diapers, and necessities to Puerto Rico residents in 2017 after a hurricane ravaged that island. Reflections has been quietly on the forefront of every major disaster since its inception. Most recently, Reflections reacted with speed to the devastation in Florida caused by Hurricane Ian in late September 2022 and sent 8 pallets of water—13,824 bottles of water—to displaced Floridians.

Depleting the thrift store inventory in response to Hurricane Katrina was the catalyst that led to another opportunity to raise funds for the community. Reflections’ leadership saw the opportunity for increased funding through online used product sales, leading them to the Internet in 2005 to launch the Reflections of Trinity eBay store. It quickly gained traction and was even recognized in 2016 by eBay as the Grand Prize Winner of the inaugural “eBay Shine Awards” for charitable community impact and business performance on the eBay platform. Online sales allow for a national and international audience, expanding the organization’s footprint significantly across the globe. Reflections is often called upon to consult on best practices and successful online sales for nonprofits.

With the combined retail and online sales success fueling nearly all the organization’s funding, Reflections established the Reflections Food Pantry adjacent to the retail store in 2012, providing healthy and free groceries to those in need in Powder Springs and surrounding communities. Over the last 12 years, the food pantry has grown in scope, volunteers and supporting partners, distributing fresh and nonperishable food to over 585,000 individuals, an estimated 13,000,000,000 lbs. of food. A dedicated and robust volunteer network supports over 1,200 families each week with three distinct food programs providing a healthy assortment of perishables and non-perishables from each food group to young and old, ensuring that no household struggles with food insecurity.

In June 2021, the food pantry gained an additional 6,000 sq ft by converting the retail thrift store into a new food pantry space to adequately serve our existing clients and expand our community reach in underserved regions. The thrift store downsized to 1,500 sq. ft and remains in the same retail center.

Although not widely known, today Reflections provides more food to Cobb County’s hungry than any other nonprofit organization in the region and is currently the largest partner agency of the Atlanta Community Food Bank. In 2023, the pantry distributed close to 3.9 million lbs. of food, serving over 77,000 unique individuals. The organization is on track to surpass that number in 2024, in large part due to the ongoing residual economic impact of COVID on the area’s working poor, as well as skyrocketing food prices. 

Today Reflections provides food to over 7,800 unique individuals each month and has served 43 Georgia counties within the last 12 months alone.