When Buckhead Shows Up
Each holiday season, the Buckhead Rotary and Livable Buckhead Ham Haul brings neighbors together around a shared purpose: to say thank you to the police officers and firefighters who serve Buckhead year round. What makes the Ham Haul special is not only the meals delivered, but the residents who give their time to make it happen.
In 2025, dozens of volunteers packed, organized, and delivered complete holiday dinners across Buckhead. Families volunteered together, turning the day into a tradition rooted in service and gratitude. Neighbors from a range of organizations teamed up with community partners to make each delivery feel personal and genuine. Volunteers handled everything from early morning setup to driving neighborhood routes and personally delivering meals to stations and precincts. In total, the effort delivered dozens of full holiday dinners and logged hundreds of hours of service, reinforcing the close relationship between residents and first responders. Among the many Buckhead residents who volunteered were people whose commitment to service extends well beyond a single day.
Elizabeth Gill, a past president of the Rotary Club of Buckhead, joined fellow volunteers as a delivery elf. Her participation reflects years of advocacy for local firefighters through the club’s long standing partnership with the Atlanta Fire Rescue Foundation.
Rosa McHugh and her family also volunteered during the Ham Haul. As President and CEO of the Chastain Park Conservancy, Rosa is widely known for bringing people together through public space and community investment. Her family’s involvement reflects the same belief that community is built through participation.
The Starling family volunteered together as well. Denise Starling, Executive Director of Livable Buckhead and a past president of the Buckhead Rotary Club, was joined by her husband Michael and their son Will, home from college. Their involvement highlighted the multigenerational nature of the Ham Haul and the leadership that sustains it.
Kristin Adams and her son have made the Ham Haul a meaningful family tradition. A Buckhead resident and member of the Buckhead Coalition, Kristin’s son later wrote one of his college application essays about first responders as leaders in community life, shaped by his experiences with the Holiday Ham Haul.
The Ham Haul goes beyond food. It builds goodwill, strengthens relationships, and reinforces a shared sense of responsibility across Buckhead. Each delivery represents neighbors thanking neighbors and residents recognizing the people who keep the community safe. From first time volunteers to long time Rotarians, the 2025 Buckhead Rotary and Livable Buckhead Ham Haul showed what happens when a community comes together with intention.
