Volunteers renovate Auntie Angie’s House, a home for mothers in need in Albany

ALBANY – About 30 volunteers, most traveling from outside of Albany, spent the day Saturday renovating Auntie Angie’s House, a transitional housing facility and resource center for pregnant women and new mothers in need.

The site is located in east Albany and features residential rooms for mothers, a community garden and soon a resource closet for mothers in the community to get child care necessities.

Volunteers worked from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. painting, planting and reconstructing kitchens and bathrooms.

Angela Stanton-King has a short-lived but storied political background: advocating for incarcerated mothers, running to represent Georgia in Congress and working on the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. presidential campaign. Now, she’s turned her focus to Auntie Angie’s House, which originated in Atlanta but has since established roots in Albany.

“It just feels so good to see that we’re going to address a need in the community,” she said. “It’s kind of like planting a seed and watching it grow into a beautiful flower.”

She looked down at one-year-old baby Genesis in her arms, wearing a bright yellow dress with the words “Auntie Angie’s House” printed across the front.

“This is the end result right here,” Stanton-King said. “And what’s more precious than this?”

Kelena Mott, a 21-year-old from Atlanta, is the mother of one of the first baby’s to be born under the Auntie Angie’s House roof. Mott sought help from the nonprofit after she suffered a gunshot wound while pregnant.

“Everybody turned their backs on me,” Mott said. “I had no one and was in a bad place mentally. She (Stanton-King) just kind of swept me away.”

Mott gave birth to her baby in February 2024 and lived in Auntie Angie’s House for eight months, even making the move from Atlanta to Albany about four months ago.

She said the house, which is free for mother’s, provided her shelter and necessities for her baby, allowing her time to focus on herself, her goals and getting out of a bad situation.

“We didn’t have to worry about a thing,” Mott said. “If you don’t have a roof over your head, you’re worried about a lot. As soon as I came here, I had a peaceful atmosphere.”

She said she also grew a special bond with the other resident staying in the space.

As of Saturday, Mott is living in her first-ever apartment and working with kids at an after-school program.

Atlanta-based volunteer Nia Umoja-Khalid said it important for Auntie Angie’s House to have the mental health component for its mothers and children, but gardening and growing fresh herbs providing a nutrition aspect as well.

“There’s a brain-gut connection,” she said. “What you’re eating, putting into your body, really impacts your overall well-being. We’re providing not only mental health and wellness through this community garden, but also providing a nutritional base that’s going to help nourish the babies.”

While most of the volunteers traveled from Atlanta Saturday, Albany residents from surrounding neighborhoods popped in throughout the day to help out.

Stanton-King said the nonprofit had garnered the support of local contractors and other businesses, including Lowe’s of Albany and Home Depot in Cordele.

Stanton-King said Auntie Angie’s house will be able to serve women again as soon as March 15.