In Honor of National Good Neighbor Day, Neighbors Bank Names Judi Carlson of Dunwoody, Georgia Inaugural Neighbor of the Year

Longtime food pantry leader wins $20,000 grand prize after more than 30 years serving her community.

Columbia, MISSOURI, Sept. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On National Good Neighbor Day, Neighbors Bank today announced Judi Carlson of Dunwoody, Georgia as the winner of its inaugural Neighbor of the Year contest, a nationwide search to find and celebrate the everyday people who make their communities better. Carlson, longtime director of Malachi's Storehouse who stepped down earlier this year, was selected by public vote from among ten finalists and will receive the $20,000 grand prize. 

Judi's Story

As the longtime director of Malachi's Storehouse, Carlson led a team of more than 100 volunteers who provided food, clothing, and dignity to those facing hardship in the metro Atlanta area. In 2025 alone, Malachi's distributed 713,000 pounds of food, serving 325 families every week and reaching an estimated 70,000 people over the course of the year. Unlike many area pantries, Malachi’s Storehouse doesn’t restrict its clientele by zip code.

Judi Carlson, Neighbors Bank's 2026 Neighbor Of The Year, volunteering at Malachi's Storehouse in Dunwoody, GA.

Neighbors can shop market-style for groceries, enjoy a hot lunch, and find gently used clothing, even fresh produce from an on-site organic garden. Families are treated as guests, not recipients. What makes Malachi unusual is that roughly a quarter of its volunteers were once clients themselves. They get a t-shirt, join the morning circle, and work alongside everyone else. You would never know who came to give and who once came to receive. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when older volunteers had to step back due to health risks, a group of high school freshmen showed up every Wednesday to haul 55-to-60-pound boxes of food to families coming through. Carlson credits them with keeping Malachi's running. Many of those same young men still return to volunteer when they come home from college. 

Carlson was nominated by Lynn Deutsch, Mayor of Dunwoody, Georgia, who came to her while recognizing that local kids who relied on free and reduced-lunch programs would be hit hardest by a gap in support. Despite not knowing Deutsch personally, Carlson was immediately open to coordinating help with Malachi’s Storehouse. This responsiveness to her community, Deutsch says, speaks to why she nominated her in the first place.

"I hope that bringing recognition to this wonderful outreach ministry of a small church in metro Atlanta will remind people that we are all walking through life together — and that when we come together, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of our neighbors," said Carlson.

Mayor Deutsch had a simple way of summing her up: "Judi has the biggest heart and the most compassion of any human being I've ever met. She has a gift for working with people of all types, in all kinds of places, and frankly just getting the job done."

About Neighbor of the Year

"Getting to hear the stories of all ten finalists was one of the most moving experiences of this entire journey," said Ashley Harris, Director of Homebuyer Education at Neighbors Bank. "These are people who never asked for a spotlight — they just kept showing up for their neighbors, year after year. We hope Judi's story inspires everyone who hears it to look around their own community and ask what they can do for the people right next to them."

The Neighbor of the Year contest launched in August 2026 and drew nominations from 34 states across the country. Ten finalists spanning eight states were selected by a panel of four judges — David Burton, author and creator of Missouri Good Neighbor Week; Leslie Cook, Lead Real Estate Editor at Money.com; Talia Jackson, President and CEO of the Heart of Missouri United Way; and Angela Santomero, creator of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and Blue's Clues. Public voting ran September 14–21. 

About Neighbors Bank

Neighbors Bank is a direct-to-consumer mortgage lender and the #3 USDA Top Originating Lender in the United States according to the USDA's 2026 National Lender of The Year Awards. Founded in 1945 in Clarence, Missouri and headquartered in Columbia, Missouri, the bank specializes in home loans that help make homebuying affordable, accessible, and achievable. Neighbors Bank operates as an online-first lender, serving borrowers in 49 states and Washington, D.C. Member FDIC. NMLS #491986. Equal Housing Lender. Learn more at NeighborsBank.com.

Press Inquiries

Alyssa Patzius
communications [at] neighborsbank.com
https://www.neighborsbank.com/
3621 Discovery Parkway, Suite 115
Columbia, MO 65201

A video accompanying this announcement is available here: https://youtube.com/watch?v=a-M51PgO-FQ