Meet Heather Young

Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Young.

Hi Heather, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As a child, I dreamed of helping others. Six years ago, I bought a teacher cart from a garage sale and filled it with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I began walking the streets of Nashville feeding our unhoused community. I had the incredible opportunity to build relationships and see a growing need. I decided I wanted to start a nonprofit, I saved my money for the IRS fee. We became an official nonprofit.

From my serving cart to a small table, to now three locations, three teams we have grown. I had dreamed of a van, and I prayed for one, we now have TWO that have been donated. We also have a warehouse that not only serves our unhoused community but serves those entering in recovery, getting out of jail, and those in need. We provide food, clothing, sheets, hygiene, and the needed supplies for their next chapter. We have also built three blessing boxes that serve our community. This includes basic food, laundry detergent, hygiene to help those struggling. We serve over 1300 people monthly, send people home on greyhounds, assist those to recovery, purchase glasses and work uniforms for those getting off the street or trying. This also includes bus passes, phones, and work shoes.

Our goal is not only to feed, it is to build a relationship with those in need. Reminding them that they matter, they are important and they CAN change their story.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This has not been a smooth road, this has included blood, sweat, and tears to get this going. Some struggles were not being known and therefore not enough funding to help. I took a part-time job to provide for this ministry so we could meet the needs.

Another was being the new kid on the block and not as big as the other organizations so it was intimidating to come to serve with a much larger scale of items. This has since changed. It is the constant work to tell others about your passion for helping others, to have them believe in this mission in order to get the needed funding. But I believe people can “feel” your passion and we can share our success stories. Lastly, it is a constant challenge to educate others on why we do what we do. We get so much pushback about “they can just go get a job” or “they are nothing but drunks.”

We are constantly educating our community about being unhoused. Everyone has a story and it is much more entailed than “just getting a job.” I will spend the rest of my life educating and showing compassion.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Coming from a retail management career, I was blessed to be awarded the Top 100 store managers in the company, Speak to the corporate office about building a team and customer experience. I was chosen to do training videos and take a heavy theft store off the target list.

This has created a path for our nonprofit. Leading a team of those passionate about helping others, being organized, and keeping the integrity of doing what is right no matter what. I am known for being real, passionate, and genuine. I take pride in building relationships with our friends and not just handing them a bag of food and leaving. It’s building trust and showing up. One of the proudest moments in doing this is meeting a gentleman named John. He was down on his luck, living on the streets for various reasons and getting to know him weekly. A month after the meeting, he wanted help and asked to go to recovery.

From there John Soared into the beautiful human I knew he really was. He has been sober for over nine months, running a men’s program and we were able to have a vehicle donated to him. I look at him, and I am thankful that we just did not hand him a bag but really took the time to know him. He is now impacting so many and my heart is full. We have so many success stories that keep me pushing harder to help others. I believe what sets me apart is determination and wanting others to know they matter.

They are somebody, a simple hug, smile or an encouraging word really does make a difference. This was my heart’s desire and a dream and I am thankful to turn this into a reality.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
We love volunteers! We love having our youth come and serve with us. Our goal for them is to help change their thinking about homelessness. We have the pleasure of working with schools for service hours. We always need help with our warehouse in sorting, making hygiene bags.

We are always needing financial support to keep doing what we do. We have monthly donors, one can add us on Amazon Smile, Kroger grocery stores. We are always looking for men’s clothing, tents, sleeping bags, and canned items. The need is never-ending and we truly appreciate every donation.

Contact Info:

• Email: allforhim2018@gmail.com
• Website: allforhimministry.org
• Instagram: allforhimministry
• Facebook: doingitallforhim

Image Credits
Kim Tucker at Love it Salon.