"A mother in rural Tennessee woke up today and counted what was left in her pantry. Half a box of cereal. Two cans of green beans. No milk. No bread."
We're building one place — food, clothing, a shower, a computer to fill out a job application, and a mentor who shows up for six months — so no one has to solve it all alone. Free. Private. No judgment.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau · Tennessee Department of Health
We posted about The Hand Up Hub in DeKalb County Happenings. This is what came back.
"A modest 5% dip in what Warren County spends on crime each year would fund this Hub twice over."
Based on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's $11.65M annual county crime-cost estimate.
Not open yet — we're building toward this, piece by piece.
Client-choice groceries
Building towardFree clothing, all ages
Building towardPrivate, dignified hygiene
Building towardJob apps & benefit forms
Building towardRentable plots, fresh food
Building towardTool lending, library-style
Building towardBudgeting, job readiness, repair
Building towardSix months of one-on-one help
Building towardFounder Stacy Pollard developed and personally tested this approach while helping people directly, before writing a single grant application.
Food, clothing, and navigation support delivered directly, one household at a time, with no building and no budget.
A single community post generated volunteer offers, garden donations, and requests to know when doors open.
The Hand Up Hub is pursuing formal nonprofit status to make every donation go further.
It starts with the first roof — and the first roof starts with you.