Tag: Nonprofit

Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Healing, Love, Philanthropy, Uncategorized

A Fresh Start

By Moses Malone

Sylvie Lawrence, a ShowerUp Volunteer, speaks about how the non-profit organization ShowerUp serves those that are unhoused or anyone that is in need of a helping hand. They provide mobile showers, hygiene kits, laundry, and personal care items. Their main goal is to spread hope and love to the community of Chattanooga Tennessee.

On a beautiful, chilly morning, amid the city sounds of traffic and train rumbles, laughter and cries of joy fill the streets of Chattanooga, Tennessee. These cheerful groups stand outside a mobile trailer that promises a hot, steamy shower for the unhoused and those who need a helping hand. On the side of the trailer, the word “ShowerUp” reads: a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing hope, love, and compassion to the Chattanooga community.

“ShowerUp, in my own words, is this non-profit that is there for other people…we want to evaluate the dignity that they [the unhoused] already have and let them know what they’re really worth,” said John Justin Lin, a ShowerUp Operational Manager.

ShowerUp’s journey began 10 years ago, when Paul and Rhonda Schmitz handed out sandwiches to the unhoused. They built relationships with people on the streets and realized that they could do more than provide meals. The couple asked themselves: What do people need most? The answer to that wasn’t money, food, or clothes; it was a regular shower. Since then, a mobile community built on compassion has expanded from Nashville, TN, to Chattanooga in June 2023.

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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Diversity, donate, Family, Sustainability

Truly Priceless

Written by Koleby Gilbert

Koleby Gilbert interviews Liz Hutcherson and Nena Beckham about the Chattanooga Free Store, their involvement in it, and the positive impact it has on the community.

On the corner of Dodson Ave. and Ocoee St. sits a quiet, unassuming building with little more than an open sign and organization logo on the storefront. Underneath reads a simple phrase: “Solidarity, not charity.” Take a closer look inside and you’ll be met with clothing racks, a variety of toys, shoes and hygiene products—all without a price tag.

The Chattanooga Free Store is a non-religious, completely volunteer-run organization that actively embraces mutual aid, serving a community of families and friends at least three times a week. Including items like toys, health products, sexual health items, and food from their community fridge, the Free Store is for everyone; no questions, judgment or payment.

Long-time manager and volunteer, Liz Hutcherson, has been a shining beacon of hope, collaboration and strength within the community fostered by the Free Store. 

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