Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Heather Young. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Heather, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
Six years ago I noticed a huge need with our Unhoused population. While working Corporate America, I would take a cart filled with PBJ and water and get to know the community. My desire to start a Non profit grew and with the help of the Foundation Group, they did the paperwork and I saved my money to pay the IRS. I gave up my full time job thanks to a supportive husband and started on this journey of helping people. What started out with a cart has led to two vans to serve, three teams and a warehouse to serve the community with food, clothing and necessities. We have planted five blessing boxes throughout the community to support those needing food. We serve over 2000 individuals monthly. Our goal is to not only feed the body but feed the soul. We offer Recovery services and help with Identification cards and employment by purchasing bus tickets and uniforms. We believe that Mental health is ESSENTIAL is helping one heal, we help with funding for their medicine. Our Mission is to love people right where they are with no judgement. We have taken over 75 to recovery and watched individuals move off the streets.
Heather, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Battling Depression as a child, I never wanted anyone to feel unloved or unwanted. I Growing up in New Jersey,I would see so many Unhoused at the Bus station in New York and I was drawn to them. I understood feeling broken and invisible. This was my dream to help others living on the streets. I would find myself feeding individuals, dropping warm clothes off to various individuals.I always thought starting a Non profit was out of reach and impossible. Though people felt I was taking on a mountain, I was determined to accomplish this goal. One thing I learned quickly was to stand firm in your dreams and belief of believing in yourself. You have to have thick skin and be your biggest cheerleader. I wanted to not only impact the community but truly change the stereotype of giving back to nonprofits. Demonstrating the utmost integrity is key and being extremely transparent with your financials and donations. We want people to “Invest” in our organization with good faith that it’s run ethically. You are not in it for the money while running an organization. I believe the trust with the community is an essential piece to the puzzle. Letting each individual know you truly care and this is not a photo op nor a publicity stunt. It’s the genuineness of wanting to change a life for the better. Our group of Volunteers are first rate, they work so hard with each individual to get them to the next level. What I want most for people to learn about me is being real. Really give from your heart, Really listen to meet the needs and Really stand out with Integrity to make a difference. People will follow.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
While serving our community we get to witness first hand the fruits of our Labor. One individual named Roger was laying on the sidewalk in absolute pain. His Ulcer was rupturing through his stomach. We put him in an ambulance and the Dr. called and stated had it been twenty minutes later, he would have died. While in the hospital for two weeks, we purchased new clothes and took the steps to get him into a halfway house in order to recover. Because if social media we were able to share the situation with Roger and get the needed funding to help.we purchased his medicine, color coded each one to help him know when to take it. We also helped him with filling out applications for jobs. During this time, Roger healed and got a full time job and health benefits. By building the relationships and having the funding, this is just one story of lives changing.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Building a captive audience with nonprofits is key to getting Financial support, a platform and followers. Pictures are great, always getting permission first is respectful. But what your audience wants is a story, They want to know the individuals, what is happening and educating themselves. This is a chance to really educate those not understanding your position. Ours being Homelessness, this is a platform to change peoples perception. Also, some are not one to come out to serve but letting others know how they can participate in supporting you. When doing social media, pull the audience you want by tagging them in your post. This allows them to learn about what you are doing and build relationships. Be a “Relationship Builder”, by this I mean work together for the common goal of helping. Don’t belittle or judge other organizations and help each other where you can. I have seen so much in doing this and not all of has been lovely. Be known as the leader who encourages other organizations and is not downgrading yours to look better. Social media is your friend and the possibilities are endless.
Contact Info:
- Website: Allforhimministry.org
- Instagram: Allforhimministry
- Facebook: All for HIM Ministry
- Linkedin: Heather Young