Operation BBQ Relief is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was founded in May 2011 in response to a need for tornado relief efforts in Joplin, Missouri. Competitive pitmasters from nine different states answered the call to feed displaced families and first responders. Together, they were able to serve over 120,000 meals in a 13-day period. This experience of building a network to feed individuals in need has been the inspiration for Operation BBQ Relief. To date, Operation BBQ Relief has provided over 9 million meals throughout the United States and internationally following natural disasters, COVID-19 response, and through The Always Serving Project, benefiting the homeless, first responders, veterans and members of the military.
Operation BBQ Relief has served in many natural disasters but has really touched our area in Tennessee and the surrounding areas.
From November to December, 2016, a fire that began in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park spread to the neighboring communities. This massive fire killed 14 people, destroyed more than 2,000 homes and businesses, and forced the evacuation of approximately 14,000 visitors and residents. Operation BBQ Relief sent its volunteers to share the healing power of BBQ with those impacted. Operation BBQ Relief provided nearly 15,000 meals in just over 3 days.
On March 3, 2020, central Tennessee experienced severe storms and at least one tornado. Initial surveys indicated EF3 tornado damage. The Tennessee Titans organization allowed Operation BBQ Relief to set up a command center outside of Nissan Stadium. For eight days, Operation BBQ Relief provided approx. 125,000 hot BBQ meals and donated uncooked meals to Nashville and its surrounding communities.
In December 2020, Operation BBQ Relief provided meals to first responders and volunteers helping in the clean-up after the Christmas Day bombing in downtown Nashville.
In August 2021 Operation BBQ Relief served over 10,000 meals to families, first responders, and members of the National Guard affected by the catastrophic floods in Waverly, TN.
In December 2021 Operation BBQ Relief deployed to Mayfield, Kentucky to share the one hot meal that matters after a catastrophic EF-5 tornado hit western Kentucky. The communities were decimated with lives lost, and families forced to evacuate their homes. Operation BBQ Relief served over 75,000 meals while also spreading holiday cheer and providing gifts and dinner on Christmas Day.
In April 2022 Operation BBQ Relief again responded to a fire in The Great Smoky Mountains providing approx. 2,500 meals in about a week’s time.
To Learn More Visit https://operationbbqrelief.org/
Operation Stand Down Tennessee is the only comprehensive Veteran-serving agency in middle Tennessee connecting Veterans with careers, community, and crisis services. If you or your spouse served in the military, let Operation Stand Down Tennessee engage, equip, and empower you to succeed.
To date, Operation Stand Down Tennessee has served countless veterans. In the past, our legacy has been to help chronically homeless Veterans. We still continue to do that today while also helping Veterans find meaningful employment, empower them to be successful, and give them a hand up not a hand out. We are currently making adaptive changes to our services to also reach the Post 9/11 Veteran so that we can battle the projected homelessness increase expected in 2025 to 2030. It is Operation Stand Down Tennessee’s belief that if we can engage Veterans early in their transition, find out what that Veteran wishes to accomplish, show them available Veteran benefits and how to access them, and help them find meaningful employment, we can prevent hardships that Veterans face every day.
In 1993, Operation Stand Down Nashville (OSDN) began as a coalition of volunteers and organizations who came together to provide outreach, social services and information to Nashville’s chronically homeless Veteran population. Every year OSDN would host a three-day stand down to provide services to Middle Tennessee’s Veterans. OSDN hosts these events annually.
To Learn More Visit https://www.osdtn.org/
At a glance, one might see NICM's buses and assume our essence lies in transportation. Observing our children's classes, one might think education is our sole focus. Witnessing our myriad activities, one could surmise our mission is merely to offer enriching programs. Yet, Nashville Inner City Ministry is a Christ-driven community beacon, fervently championing the spiritual, academic, and vocational growth of vulnerable youth and their kin.
To truly grasp the heart of NICM, one must underscore the term 'dedicated.'
We are wholeheartedly committed to ensuring individuals recognize the worth and purpose woven into their existence; that they are treasures, not trifles. We pledge to journey through life's peaks and troughs alongside the youth and families we embrace. Our dedication is anchored in a long-haul vision of disseminating hope and God's boundless love.
In this voyage, we've been blessed to cross paths with kindred spirits, equally devoted to sparking change. These are the stalwarts who amplify our mission: our Board of Directors, our selfless volunteers, our generous benefactors, and our service community. NICM shares an enduring bond with the Inner City Church, an urban missionary sanctuary, which infuses our mission with its spiritual essence. This Church showers love upon souls from their first breath to their last, offering a haven of solace and belonging to our at-risk youth and their families.
This city is our shared tapestry, and it beckons a harmonious collaboration to touch the lives of our youth and their families. There's always another soul awaiting our embrace.
To Learn More Visit www.innercityministry.org
