Church Partnership Supports Unhoused Community
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) -Volunteers at Silverdale Baptist Church partnered with The Chatt Foundation to serve lunch, clothing, and hygiene supplies to members of the unhoused community during a community outreach effort.
The effort is part of a decade-long partnership centered on serving people experiencing homelessness through meals and additional support services.
Baron King, CEO of The Chatt Foundation, says that collaboration is key to the work being done across the community.
“I’ve lived in a lot of different places in this country, and I’ve been incredibly impressed by the generosity of the Chattanooga community,” King said. “What we do we always do in partnership with other organizations and other individuals. We have an army of thousands of volunteers, and the Silverdale Baptist community is a great example. They go above and beyond, and they just care so much about those experiencing homelessness.”
King says the organization works year-round to provide meals and support.
“We provide three meals a day 365 days a year even during Covid we didn’t miss a meal,” he said. “The Silverdale team comes in on a regular basis and serves food. They also serve food to our staff during our quarterly staff meetings, which really is a blessing to my staff and but then they also come in and work in areas like the community center the front desk.”
Volunteers say their role is about meeting people with care and conversation.
“You have to be able to accept them where they are you know and just talk to them about things that are going on with their life and try to lead them to other places where they can possibly get off the street,” said Janice Steffey, volunteer with Silverdale Baptist Church.
For those receiving support, the impact is both practical and personal.
“I have God in my life… I’ve never been homeless and I look at right now I am homeless. It does not notify who I am,” said Tammy Stanfill.
“They’re awesome people… people think that they’re trash and they’re nobody, but we are somebody,” said Mary Branson. “We get up the same way everybody does every day.”
“They show us they care; they give us the love and the respect that we need,” Branson added.
“Like a family… we all come together,” said Tammy Donohue.
Silverdale Baptist Church also works with Martha’s Mat Ministries, which hand-makes sleeping mats from recycled grocery bags for members of the unhoused community.
Together, the effort reflects an ongoing partnership between Silverdale Baptist Church and The Chatt Foundation focused on consistent support for those experiencing homelessness.
