Funding for Open Hands Ministry

Open Hands of Davidson County has been serving the homeless and struggling population for nearly seven years.  We operate on the tenet of "More Grace... Less Judgment".  We know that all of us have been in situations that have led us astray, but through grace we are made whole and can build a new life.  

Our organization provides basic needs to our friends such as food boxes, street food, diapers, hygiene products, clothing, furniture, household items, hot meals, lunches, breakfasts, blankets, coats, tents, tarps, and sleeping bags.   We work closely with our friends by building relationships with them and getting to know them on a personal level.  By utilizing a "two-touch" method we strive to have contact twice in a very short period of time to become deeply involved with our friends.  We have assisted to go from homelessness to homed by working with them through the process of re-building their lives physically and spiritually.  

Open Hands operates two food banks in Davidson County.  Our food bank at our main office distributes over 200 food boxes a month.  Loaves & Fishes Food Bank, a part of our ministry, distributes over 250 food boxes to our friends each month from their site.  We serve over 900 breakfast meals each month, 500 Monday night meals, and 400 lunches. Our program is operated primarily by volunteers who donate their time and resources to providing our services to the community.  Many of our volunteers have experienced homelessness and are now "giving back" to the community through their service. 

We recognize that many of our friends who are homeless and/or struggling suffer from mental illness and addiction issues.  We help them find resources through various agencies we partner with.  We encourage them to take steps to address their various situations to bring  and support them through the process through prayer, encouragement, and emotional support. 

During extremely cold nights, Open Hands opens our office for "All Night Prayer Services" where our friends on the street can come to spend the evening in a warm environment and a hot meal.  We provide mattresses for them to rest on and devote the night to silent and personal prayer which ends at 7AM with hot coffee and breakfast.  We also welcome our friends to spend time in our offices to cool down during hot days and to stay warm during cold days.  We always have hot coffee on and cold water available.

Open Hands partners with many other agencies in Davidson County that enables us to help our friends find the services that they need.  Working with these groups allows us to point our friends to the contacts that they need to improve their situation.

We are thankful for the support that our benefactors provide to us.  Every donation, large or small, aids us in accomplishing our mission.