Poverty Awareness Month Returns to East Nashville in January
December 13, 2018
Did you know that 1 in 5 Nashvillians live in poverty? In partnership with Martha O’Bryan Center, East Nashville businesses are raising awareness, collecting supplies and donating funds throughout January to combat this statistic and defeat poverty in their neighborhood.
Now in its third year locally, Poverty Awareness Month’s presenting sponsor in 2019 is RE/MAX Choice Properties. A national campaign, Martha O’Bryan Center first brought Poverty Awareness Month to Nashville in January, 2017 with the help of 10 East Nashville businesses. In 2019, 25 East Nashville businesses will participate in an exciting number of ways.
The Poverty Awareness Month calendar, which is posted in participating businesses and online at www.marthaobryan.org, lets community members see where they can bring their business to support the educational and social service programs serving families at Martha O’Bryan Center.
Poverty Awareness Month kicks off January 2nd at Hot Yoga East Nashville, who will donate all proceeds from their weekly free class, a practice at the studio that took place all of last year and continues into 2019.
“Poverty Awareness Month provides a great opportunity for our neighbors to be deliberate with their consumer dollars”, said Peter Martino, Chief Development Officer at Martha O’Bryan Center. “It is also a chance to consider both the reality of poverty in our city and the real solutions we have for defeating poverty in our neighborhoods.”
Participating businesses will also coordinate with Martha O’Bryan Center to share over social media poverty facts and poverty solutions that are relevant to our local community, including ways that neighbors can volunteer their time in the Center’s cradle-to-career family services.
Danielle Deak, co-owner of Follow Me Cheese, which began purveying fine cheeses in the Shops on Fatherland in 2017, was the first business to sign on this year. “We are excited to be part of a community like East Nashville that is passionate about small businesses and also defeating poverty,” said Deak. “Martha O’Bryan is doing great work empowering families in our city. Poverty Awareness Month is a way for Follow Me Cheese to be part of that.” Follow Me Cheese will donate fifty percent of their proceeds on Tuesday, January 15th.
Additional East Nashville businesses donating part of their revenue to Martha O’Bryan Center in January include Galena Garlic Company, Italia Pizza & Pasta, I Dream of Weenie, Two Ten Jack, The Bookshop, Mitchell Delicatessen, Wax Nashville, Rudie’s Seafood & Sausage, Mutts & Meows, Dino’s, NancyBGoods, The Wild Cow and Harlan Ruby / Vroom Vroom Balloon.
In addition, local businesses Asphalt Beach, Calypso Café, Grimey’s, The Groove, Salon Mogulz, Cumberland Hardware, Nashville Sweets, Look East and Art & Invention Gallery are conducting supply drives with their customers and staffs to help Martha O’Bryan Center stock its food banks and neighbor welcome baskets with supplemental food and family hygiene items.
For more information about Poverty Awareness month, businesses and residents can contact Peter Martino at Martha O’Bryan Center: pmartino@marthaobryan.org.
