Good Neighbor Podcast for the Greater Chattanooga Region

Jenny Stripling of Northside Neighborhood House: Empowering Communities Through Collaboration and Innovation

August 21, 2024 • Scott Howell

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What happens when a nonprofit organization with nearly a century of history meets modern challenges head-on? Join us on the Good Neighbor Podcast, where we sit down with Jenny Stripling, the Chief Development Officer of Northside Neighborhood House. Jenny takes us through her journey from Nashville to Chattanooga and delves into her role in driving the mission of this historic nonprofit. From its humble beginnings in 1924, teaching quilting to local women, to its current efforts in empowering individuals across northern Hamilton County, discover how Northside Neighborhood House has evolved to meet the needs of its community. Jenny also shares the collaborative spirit of the organization, working alongside other nonprofits to extend their reach and impact.

Your community can make a difference, and Jenny explains exactly how you can get involved. Learn about the various ways to support Northside Neighborhood House, from volunteering and donating to their thrift stores, to participating in exciting events like the Not so Silent Auction and the Thanksgiving morning 5k. Jenny emphasizes the thrift stores' critical role in the organization's operating budget and introduces the new online store, Good Neighbor, offering high-end items at a discount. Plus, hear why supporting local businesses from Cleveland to Dalton and Jasper to Benton is vital for the region's success. Get inspired to nominate your favorite local enterprises for a feature on the Good Neighbor Podcast and make your community a better place to live.

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Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Scott Howell.

Speaker 2:

Hello, good neighbors, welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast brought to you by the Friends and Neighbors Group of the Greater Chattanooga Region. As the announcer told you, my name is Scott Howell and I'm your host today, and a lot of people ask me you know what is the reason and the theme for the Good Neighbor podcast. Well, we desire to bring awareness to the residents living in our local communities regarding local businesses in those communities and even beyond, maybe their immediate community. All over the Chattanooga region, as I like to say a lot of times, from Cleveland to Dalton, from Jasper to Benton, there's a lot of small businesses in that area. We want to be supportive of them all and you know a lot of people have forgotten that our communities are built on the backbone. These small businesses are the backbone of our communities, communities and we're built on their backs. You take all the way our small business community there wouldn't be much left of us and so they really need our support and you know a lot of these.

Speaker 2:

I like to say this, a lot that you know every local business and organization, nonprofit, all of them have a story to tell and on the Good Neighbor podcast, we just wanted to help them tell it loud and proud. And today we've got a nonprofit organization with us. We don't do enough of these. I love talking to nonprofit organizations to try to get the word out about what they do and help them out, and our good neighbor, jenny Stripling, is with us from the Northside Neighborhood House. Did I say that correctly, jenny?

Speaker 3:

You got it. Yes, sir.

Speaker 2:

Thank you for being with us today, Jenny. It's wonderful to have you on the show with us.

Speaker 3:

Well, thank you, appreciate the opportunity.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. And, jenny, you said you're the chief development officer there at the Northside Neighborhood House. What is your role exactly with the organization?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, so yeah. As the Chief Development Officer, I'm responsible for the fundraising and the marketing for the North Side Neighborhood House, so I get to tell all the good stories about what's taking place through the donations that the community is supporting us with.

Speaker 2:

Awesome, awesome, and I'm glad you said that you're in charge of the fundraising, because we're going to talk about that in a few minutes, and so I'm glad to hear that. I tell you before we jump into talking about the Northside neighborhood, just so people have an opportunity to know who Jeannie is. Would you like to share anything with us about yourself or your family?

Speaker 3:

Sure. So I'm a relatively new resident to the Chattanooga area. We moved here about three years ago from the Nashville area, but I raised my family in Knoxville. So I had to get back to East Tennessee as fast as I could. So and we are loving it here. We love Chattanooga, we love this area and it's just it's been, it's just been a great experience so far, Such a welcoming community yeah, I, I love the whole chattanooga area.

Speaker 2:

I love the knoxville area too, I have to admit. Lived up there, lived in sevierville for a few years and absolutely loved it. Uh yeah there's. There's something to me just special about the chattanooga region, just the mountain really everything just special. And you know, I heard nashville is a good place to be from. Okay, all you, all you nice for residents. I'm just kidding.

Speaker 2:

Okay, I know no we, we enjoyed being over there, we enjoyed it but I did not enjoy the traffic I lived in murfreesboro before they built those extra lanes and, oh my goodness, it was a nightmare. Well, I tell you, let's talk about the Northside Neighborhood House and just tell us what your organization is about, what you do for the community.

Speaker 3:

So the Northside Neighborhood House is a local nonprofit that was established in 1924.

Speaker 3:

So we're celebrating our 100 years this year, which is pretty incredible.

Speaker 3:

I love to share our foundation story because it started with some ladies who would walk down from what was then Hill City, which North Chattanooga.

Speaker 3:

They would walk down to the post office and it was located where Coolidge Park is now, and they saw all of these families that were living along the riverbank and just started asking them it's like what do you need and how can we help you? And through that they learned that they needed betting for their families and education for their children to really get them up to speed. So when it came time for them to enter school, they were equipped and ready, and so, rather than going back and just collecting blankets or whatever to hand to those families, they decided to teach the ladies how to quilt, and so they taught them a skill, and from there the women were able to like, provide the bedding that they needed for their families, but then also started selling their crafts and generating some income for their families. Wow and yeah, so you know we don't quilt any longer, but we're still in the process of empowering people and equipping people to make a change, a positive change in their lives where they can be self-sufficient.

Speaker 2:

Well, that's great. Where all does your organization reach out to? Yeah?

Speaker 3:

great question. So our footprint is very specific to northern Hamilton County.

Speaker 3:

So, north of the river, and that is, we're just holding true to what the lady started I mean the founders of the organization and what we have found is the further out you go in northern Hamilton County, the fewer resources there are for those individuals and for the families, and so so, yeah, that is our footprint, but we collaborate with many organizations and other nonprofits to share what works for us and to refer people and to leverage the good that's going on so that we can make it even better in the community.

Speaker 2:

So just because someone is not in your footprint, that doesn't mean you don't know someone else that might be able to help them in another area, or something like that Exactly exactly.

Speaker 3:

I mean in the way we help families and individuals. It's kind of twofold Through. Our stability program is where we do provide direct assistance to help ensure families stay housed with working utilities. We have got an emergency food pantry, so we will help people with food if that is their need. The one thing that is really unique to us is that when someone comes to us seeking assistance, they sit down and we look at their budget with them first, because our motto is a hand up, not a handout, and so everyone is. We're going to look at their budget and and even if we're paying a utility bill or we're helping with rental assistance, they're going to pay part of that bill and we're going to help supplement that bill and then, hopefully, teaching them and equipping them with the skills they need so they know how to handle a future crisis, a future financial crisis.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely Whatever. If something, maybe it was an error on their part, or they maybe shouldn't have spent here and shouldn't have spent there, and then they didn't have the money to pay the bill, You're going to help them to identify that, so they don't. Maybe they don't repeat that in the future.

Speaker 3:

Absolutely.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely yeah.

Speaker 3:

So it's all about empowering. I mean, and through those empowerment programming that we're doing, we teach cooking classes where we're teaching individuals how to cook on a budget but cook healthy food on a budget. They've got to have your basic computer skills and so we're teaching those computer classes. Just a variety resume writing workshops, interview skills, just a variety of different things, because we want to do what we can to help people in that next step in their journey. That's amazing.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you can't even go to Walmart and ask for a job anymore. They point you at their computer over there. You got to go apply Walmart and apply for it.

Speaker 3:

Exactly and it's been fun. Some of the stories, individuals who have gone through that computer training class have come back and it's like I got the job. You know, that's why they were going through and they got the job, so that's really exciting.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, I bet that's very rewarding.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah Another aspect of the work that we do is we've got our staff embedded in 10 schools in northern Hamilton County. So we're in like Red Bank Elementary, middle and High School, soddy Daisy Elementary, soddy Daisy Elementary, middle and High, hickson Elementary, middle and high, and then cell Creek middle, high and the whole purpose there is our staff are there to support the students because with their academics and also building skills, because if we see that a child is struggling with their academics you start pulling back the layers of the onion. There's probably something going on at home and you know, if we're able to identify that, you know they're living with a grandparent or you know mom and dad are having issues making ends meet, then we can quickly refer them to our programs, our stability programs, where we're able to help them. So you know, we want to see those students succeed, we want to see them like advance to the next grade, we want to see them graduate and we want to see them get on a pathway to stability when they come out of school.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely. Well, that's great to know because you know when you can help somebody get a good start in life, then maybe they can continue that journey. But a lot of kids are disadvantaged, and they may be disadvantaged because their parents were disadvantaged and they just don't really know how to teach them those skills. And so if you're, if you're there helping them at that point in the start of their life, uh, that, that's awesome, you know.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

I don't know how many times people say you know, they taught me things in school that I never used again, but why didn't they teach me this and why? Why didn't they teach me how to do these skills in life that I have to use every day? So it's great to know y'all are there helping to support that.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, and we run after school programming in the middle and high schools and in that situation, I mean we're teaching those kids to cook. I mean that's one of the things I mean, because they may not be getting that at home, we have, believe it or not. We're teaching them how to ride bicycles, because that is a form of transportation and we've had several high school students who have been gifted bicycles now, as a result of going through that class, they now have an opportunity to get to their, their job, their afterschool job. So, but teaching yoga and archery and um, you know there's gardening skills. You know it's, it's just it's it's different in every school, but it is skills that you know.

Speaker 2:

Hopefully those, those students will be able to take with them in the future so now, now that you've said that that's a very diverse you diverse collection of things that you're teaching, do you rely on volunteers to come and teach those classes? We do 100%.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, we have volunteers who come in and help supplement and teach a lot of the classes that are also volunteers who are coming in and serving as tutors with the students, because even in the after-school programming that we run, the students have to get their homework done before they get to play, before they can participate. So you know, because that's the first and foremost important thing, we want to get the schoolwork done.

Speaker 3:

So we have tutors that are coming in and helping you know, build math skills or you know whatever, whatever the student needs. And then yeah, in groups that are coming in, whatever the student needs. And then yeah, and groups that are coming in we've had a church in the Soddy Daisy area who's teaching carpentry skills? To the students, and so they've built an outdoor picnic area for the school, which is really cool.

Speaker 2:

That is awesome, you know. I'm so glad to hear you that you say you're teaching them to cook. You know that's. I guess I didn't realize, growing up in a home where my mother was a fantastic cook and was a really good cook and her mother was before her. Uh, growing up like that, I guess you don't realize sometimes how good you got it. I've I've heard so many stories about kids that the only time they get a meal is when they come to church, to school.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, and and again. That is something we work with community partners and we ensure during that after school program they are fed before they go home. Because, you're right, you don't know, we don't know their situation. They may not have food at home.

Speaker 2:

And you know the old saying you can. You can give somebody a fish or you can teach them to fish. You know you're teaching them to cook. You may be. You may be sending that child back home to better the entire household.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely Maybe their parents can't, nobody ever taught them, or maybe their work schedule is so erratic and that child can go home and help, supplement and help the whole entire household. I mean, this is awesome what y'all do, yeah, so let's talk about that fundraising part. So what do you need besides volunteers and please expound more on that too, if you need to but besides volunteers, what do you need from the community to help y'all stay to stay, helping other people?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, so I mean truly. We rely on the community for the support that allows us to do our programming. We rely on the community for the support that allows us to do our programming. I will share that about half of our operating budget is generated through three thrift stores that we run.

Speaker 3:

So, yeah, which is incredible. I mean, the way the community supports our thrift stores is just been incredible, incredible. But we always need donations. We are always looking for donations. You know, good, um, usable things, um, you know, little damage is preferred, um, but yeah, um, and we run a truck that picks up items, I mean like equipment. They'll, they'll pick up furniture, larger equipment, appliances, working appliances, um, but yeah, so that is one way, that way. But then we have, outside of that, I mean we have three special events that we host One in October that is called the Not so Silent Auction. Tickets are on sale now, but it is just a fun, low-key I shouldn't say low-key it's a fun, high-energy event held on the Thursday night at the Convention Center here in Chattanooga, and everybody says the attendees I hear over and over it is the best, most fun event in Chattanooga.

Speaker 3:

So it's a lot of fun, a lot of fun.

Speaker 2:

I love a good auction.

Speaker 3:

Oh yeah, and it's a good auction and it's a lot of fun. I love a good auction. Oh yeah, and it's a good auction, and it is. It's a lot of fun. People are standing in their chairs. It's, it's high energy, it's a lot of fun, a lot of fun. We do a 5k on Thanksgiving morning. It's a smaller one and it supports not only the Northside Neighborhood House, but we partner with the Saudi Daisy Food Bank, the Dallas Bay Volunteer Fire Department and the Jim Wilson Fund at Soddy Daisy Middle School, and so the four organizations benefit from proceeds raised during that morning. And it's just a sweet event. It's out at Chester Frost Park and we have about 500 attendees this past year.

Speaker 3:

It's just fun, it's just a good event. And then and then, a fashion show, where we have an opportunity to highlight the items that are being donated through our thrift stores.

Speaker 3:

So our models wear something from the thrift. So they people, people are like wow, that is what you have at your thrift. It's like, yes, we've got really incredible, incredible items in our thrift stores, incredible items in our thrift stores. So that's one way. Um, monthly giving, um. We rely on individuals to support us through their, their ongoing donations, with monthly gifts or even one-time gifts. Um, and then foundations is the other, and corporations. So all of those areas are ways people can support us okay, now.

Speaker 2:

Now, jenny, jenny, you provoked the inner Scott here, so you just met the king of thrifting here. Okay, okay, good, I got to know where these stores are, so tell us where these stores are located.

Speaker 3:

Sure. So we have one on the North Shore, it's on Miner Street right off of Cherokee. We have one in Red Bank. That is there on Dayton Boulevard, and then our third is off Sequoia Access Road in Dayton Pike in Soddy Daisy. And then we have also launched an online thrift store. It's called Good Neighbor Most appropriate, right? It's called Good Neighbor and it can be found on Instagram and it will link to the different sites um where we're selling our items from there.

Speaker 3:

we sell on uh ebay, makari and poshmark yeah, the store, those are typically higher end items um higher end items that you can get at a discount.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, cool. Do the stores all have the same name?

Speaker 3:

Uh, the stores are the North side neighborhood house thrift stores.

Speaker 2:

The North side neighborhood house, thrift store. Yeah, good neighbor yeah.

Speaker 3:

That is it, that's great.

Speaker 2:

Now, now, uh, I'm going to, I'm going to, I'm going to be over there visiting soon. So I love, uh, I love those stores.

Speaker 3:

Well, I will tell you, they each have their own personality. They I mean the one on the North Shore great clothes. You're going to find incredible clothes, incredible selection of clothes In Red Bank. They've got the same. I mean, all of them have got incredible clothes. But Red Bank is our largest store, so a lot of furniture, I mean, and that's great for people who like to flip things or they're just looking to furnish an apartment. I mean it's a great place.

Speaker 2:

And then I call Soddy our treasure trove, because you have no idea what you're going to find in Soddy Daisy.

Speaker 3:

That's my gun store. They have incredible things up there. It's probably it's one of my favorite stores to go to that's my kind of because you don't know.

Speaker 2:

You just don't know what you're going to find that's awesome. So so the thrift stores monthly giving one-time gifts, uh, and now you mentioned your auctions coming up in october. You said you're selling tickets now. Where can people get tickets?

Speaker 3:

yeah, so they can go to it, to our website, which is in in house, like Northside Neighborhood, so nnhouseorg, backslash events, and there'll be a link on there that will take you to purchase tickets.

Speaker 2:

Purchase a ticket, tell you the date, the time and everything right. It does yeah yeah, Well, you know, I think what y'all are doing is wonderful and I hope that a lot of people, when when they hear this, will want to support Because you know a nonprofit. I know a nonprofit has to be certified. That's not really probably the right word, but you have to be certified through the IRS to be a nonprofit.

Speaker 3:

Right.

Speaker 2:

It means that you know the majority of the proceeds. I know you have costs Every nonprofit has costs and you have to cover those costs. But everything above your cost goes to the people to help, absolutely. You're not trying to make money and build a big bank account and be a millionaire. You're putting it into the community.

Speaker 3:

We are truly putting it back into the community to help the folks that need the help.

Speaker 2:

So I hope people will understand that today and realize you know you're, you're making a difference in someone's life and anyone's life we can make a difference in is amazing, but especially the schools that you're embedded in there. Cause I'm telling you, if you haven't ever heard, if you've been, uh and I don't want to use the word privilege like they use it nowadays where they're putting people down but, honestly, if you've been blessed, privileged, whatever word you want to use to not have to be confronted with poverty, to not have to be confronted with other people's issues, can I just reach out to your heart for a moment and tell you that there are some children that are going to school with the same clothes because they don't have anything else to wear. There's some kids that are not getting fed unless they go to school.

Speaker 2:

In the summer they're having to scrape for something to eat. There's people that are leaving the schools and not knowing how to read, not knowing how to do math, and they're graduating high school not knowing these basic skills. So what this organization is doing is amazing. It's wonderful. Uh, they're.

Speaker 2:

They're kids growing up in a home like myself that I went 10 years my biggest part of my growing up without having a father figure in my life and I didn't know how to. I don't know how to build and how to repair and things like that. I didn't have anybody to teach me. Some people can figure that on their own. I'm not that gifted. So these people are helping folks in where they need help at the start of their life. And then there's other folks too. I know you reach out to help other people as well, but I did just really touch my heart when I get to thinking about that, because I remember as a child growing up and not feeling like I really had any skills. I didn't know how to do anything with my hands and thankfully they invented a computer keyboard and I was OK at that, but I didn't know how to do anything with my hands much, and how wonderful it would have been to have your organization in my school, you know. So thank you all for what you do, absolutely, oh, you're welcome.

Speaker 3:

It is very rewarding and fulfilling.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely Is there. And is there anything? I don't want to miss anything. Is there anything that I'm not asking, that you feel like you need to state about your organization or what you do? Please just help us out.

Speaker 3:

I think the one thing that I would say about the organization I mean because we've just been reflecting on the fact that we're 100 years old yes, we listen and respond to the needs of the community and that is what has kept us relevant. You know, back in the ladies who started this organization kept every minute from every meeting from 1923, when they first started talking about forming until where we are today. So we have all of these incredible records and it's been.

Speaker 3:

It's been, it's been so fulfilling to go back and look. I mean, it's like over the years we served as a coal distribution site because that was an issue. You know we served as milk distribution site because that was an issue. So it's always been about listening and trying to determine what we can do to best serve the folks to meet the needs that are in our community.

Speaker 1:

And one of the cool things.

Speaker 3:

We started this past year was a community advisory board, and it's made up of individuals who have benefited from our services at some point and are now living, you know, in stability and you know financial stability, and it's been very eye-opening to ask them for their feedback. It's like talk to us about what's on your mind, talk to us about transportation what does that look like? Talk to us about affordability, living, how you know housing, and so it's just been very eye-opening and it's helping us really determine. It's like what can we do to make an impact?

Speaker 2:

and it's been, it's, it's wonderful and I really appreciate that about this organization and and I do too, now that I've heard you say this I I appreciate all that y'all do, and I'm sure a lot of people do. A lot of people help you, and thank you to all of you who already do help.

Speaker 3:

Absolutely. We couldn't do it without the support. We surely could.

Speaker 2:

Not only the individuals but those foundations, Because I know y'all can choose to help whoever you want to. So thank you for the ones that are supporting this, this, uh, this, you know, charity, this organization, because we, we, we need these type of thing. If you've never been in a point in your life when you were kind of down and out and you needed that help, I hope you never experience it. But there are people that are experiencing right now and, uh, not looking just for a handout, like you said, but a hand up, and they appreciate it.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much, Jenny, for being with us today and sharing with us the message of Northside Neighborhood House.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, you're welcome. I really appreciate the opportunity.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely, we have thoroughly enjoyed it. And to all the good neighbors of the greater Chattanooga region. After meeting Jenny and learning more about the North side neighborhood house, I hope your heart is touched that you will want to reach out in some way. You might say, well, I don't have a lot of discretionary funds. Well, when you shop, go, look, go to the thrift stores go there and see what you're looking for.

Speaker 2:

If you say, well, I've got a few dollars I can maybe put toward it monthly. I'm sure they'd appreciate anything that you could spare. You got to say I've got this lump sum of money that I've got, I want to give it. I know they'd be glad to talk to you about how to do that and I suppose some of the contributions Jenny you correct me if I'm wrong can be tax deductible from people.

Speaker 3:

Oh, absolutely, absolutely.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. So consider this organization to reach out and help them, and by helping them you're going to be helping a lot of people in your community. And before you sign off, I would like to thank you all the listeners, of course for taking time out of your busy day to visit with us here at the Good Neighbor Podcast and always remember to support the locally owned businesses, the local organizations, nonprofits in your community and in this greater Chattanooga region. As I often say, we're made up from Cleveland to Dalton, from Jasper to Benton. All the little communities in the whole area are important, and so are our small businesses and organizations. So my name is Scott Howell. I'm with the Friends and Neighbors Group. Everyone, go out and make this a remarkable day.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPCClevelandcom. That's GNPClevelandcom, or call 423-380-1984. Thank you.

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