A Chattanooga resident with no means of transportation lands a job as a cook and begins a daily walk across town to reach work and then return home.
A teenager is booted out of their Chattanooga home and lands on the streets with meager possessions and no resources.
A deaf pocket pit bull named Coco lives chained to a post, even though a yard that’s ripe for romping begins at the tip of her stubby nose. Her only moments of freedom from her chain come when her owner ushers her into a tiny kennel.
These are just three of the countless stories of individuals in Chattanooga who have found themselves in less-than-tenable circumstances and needing help.
The city they call home is replete with people and organizations able and willing to lend them a hand. In addition to more than 700 churches and other religious institutions, Chattanooga boasts around 270 human service organizations, about 160 mutual assistance establishments and close to 90 animal groups, according to Cause IQ, which provides information on the nonprofit sector to businesses nationwide.
Many of these organizations are well-known throughout the city. There’s Cempa Community Care, which provides comprehensive aid to people who are falling through the cracks in the health care system. Nearby, La Paz Chattanooga bolsters the local Latino population. And any discussion of regional nonprofits must include Orange Grove Center and its celebrated services for adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
These and other major not-for-profit organizations in the city have the capacity to assist large numbers of people. Orange Grove, for example, serves about 1,000 clients, according to information on its website (www.orangegrovecenter.org).
If there’s a need within its borders, Chattanooga has it covered. Yet there’s the cook who has to hike several miles to work each day, the young teen who needs not just a meal but also clothes and feminine products, and the hard-of-hearing dog who yearns to stretch her cramped muscles.
What about them? What about the tide of need that’s always rising, no matter how many organizations exist to meet the demand?
Enter the many small nonprofits that might not be on the tips of any tongues engaged in conversation about local charitable organizations but are nonetheless there to catch people – or animals – when they fall and support them in their time of need.
How small is small? Mitchell Connell is the founder and CEO of Two Bikes Chattanooga (www.twobikeschattanooga.com), which provides free and affordable bicycles, community bike rides and workforce development.
“We create opportunity, community and sustainability through bicycles,” says Connell. “Our workforce development program focuses on opportunity, our group bike rides concentrate on community, and our bicycle recycling program deals with sustainability.”
Connell launched his local offshoot of Two Bikes Knoxville in April of this year. Joining him are a bike shop manager and one additional staff member.
Despite the small number of Two Bikes Chattanooga personnel – the three men could fit precariously on a bicycle built for two – Connell and company are making a world of difference in the lives of the people they serve. Their recent donation through the CHATT Foundation of a bike to a local cook, for example, has made the individual’s trip to work easier and more enjoyable, Connell says.
“I believe bicycles are a cheap and efficient way to provide essential transportation and unlock economic mobility for underserved community members. I ride my bike every day going to work, the coffee shop, or to get groceries, and it’s both fun and really inexpensive. I think bikes are a great solution for cities that don’t have effective public transportation.”
Before finding a purpose in Two Bikes, Connell developed a passion for bicycling. Today, his zeal for self-propelled two-wheeled transportation is a big part of his lifestyle. When he looked beyond his handlebars and saw the needs of others, a nonprofit was born.
Passion for a cause is characteristic of the people who start small not-for-profits, says Joel Henderson, president and CEO of Volunteers in Medicine, a nonprofit medical clinic that serves Hamilton County.
“Some of the most compassionate and caring individuals are drawn to form or work for small nonprofits,” Henderson says. “Our personality compels us to help others and to be where we can witness the impact of our aid. Knowing that the work you’re doing is going to change someone’s life is a blessing.”
Connell and his team might be small in number, but their supersized enthusiasm for their mission gets them out of bed each morning to improve the prospects of the people they serve.
“I learned to work with my hands in a bike shop when I was a teenager,” Connell says. “Using those skills to help others gives my work purpose.”
One of the benefits of a bite-sized nonprofit such as Two Bikes is its ability to respond to individual needs with minimal administrative fuss. Small organizations like Chattanooga Free Store (www.chattfreestore.org) take this flexibility several steps forward by positioning themselves to respond in times of crisis.
Avery Fairburn, Moss Lillith and other local Chattanoogans who saw a need in the community for quick access to basic items founded Chattanooga Free Store in 2021 as a pop up in the Highland Park neighborhood. Donations have since allowed the nonprofit to move into a brick-and-mortar at 1701 Dodson Avenue.
The storefront offers a laundry list of donated items at no cost, including clothes, diapers and wipes, laundry detergent, shampoo and conditioner, deodorant and bar soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes, and dish soap and other household cleaners.
Feminine sanitation products and harm reduction supplies are also available to people at no cost – and without strings, questions asked, or a qualifying process. To acquire items from Chattanooga Free Store, one simply needs to walk in when they’re open (Mondays and Thursdays from 6-8 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.) and grab what they need.
Chattanooga Free Store volunteer Liz Hutcherson says Fairburn and the other founders created the outlet to allow ordinary people to meet each other’s needs outside of the established systems.
“We wanted a place where people could receive what they needed for free without having to fill in a bunch of paperwork or meet certain requirements.”
The lack of organizational rigmarole allows Chattanooga Free Store to immediately place urgently needed supplies in the hands of people who need them, Hutcherson continues. As a result, many such hands have opened the door to the store and then left carrying full bags.
While the staff at Chattanooga Free Store never asks a person why they’ve come, many people have shared their stories with the team, including the teen who was kicked to the curb but is no longer homeless, says Hutcherson.
“We’ve helped new arrivals set up their space and new moms obtain diapers. We’ve seen families shop for back-to-school outfits and kids pick up toys for Christmas. We’ve connected homeless individuals with warm clothes and sanitation products,” she says. “There are times when a shopper will tell us about a situation they’re experiencing and we’re able to set aside the items they need.”
The efficiency of small nonprofits like Chattanooga Free Store allows them to quickly but strategically pivot when needs arise, says Henderson.
“This happens at Volunteers in Medicine as we look into the faces of our patients and see the ways we can better serve them. These things inevitably come up during our strategic planning sessions and monthly board meetings, and our small size and lack of bureaucracy allow us to figure out how to best address those needs.”
The boots-on-the-ground proximity of Fairburn, Lillith and the other founders of Chattanooga Free Store to the community they serve helped them to identify a solution. The same was true of Elizabeth Longphre, who founded ChainFree Chattanooga (www.chainfreechattanooga.com) in 2022 after seeing a great number of local dogs apparently living on outdoors chains or tethers, says ChainFree Chattanooga board member Katelyn Dix.
“Although many dog owners are not aware of the dangers of this practice, research by veterinarians and animal behaviorists has shown that continuous chaining leads to a poor quality of life and health problems for most dogs, which in turn can lead to behavior issues such as unwanted aggression,” Dix says.
“Dogs are social animals who require mental stimulation and exercise in order to thrive. Outdoor dogs who are able to free-roam within a fence and have safe, comfortable dog houses to retreat to in bad weather are much healthier and happier and live longer lives than chained dogs.”
The mission was in the seeing. When Longphre saw a pup chained to a pole or tree, her mind’s eye built a fence around the yard and then freed the dog of its constraint.
Today, earnest fundraising efforts, as well as work to rally volunteers and a board of directors, has assembled a small but productive endeavor that builds fences for eligible homeowners (and in some cases, renters) who have dogs that are continuously tethered.
Dog owners who cannot afford fencing – which Dix says is expensive – can apply to have a barrier built for their pets. Eligible owners are those who live in Hamilton County, have dogs who are kept outside most or all of the time, and are not able to afford to pay for fencing.
Once ChainFree Chattanooga has determined eligibility, the nonprofit also provides access to dog houses, shade panels, enrichment toys, and spay and neuter services.
“We require that the dogs we build for be altered to help control the excessive overpopulation of homeless or unwanted dogs in our community,” explains Dix.
By providing outdoor dogs with secure, comfortable enclosures, ChainFree Chattanooga is not only improving the quality of life for these pets and their owners but is also making a small dent in the number of animals coming through the exhausted shelter system.
“Dogs who break off their chains, attack humans and are seized from properties where they’re not adequately cared for typically end up in our shelters, which are already overcrowded and underfunded.”
Like the founders of Two Bikes and Chattanooga Free Store, the visionaries behind ChainFree Chattanooga have a thick compendium of feel-good stories to share with the community.
“The homeowners we’ve worked with have all been kind, gracious and friendly, and their dogs have been incredibly sweet. It’s a joy to see dogs run free in their fenced yards for the first time,” says Dix. “Our most recent build was for a trio of dogs named Blondie, Goonie and Aria. Being able to help multiple dogs in the same situation was an especially rewarding experience.”
ChainFree Chattanooga also gave Coco a safe, enclosed space in which to live.
“Our team of volunteers are amazing and enthusiastic, and love bonding with the dogs while completing a project,” adds Dix.
While these and other small nonprofits are doing great things in Chattanooga, they cannot operate on passion and skill alone. Rather, they need community members to walk beside them as they pursue their objectives.
The best way to support Two Bikes Chattanooga would be to donate an old bike to the able crew, Connell says. The outfit accepts all bikes, parts and accessories from 12-6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday at their shop at 1810 E. Main Street.
Meanwhile, Chattanooga Free Store always welcomes donations and volunteers.
“Donations keep our space stocked,” says Hutcherson. “Monetary donations go to rent, building upkeep, diapers and sanitation items; physical donations keep the store stocked.
“Volunteers keep the store running. Our organization is entirely volunteer-run; no one takes a salary. The more volunteers we have, the better we’re able to service the community.”
Finally, ChainFree Chattanooga is funded solely by donations. “Whether or not we have the funds for a build is a part of determining whether or not we can take on a project,” notes Dix. “With the fencing panels we purchase from Bama’s Kennels, along with the enrichment supplies we purchase for the dogs, a project usually costs between $1,200 and $1,500 to complete.”
Dix says ChainFree Chattanooga always needs more volunteers. “We’re run by a board of folks who have full-time jobs and are otherwise active in the animal rescue community, so the more hands we have helping out with builds and behind the scenes, the more we’ll be able to expand and serve the community.”
Although these and other small nonprofits serve different needs in the community, they share common qualities, including their collective twist on the timeless adage that size doesn’t matter.
“Don’t underestimate a nonprofit because of its size,” says Henderson. “Big things can come out of small packages.”