The mission of B* Helpful Love is to provide the senior citizen and homeless communities with the most accessible resources, through literacy and financial education programs, that will help them maintain their quality of life. Their mission is so important because senior citizens and homeless people are the most overlooked in our community.
We asked Natasha White, CEO of B* Helpful Love, an Industrious Charlotte NoDa member, to tell us more about how her organization came to be, how Industrious has informed their work, and what their plans are for the future.
What inspired you to found B* Helpful Love? What kinds of problems are you trying to solve?
My inspiration came from my grandmother Bernestine, Ms. Bunny Irby. She has always given back to those in need and she did it with grace and dignity and never complained about it. I love her love for others, and that’s what she instilled in me. We are trying to solve the problems of loneliness within the senior community and let them know there are people out there who care about them – they are not a burden, they are loved. Within the homeless community, we would like to show them love as well and help them get back to being independent. B* Helpful Love provides love bags for our senior citizens and blessing bags to give to our homeless community.
What do you love about what you do?
I absolutely love helping others, especially senior citizens, because they are so knowledgeable, friendly, and kind. They are the reason we exist. I enjoy helping the homeless because I have been homeless before with my children, so I understand how hard it can be. I truly believe you get blessed by blessing others especially when it is genuine and coming from the heart.
Having an office at Industrious has been great for our organization because it’s nice, clean, and quiet. Yana, our Community Manager, is awesome and helpful. I love the area and the amenities that are provided to us, along with the weekly newsletters we receive from Industrious about upcoming events.
At Industrious, we’re all about great days at work; so what makes for a great day in your book?
A great day at work is talking to different seniors about their days and contacting different organizations to establish partnerships. We also provide a food bank in the office and prepare bags to deliver to the homeless community.
What’s next for B* Helpful Love? Do you have any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?
B* Helpful Love is looking to expand our efforts to other states. We host a fundraising event every month so that we can continue helping those in our community. Each month, we also feed the homeless community. In May, we’ll be hosting a gala, and in July we’ll be celebrating our anniversary month and volunteer appreciation. We are also planning a kickball tournament to raise funding.
Is there anything else you would like us to know about B* Helpful Love?
If you love giving back to others, B* Helpful Love is always seeking new volunteers. We are also looking to add two new board members to our organization.