Welcome to our Journey: From Hospitality to Homeless Outreach

Hello and welcome!

I never imagined I’d be here, writing this blog as the Founder and Executive Director of a homeless nonprofit. At 61, after 45 years in the hospitality industry, I thought I was retiring. But life had other plans. If you had asked me then, what I would be doing at 65 years old...I would have never said, "I'll be sitting in the grass every Saturday with 100 or so people that are homeless..."(who call me Mom!). I would never have said, "I'll be trying to get a nonprofit going and being successful..."

So, hear me when I say to YOU,

"You just never know what life has in store for you!!"

 Instead of slowing down, I stepped into a calling—one that has filled my heart in ways I never expected. I also stepped into something I knew absolutely nothing about—starting and leading a nonprofit to serve the homeless.

I had no clue what I was doing. Grants? Budgets? Nonprofit regulations? I had to learn everything from the ground up. (STILL LEARNING!) 

But what I did know was people. I knew how to listen, how to care, how to show up when no one else would. And sometimes, that’s all it takes to get started.

I am a mother of three, a grandmother of four, and, as I’ve come to realize, a mom to more than a hundred others who call the streets home. Over the years, those we serve have become like family. Their struggles, victories, and heartaches have changed me forever.

This blog will be a place where I share stories from the streets, updates on our work, what it's like to build a nonprofit from nothing and glimpses into the reality of homelessness—the kind you don’t always see. The journey has been messy, humbling, heartbreaking, and absolutely worth it. My blog will be honest, sometimes heartbreaking, but always filled with hope.

Thank you for being here. Whether you’re reading to learn, to support, or just to understand—welcome. You are part of this story, too.

With gratitude,

Brandy Chard 

Founder & Executive Director