Thank you, #barefootneighborhood.

When we come together, we make a difference, and we use this use this platform for good.

One Million for 20

Onion Rings Unite!

For my 43rd birthday, I had a huge goal - raise $1 million for 20 special nonprofits in partnership with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation. I went live for 26 hours straight with the goal of raising as much money as possible with the help of you - the generous Barefoot Neighborhood.

These nonprofits are doing really important work and they mean a lot to me. During the 26 hour live session, we raised $300,000 in a complete grassroots effort. In total, we raised $350,823 for 20 deserving nonprofits!

Here’s how the money was distributed:

Gulf Coast Center for NonViolence $23,909
Elijah’s Closet $23,909
King’s Kitchen $23,909
Toups Family Meal $23,909
Knox Pride (food pantry) $23,909
Back Bay Mission Micah Day Center $23,909
Camp Awesome $10,000
Pink Heart Funds $23,909
Extra Table $23,909
Habitat for Humanity Gulf Coast $5,000
World Central Kitchen $5,000
The Trevor Project $5,000
Penelope House $23,909
Bella Bowman Foundation $23,909
Back Bay Mission Food Pantry $23,909
Hope Squad $5,000
Gulf Coast Association of Pride (community outreach project) $5,000
Open Doors Coalition $23,909
Project Dignity WNC $5,000
Mississippi Heroes (wheelchair ramps) $23,909

This money is going to go a long way toward helping people. Thank you for opening your hearts and your wallets, and for hanging out with me as I wore an onion on my head! Next year, we’ll be ready to hit that $1 million mark.

Knox Pride

On Wednesday, May 14, as I was waiting in line while running errands, I saw a post by Knox Pride about how their food pantry was practically empty. This organization provides support and resources to people in Knoxville and the surrounding areas, and they’re supporting 75-100 people daily. What I love most about their work is they have no requirements or paperwork. If you’re hungry, they feed you, no matter who you are.

I have been following Knox Pride for a while and have seen the situation unfolding, so I shared this request from the organization with the #barefootneighborhood. And you immediately stepped up to help. Within a couple of days, y’all sent 5,000 packages to Knox Pride to restock their food pantry. As of May 23, Knox Pride has received over 10,000 packages. This includes food from their wish list, of course, but packages also include hygiene and essential items.

I know I say it often, but I’ll never be able to say it enough. Y’all make real, tangible change in the world. Someone has a full belly tonight because of you, #barefootneighborhood. All proceeds from this quarter’s merch sales will go to Knox Pride, and we brought back previous years’ designs through the end of June!

Knox Pride walked up to hundreds of packages on the front porch, images courtesy of Knox Pride

“I just want to say thank you to him. He is literally an angel. I don’t know how he would have gotten through the next few months without him.”

James Owens, a manager of Knox Pride’s Community Closet

Dollar Tree Dinners for Back Bay Mission

This is what it looks like when a whole lot of people give a damn and whether they care if their neighbors get a meal on any given day. On April 12, 2025, we filled a trailer and several trucks full of items to bring to Back Bay Mission. We were met with 100+ volunteers at the Micah Day Center, who immediately swarmed the vehicles to unload the trucks of food. Almost immediately, volunteers of all ages created an assembly line to make these Dollar Tree Dinner bags come to life. From there, we presented Back Bay Mission with a check for $2,245 from the first quarter of my merchandise sales and a $600 donation from Pepper the App.

After the bags were made, we moved everything else to the food pantry. Not only did we stock it up, we stacked the hallway with boxes of food.

I crunched the numbers and found out that we raised almost $25,000 for Back Bay Mission.

To my online audience, my local friends, and the entire #barefootneighborhood, thank you! As fast as I could add items to wish lists, you bought them. You touched lives in a real way with this amazing turnout.

More about Back Bay Mission: Back Bay Mission has a simple mission: to strengthen neighborhoods, seek justice, and transform lives. Back Bay Mission has proudly served the Mississippi Gulf Coast for more than 100 years.

From a Back Bay Mission blog post about our efforts:

“This donation helps us keep our shelves stocked longer and our programs running strong. With the dramatic increase we’ve seen in food pantry visitors over the past few months, it couldn’t have come at a better time. Every can, every bag, every dollar—it’s all going straight to the hands of people who need it most, right here on the Gulf Coast.”

Beds for a Year: A Birthday Wish Come True

What started as a simple birthday wish two years ago to provide 40 beds for kids in foster care has grown into something truly special.

For my 42nd birthday last year, I hoped to provide Elijah’s Closet enough beds for a full year. Elijah’s Closet is a non-profit organization, led by Nikki Williams, who are passionate about helping kids and families on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Beds continue to be the most in-demand item they provide. Over the course of two weeks, we donated 659 complete beds and cribs, along with additional supplies, saving Elijah's Closet over $162,000, allowing them to focus on their mission of helping kids

Lauren Smith from Elijah’s Closet called this effort “an answer to prayer,” and it’s easy to see why. These donations are a lifeline for children and foster families during emergency placements, giving them a fresh start without worrying about supplies.

Lauren Smith, Elijah’s Closet Development Director

“I think I can speak on behalf of the whole board of Elijah’s Closet that things like this, like what Matthew Bounds is doing for us, is an answer to prayer.”

Backpack Buddies: Feeding Our Future

We didn’t stop at beds. In 2024, we also teamed up with Backpack Buddies to make sure kids who rely on free or reduced lunches have food during holidays and over the weekends.

Here’s what we did:

Fulfilled Pineville Elementary’s June food wishlist in just 15 minutes, replenishing it several times so we could provide food through Thanksgiving break.
We then received another list, that you helped fulfill in less than an hour, and those items kept kids in our community fed through the holiday break. We were also able to give the kids holiday goodies and treats!

By stepping up, we made sure kids here on the Coast had full bellies and happy hearts.