Helping families stay afloat: How The Ark took root in South Cheatham

This article, written by a volunteer of The Ark, is the first in a series of five stories that will highlight the generous work of the local nonprofit organization ahead of its annual fundraiser, Supper & Song, on Sunday, Oct. 19. Purchase your tickets to help South Cheatham families stay afloat today. 

The heart of The Ark is helping families stay afloat with dignity and care, through neighbors serving neighbors.

And that’s exactly what The Ark Community Resource Center has been doing in South Cheatham County for more than two decades. It’s a story that begins small, with a handful of neighbors and church members asking how to care for those around them, and grows into something much larger — an enduring reminder that the way we gather, give and hold one another up can extend far beyond us.

A beginning on mission

The Ark was founded in 2001 through the vision of a small group of women who saw the needs of their neighbors up close, and whose hearts of service were already evident through their work with Meals on Wheels. 

At the time, South Cheatham reflected what so many rural communities face — families working hard yet barely scraping by, older adults isolated at home, parents stretched thin without a safety net. This group of neighbors asked the question: “What if we created a place where families could come not just for help, but for hope?”

From that spark, The Ark Community Resource Center was born — its mission plain and bold: “Helping Families Stay Afloat.”

Board built on belonging

What makes The Ark unique is not only what it does, but who does the work. Its board of directors has always been made up of neighbors deeply rooted in Cheatham County. Teachers, social workers, veterans, nurses and caregivers — each bringing not only professional expertise but lived experience of the community’s needs.

They are ordinary people doing extraordinary work. Their résumés read more like testimonies of belonging: decades of teaching, caregiving, volunteering. They know the roads, the schools, the families. They have raised children here, prayed in local churches and now pour their energy into ensuring their neighbors are fed, clothed and cared for.

This rooted leadership has kept The Ark responsive and grounded. It is not an abstract nonprofit parachuting in; it is neighbors serving neighbors.

Noah’s Closet: A storehouse of grace

In August of 2011, The Ark launched Noah’s Closet, one of its most impactful programs. The idea was simple: a resale shop where gently used clothing and household goods could be donated, sold at affordable prices, and turned into revenue to support The Ark’s services.

But Noah’s Closet became more than just a funding stream. It became a gathering place. A hub of generosity. A way for families to pass along what they no longer needed and for others to find treasures at a price that didn’t break the bank.

Every purchase, every exchange, feeds directly back into the mission of helping families stay afloat. It is a living example of how generosity creates abundance — that what one person no longer needs can become another’s provision.

Meeting needs with dignity

The Ark’s services are straightforward but life-changing. A food pantry to fill cupboards that would otherwise be empty. Utility assistance for families facing shutoffs in the heat of summer or the cold of winter. Clothing help for children who have outgrown shoes faster than parents can buy new ones. Meals on Wheels for elders who might otherwise go hungry in silence.

To access these services, families bring basic documentation — ID, proof of residency, children’s birth certificates. The process ensures fairness and accountability, but it is always carried out with compassion. At The Ark, people are not treated as cases or numbers but as neighbors.

The food pantry is not just about groceries; it is about dignity. The utility assistance is not just about lights and water — it is about keeping families together under one roof. The clothing closet is not just about fabric — it is about a child walking into school with confidence.

Growing, sharing and celebrating together

The Ark’s mission has also taken root in creative ways that bring dignity and joy to the community:

• Share the Harvest – Grow a Row Program: Local gardeners and community gardens donate fresh produce to The Ark. To date, an estimated 1,700 pounds of fruits and vegetables have been received, along with regular deliveries from Cul2vate. This abundance fills the pantry with fresh, healthy options for families.
• Back-to-School Backpack Giveaway: Every child in Pegram and Kingston Springs schools is welcome to receive a backpack filled with grade-approved supplies. For children on free or reduced lunch, The Ark also provides a full set of back-to-school clothes so they can start the year with confidence. This year, The Ark helped 200 children.
• Angel Tree Program: Parents and grandparents can sign children up to receive Christmas gifts, ensuring every child experiences the joy of Christmas morning.
• Senior Lunches: Each Wednesday, around 35 seniors gather for a hot meal provided by Meals on Wheels staff, along with fellowship and bingo. It’s more than lunch — it’s community.

The slow work of community

Ask anyone involved with The Ark and they’ll tell you: this work is slow. It is steady. It does not produce flashy headlines or viral posts. Instead, it is the quiet, persistent tending of needs and relationships, day after day, year after year.

It looks like a grandmother whose power bill is covered just in time. A single dad who finds winter coats for his kids at Noah’s Closet. A homebound veteran who receives a warm meal and a kind word from a volunteer at his doorstep.

This is the steady fabric of care. And though the work is humble, its impact endures.

Challenges and resilience

Of course, more than twenty years of service have not been without challenges. Funding is a constant concern for nonprofits, especially small local ones. Staffing — largely volunteer-driven — requires ongoing recruitment and encouragement. Needs in the community continue to shift, from economic downturns to natural disasters to the everyday strain of poverty.

Yet The Ark has endured, precisely because it was born from within the community it serves. It is not subject to fleeting trends; it is anchored in the daily reality of South Cheatham County. That rootedness has made it resilient.

Looking ahead

Today, as The Ark moves into its third decade, its work is more necessary than ever. Rising costs of living, inflation and widening gaps between income and expenses mean more families are living on the edge.

The Ark continues to imagine new ways to meet those needs. Whether through expanded services, stronger partnerships with churches and schools or the ongoing sustainability of Noah’s Closet, the mission remains the same: helping families stay afloat.

A legacy of care

The history of The Ark is not just a record of programs or dates; it is a tapestry of people. Board members who give their evenings to meetings. Volunteers who stock shelves and sort clothes. Donors who quietly drop off bags of groceries or gently used clothes. Families who receive help and, in turn, give back in their own ways.

It is a legacy built not on grand gestures but on small, steady acts of care. A legacy that says, simply and profoundly: we are in this together.

As the world spins faster, as headlines shout louder, The Ark remains steady — a vessel carrying the weight of its neighbors’ needs. It is not glamorous work. It is not easy work. But it is the work of love.

And in South Cheatham County, that work has changed everything.

Because when families are helped to stay afloat, entire communities rise with them.

The Ark has always been about neighbors caring for neighbors. Sometimes that means a bag of groceries, sometimes a warm coat, sometimes just a smile that says, ‘You’re not alone.’ What we’re really doing is building a community where love shows up in the small, or big, everyday ways,” said Mike Turpin, director of The Ark since 2023.

We’d love for you to be part of this work. One way is by joining us at our annual Supper & Song this October, or by looking through our support packet around the event. And if you’re local, we’d be glad to welcome you in as a volunteer to experience firsthand the heart of this mission. 

Supper & Song tickets can be purchased here. If you feel inclined to give back to the community in a larger way, please see our additional sponsorship packages here.