Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristie Jordan.
Hi Kristie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am a native of Columbia, SC and began volunteering in the community during high school. My first volunteerism placed me in a children’s shelter and I immediately began to form relationships with the young children living at the house and have a mutual impact. I really enjoyed my time there and continued serving in the community when I entered Clemson University in 2008. Along with on-campus projects such as Habitat for Humanity and America Reads organizations, I also volunteered in the surrounding areas such as Central and Anderson, SC. I was partnered with a program called We Stand For Kids, which at the time was a federally funded program that provided mentors to local children who had a parent that was currently or formerly incarcerated. This service had a tremendous impact on me and was my first insight on systemic issues in my community such as poverty and hunger. I worked with this program for a year and continued to be a mentor on campus to incoming minority freshmen in STEM majors. After graduation and several years living in southern Georgia, I returned to Columbia, SC. I immediately began volunteering again and was placed as a mentor at the Department of Juvenile Justice, which housed youth offenders. I participated in this program for 5 years until the pandemic began. When the pandemic began, I shifted my focus to some of the Midlands’ residents hit the hardest; our homeless population. A lot of services and resources provided to them dried up during this time.
After a meal distribution day at a local shelter, I felt compelled to raise some monies and purchase socks for homeless people at the shelter. I had learned that socks and other undergarments were some of the least donated items but most needed. I began a GoFundMe in November of 2017 with an initial goal of raising $500. Within less than two weeks I was able to raise nearly $2,000. I was humbled and excited that so many people believed in my goal and were willing to pitch in their money and time to make this a success. With the excess money raised, we extended the items to other hygiene essentials and were ultimately able to build 100 care packages for our local shelter. It was this initiative that inspired me to begin my own nonprofit in 2018, Positively Influencing The Community with Heart, but affectionately known as PITCH INC. Our mission is to alleviate the hardships of homelessness, poverty, and hunger by meeting immediate needs. We have been able to secure brand partnerships and increase our impact here in Columbia each year. With a very small team, we’ve had a positive influence and provided the opportunity for anyone to make a difference in Columbia by serving the underprivileged.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Our most consistent struggle has been fundraising and securing funding each year. We have primarily operated from a 100% individual donor basis but still been able to use monies raised to do some amazing things each year. We were recently selected to be a recipient of Aflac Community Care grant and this funding is being used to support our newest initiative to combat food insecurity: the Midlands Community Fridge and Pantry program
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Current Community / Professional Endeavors
Positively Influencing The Community with Heart, PITCH INC – Founder and Executive Director
City of Columbia Food Policy Committee – At-Large Community Member on Exec Board
Columbia Urban League Young Professionals – Member
Dubois Fellowship (Leadership Program through Talented Tenth organization) – Member
I am most proud of getting involved in my hometown and working directly in the community to make a difference. Continuing to bring a focus on housing and food insecurities.
Launching first community fridge program in Columbia, South Carolina
I am set apart from others because of my ability to connect and build bridges. My professional career I work in Lean Manufacturing and focus on continuous improvement projects. I am able to take these daily skills of identifying issues, fostering ideas, and driving solutions to the community to tackle systemic issues
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I think risk-taking is the driver of progress. No matter how small the risk is, the person must take it to be successful and not remain stagnant. I would consider myself as a risk-taker, but I am very calculated and assess a situation fully before doing so. I took a risk beginning PITCH INC, but I trusted that God would continue to provide the resources and network we need to remain active. We are in our fourth year and have been able to increase our impact and giving back each year, despite the pandemic. It is my goal one day to take the biggest “risk” and step away from my professional career and devote all of my time and talents to serving in the community.
Contact Info:
- Website: pitchinc803.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/pitchinc_803
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/pitchinc_803
