Life & Work with Zaria Owens of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zaria Owens.

Hi Zaria, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Zaria Owens and I am the CEO/Founder of Charlie’s Hope Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to serve individuals and families in need. I started this nonprofit, at the age of 16 in 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, I saw so many people in need. Many individuals were struggling with poverty, financial burdens, and many could not afford basic necessities such as food and hygienic supplies. I knew that I wanted to make a difference in my community and I always had a passion for philanthropic efforts, but I felt that working through my own nonprofit was the best way for me to give back. Although it was a difficult feat, I was able to start my own nonprofit, and maintain operations in Georgia for it from that day forward. Through this foundation, I have been able to host various events such as free clothing giveaways, turkey giveaways, annual Back to School Drive Thru events, and so much more.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Even though I thoroughly enjoy the work that I do through my nonprofit and serving my community, there have been various challenges that have come along with it. I am currently an out of state student in North Carolina. I just finished my Bachelor of Science degree at High Point University, and I am starting my Master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies at High Point University in June. Through my time at the university, I have had to manage my nonprofit in the midst of course work. This has caused me to host some meetings virtually, and host several events, such as our “Turkey Drive Thru Event” and our “Annual Back to School Drive Thru Events” during school breaks or during weekends I can come home. Additionally, I have found it difficult to have committed volunteers for events. Some volunteers are only available during one event or cannot drive to fundraising/giveaway events. However, by God’s grace, my team and I have been able to navigate through these obstacles and host several events.

One of our biggest struggles is obtaining the funding that is really needed for our mission and growing our impact. We would love to reach even more people, however it is difficult to achieve this task due to funding gaps.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My work through Charlie’s Hope Foundation includes providing operational leadership, planning events/giveaways, and management of all social media and website content. Charlie’s Hope Foundation’s mission is to help individuals and families in need. I have been able to giveaway hygienic supplies, clothes, food, along with various other essentials. I have been able to host five annual Back to School Drive Thru Events where bags filled with school supplies are donated to individuals in the community, and three prom dress giveaways where I have collected over 100 prom dresses to donate to students in the Spalding County area. Additionally, I have hosted several “Walk to Better Health” events where I have promoted the importance of physical activity through weekly walks, and “Charlie’s Hope Closets”, designated places inside of host schools where students can get free school supplies and other necessities at no charge. Throughout the years, I have been able to give away 250 turkeys to families in need, over 300 bags of hygienic supplies, over 600 bookbags to kids in the community, and have helped over 250 kids have toys for Christmas, along with various other items such as clothes, baby essentials, food, and so much more. One of our projects included collecting pop tabs for the Family House of West Georgia (formerly known as the Ronald McDonald House), a shelter that serves thousands of families and children who are in need of medical care in hospitals. I was able to get various Griffin organizations, such as Applebee’s-Griffin, Griffin Christian School, New Horizons New Directions, and O2 Realty to collect pop tabs for this cause. As a result, I was able to donate up to 50lbs of pop tabs to the Family House of West Georgia for their initiative.

I am so grateful and proud of the fact of how far this organization has come and the people we have been able to help. A few years ago, this nonprofit was nothing but a dream and a prayer, but I am so thankful to be doing the work that I once only envisioned at 16. Being able to start this organization at such a young age and still managing it through my college and graduate education, and the diverse set of projects that we do I believe really sets this nonprofit apart.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
There have been many times where I have felt that I would not be able to get enough supplies for an event, or we have had problems with a venue, or we have had problems with getting volunteers. Even though some events might not have gone exactly according to plan, God has provided a way through it to where we can still serve the community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.charlieshopefoundation.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charlieshopefoundation
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlieshopefoundation/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/Charlies_Hope_Foundation?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=1cc0c800-a1e2-4eff-9ad6-c4650ae1f976