homelessness and hunger in North Fulton Archives

Good2Give Podcast

Nesha Mason, The Drake House

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Nesha Mason, The Drake House (Good2Give Podcast, Episode 9)

Nesha Mason, President of The Drake House, joined this episode of the Good2Give Podcast. The Drake House is a nonprofit operating in North Fulton, focusing on assisting single mothers and their families who face homelessness. Hosts Maria Walden and DePriest Waddy interviewed Nesha on the history of the Drake House, its programs, and the impact it has had on the community. Founded following a realization of the homelessness crisis affecting single mothers in North Fulton, the Drake House provides emergency and transitional housing, financial literacy, and community support to empower single mothers towards independence. The organization has evolved to offer comprehensive support, including a fresh market and a professional women’s career network. The conversation covered volunteer opportunities, fundraising events, and how the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia supports the Drake House through partnerships, funding, and resources, emphasizing the importance of community support in addressing homelessness and financial vulnerability among single mothers and their children.

The Good2Give Podcast is presented by the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia. The show is produced by John Ray and the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link.

Nesha Mason, President, The Drake House

Nesha Mason is a dedicated leader with a rich and diverse background in education, operations management, and community engagement. With experience in both the public and nonprofit sectors, Nesha has consistently demonstrated her commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of others.

Her passion for community service and helping others has led her to roles in public service, education and nonprofit leadership. Mason served as the first female African American Mayor of Abilene, Kansas. In this role, she focused her efforts on planned growth and government transparency for residents. Mason chose not to seek reelection, opting to pursue alternative certification to be a K–12 educator. After serving as a teacher at Haynes Bridge Middle School in Alpharetta, Mason served as Executive Director of a state-wide educational foundation connecting high school students to the hospitality industry.

In her current role as President of The Drake House, Nesha Mason combines her leadership skills, educational expertise, and commitment to community welfare to lead and support initiatives that empower families and create lasting positive change.

Under Nesha’s direction, The Drake House has witnessed a remarkable transformation in its programming. Her strategic insight and commitment to holistic support have propelled the organization from providing shelter to a two-generational approach to overcoming homelessness and financial vulnerability. This shift has been pivotal in ensuring that families not only find housing but also receive comprehensive resources to transition towards independence and stability.

In her personal life, Nesha has been married for 23 years and is the proud parent of five adult sons. Nesha and her husband currently reside in Roswell, Georgia, where they continue to be actively involved in their community.

The Drake House

The Drake House is a 501(c)3 organization that works to respond to the growing number of women and children experiencing homelessness in North Fulton. They involve members of our community in the effort to keep single mothers and their children united under one roof as they work toward self-sufficiency.

The Drake House helps women with children overcome the circumstances of homelessness with dignity while keeping their families intact. In response to the changes in our post-COVID world, The Drake House has adapted its programming to help the families we serve acquire housing and achieve financial self-sufficiency.

Graduates of their program work, pay taxes, rent apartments, purchase groceries, attend faith-based organizations, and hopefully, one day, become homeowners. They are equipped to be good employees, tenants, and neighbors. When given the opportunity, some even use their story to inspire others to follow in their footsteps and take advantage of all the services The Drake House has to offer them. As they continue their work to improve their program and campus, The Drake House does so with the expectation that the results will lead to more graduates, more resilient children and teens, and ultimately, a stronger community.

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Topics Discussed in This Interview

00:00 Welcome to the Good2Give Podcast
00:36 Introducing Nisha Mason from The Drake House
01:57 The Drake House: A Beacon of Hope for Single Mothers
03:21 Expanding Support: From Emergency Housing to Financial Literacy
10:39 The Importance of Community and Sponsorship
22:12 Volunteering, Funding, and How to Get Involved
30:08 Upcoming Events and How to Support The Drake House
33:23 Closing Remarks and Contact Information

The Good2Give Podcast celebrates the work of donors, nonprofits, and the causes they care about. DePriest Waddy and Maria Walden-Sullivan are the show’s hosts, and the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia is the presenting sponsor.

The Good2Give Podcast is produced by John Ray and the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. You can also find the show on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and many others.

At the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia, everything they do centers around one purpose: improving the world through the power of philanthropy.

On a fundamental level, they do that through managing funds held in trust, donated by individuals, organizations, and businesses. Most funds are donor-advised funds, similar to savings accounts. These funds are pooled for investment purposes, and their income is used to make grants for a wide variety of charitable purposes.

But the Foundation’s goals extend far beyond managing funds. They desire to strengthen the communities they serve in Gwinnett, Northeast Georgia, and beyond by providing leadership, addressing community needs, and assisting individuals and organizations with their charitable giving.

Connect with CFNEG:
Website | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

North Fulton Business Radio

Holly York, North Fulton Community Charities

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“North Fulton Business Radio,” Episode 206: Holly York, North Fulton Community Charities

Holly York, Executive Director of North Fulton Community Charities, discusses how her organization is responding to rapidly increasing food and financial assistance needs of families in North Fulton, and how you can help. She also discusses how the current crisis exposes a significant rise in financial vulnerability in North Fulton in recent years. The host of “North Fulton Business Radio” is John Ray and the show is broadcast from the North Fulton Business RadioX® studio in Alpharetta.

Holly York, Executive Director, North Fulton Community Charities

North Fulton Community Charities assists residents living in North Fulton serving the cities of Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton, Mountain Park and Roswell with short-term emergency needs. Since 1983, NFCC has addressed homelessness and hunger in North Fulton. The need for crisis, transitional, and affordable housing continues to be a problem in the community. NFCC’s programs and services have grown to meet the challenges of North Fulton residents needing short-term assistance. The community continues to volunteer and offer generous support to help their neighbors–working families, single mothers, seniors, and veterans. The domino effect of poverty is stopped when we help a family remain in their home with food and resources.

NFCC collaborates with many local providers to provide the resources necessary to help individuals and families remain stable in our community. NFCC provides services in English and Spanish.

In response to the rapid spread of COVID-19 and the recommendations of public health officials, NFCC is temporarily suspending most programs focus on emergency services during this public health crisis. Further, volunteer shifts are suspended to reduce the number of people in NFCC buildings. The Food Pantry is open by appointment and Financial Assistance is available via the NFCC website. While these measures are taken for public safety, NFCC embraces its role to provide emergency services during this crisis.

As a provider of emergency services, NFCC is monitoring the situation closely and will continue to do everything possible to keep a clean and safe environment so they can stay open for the individuals and families that need their services.

For more information, go to their website. The most needed items list is constantly updated on their website.

Questions and Topics in this Interview:

Financial vulnerability in North Fulton
homelessness and hunger in North Fulton
suburban poverty
North Fulton Poverty Task Force
Food Pantry
Financial assistance

If you are interested in the work of the North Fulton Poverty Task Force, mentioned in this interview, go to their website, where you can read and download their 2019 report, Our Invisible Neighbors: Financial Vulnerability in North Fulton, here.

North Fulton Business Radio” is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.