Serving low-income families, Inspiritus enrichment programs teach and empower children and families, providing opportunities for enrichment and growth for individuals while strengthening communities.

READ OUR 2022 MIDDLE TENNESSEE REPORT HERE

Nashville Campaign

The Nashville Campaign

The new Inspiritus campus in North Nashville is coming soon!

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church has served Inspiritus well as a base of operations for many years. Right now, we have a unique window of opportunity to transform our campus and bolster the resilient spirit this community. The reimagined Inspiritus campus will expand our reach with 8,000 square feet of program space (including a revolutionized client choice market that will bring food assistance to hungry families) and 80 units of affordable housing for seniors and individuals with disabilities. Construction begins in Winter 2023!

Thrive Studios

THRIVE Studios by Inspiritus provides therapeutic art sessions that promote growth, healing and creativity in youth and adults living in underserved and low-income communities.

Through creative expression, THRIVE accompanies individuals as they discover their strengths and resiliency while they grow into vibrant contributors to their community.

The utilization of art materials and techniques provides a forum for them to safely explore their own emotions, develop self-awareness, work on social skills, and to process thoughts and experiences.

With an art therapist modeling behavior and providing unconditional support in each session on a consistent basis, behavioral and emotional shifts occur.

Research shows that positive patterns of communication notably increase - less interrupting of others, more taking turns, increased offering of support, asking of questions in place of acting out when challenges arise.

THRIVE Studios by Inspiritus is not a product-driven program. Our goal is not to hang our art in a museum. Art materials are used to process thoughts and experiences with a trained professional. Being process-based allows participants to free themselves from the confines of mainstream art expectations and definitions and be present during creation.

At THRIVE, groups discuss the value of imperfection (in life and in art) which allows for the participants to feel a level of success no matter the outcome of the project.

Healthy Gardens

Inspiritus’ Healthy Gardens equips low-income communities with the knowledge and tools they need to grow their own garden. Through Healthy Gardens, families and individuals have easy and free access to fruits and vegetables to supplement their meals as well as a healthy outlet for relieving stress and staying active. Gardeners often experience immense satisfaction and empowerment through growing their own food right outside their door.

Inspiritus provides everything needed for a family or individual to start their own garden, including raised-bed garden kits, soil, seeds, plants, watering cans and more. Education is offered before the season begins and continues throughout the growing season. Many of the gardeners choose to plant crops in each of the Spring, Summer, and Fall growing season. 

The Healthy Gardens program began in 2011 with 12 gardens in the Cheatham Place Community in North Nashville. Those 12 gardens grew to over 204 gardens in 2020.

Building Healthy Families

Building Healthy Families offers an educational support group for women living in low-income neighborhoods. This program is focused on encouraging healthy family skills. Participants gather weekly for a class, meal, and the opportunity to choose personal or household items from the Caring Closet. As it says in the Building Healthy Families Community statement, it is “a time for multi-generational therapeutic sisterhood to learn, grow, and become more powerfully whole.” 

Nashville Food Pantry

Inspiritus Nashville staff and volunteers continue to serve increasing numbers of the city's most vulnerable citizens. We are also delivering to our elderly neighbors who cannot come to us. Inspiritus Food Bank is operated in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee and the hours of operation are:

M- F 8:00 am - Noon
Closed Thursday