NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — There’s a mission in North Nashville — not to change the community, but to elevate it.
That mission is being led by a newly formed nonprofit, Elevate North Nashville, created out of the House of God Church. Leaders said they have big plans for the area and are already making an impact by partnering with other organizations to help ease the financial burden many families are facing.
One of those efforts is focused on something essential for families with young children: diapers.
At the 18th Avenue Family Enrichment Center, having diapers on hand isn’t just helpful — it’s required.
“That’s a DHS regulation where the child has to be changed at least every two hours — that averages out to about six diapers,” said Roxanne McEwen-Fondren, the center’s director.
But McEwen-Fondren said not every family can afford to meet that requirement.
“They’re out there counting diapers like, ‘Okay, here’s six… I might have one more in the car,'" she said.
Before December, staff sometimes had to send children home or ask parents to leave work to bring more diapers.
That changed when Nashville Diaper Connection stepped in.
“You’re already struggling financially — trying to have enough of all the things you need to raise kids right,” said Brandi Jack, CEO of Nashville Diaper Connection.
The nonprofit is now partnering with nine childcare centers, providing diapers through its “Diaper Daycare” initiative to support working families.
The partnership was made possible through Elevate North Nashville, which is helping connect resources across the community.
“We’re bringing any and everything that is needed in the area — we want to put our hands on it,” said Monchiere Holmes-Jones of Mojo Impacts, who is helping expand the nonprofit’s mission.
Holmes-Jones said while there are plans to develop land in the area, the focus starts with supporting families.
“We can’t just house you if we can’t actually fund you and we can’t feed you,” she said. “It’s important your whole family is being taken care of — and that’s what Elevate North Nashville is as well.”
For McEwen-Fondren, a North Nashville native, the partnerships represent progress without losing the community’s identity.
“It’s not changing North Nashville — it’s elevating it,” she said.
There are already plans to expand the Diaper Daycare program to more facilities. Elevate North Nashville leaders said they also plan to focus on green spaces, affordable housing and tourism as part of their broader vision for the area.
This story was reported on-air by reporter Aaron Cantrell and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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