Sml Gives

About the Organization

Organization category

Public Charity

Country / State

United States / Virginia

Mission

SML GIVES INC unites neighbors, businesses, and the community in the fight against hunger and poverty, ensuring no one is left behind and no one goes to bed hungry.

Programs or services

Mobile Food Distribution
SML Gives Inc. delivers pre-packed boxes of nutritious food directly to neighbors experiencing food insecurity with very restricted, if any, access to transportation, eliminating barriers to access. Each box—assembled by volunteers—includes kitchen staples, proteins, and fresh produce, ensuring families have the essentials to prepare healthy meals at home. We partner with local organizations throughout the Smith Mountain Lake region to expand our reach in the community, offering direct delivery, ensuring NO ONE IS LEFT BEHIND!

Partner Pantry Program
The Partner Pantry Program strengthens the local hunger-relief ecosystem by supporting small, volunteer-led food pantries that often struggle with limited resources. SML Gives Inc. provides partner agencies with consistent food support, special-request items, and connection to regional resources so they can better serve neighbors in crisis. By sharing logistics, improving access to nutritious foods, and offering technical assistance for capacity-building, we help community pantries operate more efficiently and sustainably. This collaborative model ensures no pantry stands alone — and more families receive the support they need, when they need it.
Partner Pantry Program
The Partner Pantry Program strengthens the local hunger-relief ecosystem by supporting small, volunteer-led food pantries that often struggle with limited resources. SML Gives Inc. provides partner agencies with consistent food support, special-request items, and connection to regional resources so they can better serve neighbors in crisis. By sharing logistics, improving access to nutritious foods, and offering technical assistance for capacity-building, we help community pantries operate more efficiently and sustainably. This collaborative model ensures no pantry stands alone — and more families receive the support they need, when they need it.

The Empowerment Center
We provide free access to computers, trainin

Detailed programs

Mobile Food Distribution
SML Gives Inc. delivers pre-packed boxes of nutritious food directly to neighbors experiencing food insecurity with very restricted, if any, access to transportation, eliminating barriers to access. Each box—assembled by volunteers—includes kitchen staples, proteins, and fresh produce, ensuring families have the essentials to prepare healthy meals at home. We partner with local organizations throughout the Smith Mountain Lake region to expand our reach in the community, offering direct delivery, ensuring NO ONE IS LEFT BEHIND!

Partner Pantry Program
The Partner Pantry Program strengthens the local hunger-relief ecosystem by supporting small, volunteer-led food pantries that often struggle with limited resources. SML Gives Inc. provides partner agencies with consistent food support, special-request items, and connection to regional resources so they can better serve neighbors in crisis. By sharing logistics, improving access to nutritious foods, and offering technical assistance for capacity-building, we help community pantries operate more efficiently and sustainably. This collaborative model ensures no pantry stands alone — and more families receive the support they need, when they need it.
Partner Pantry Program
The Partner Pantry Program strengthens the local hunger-relief ecosystem by supporting small, volunteer-led food pantries that often struggle with limited resources. SML Gives Inc. provides partner agencies with consistent food support, special-request items, and connection to regional resources so they can better serve neighbors in crisis. By sharing logistics, improving access to nutritious foods, and offering technical assistance for capacity-building, we help community pantries operate more efficiently and sustainably. This collaborative model ensures no pantry stands alone — and more families receive the support they need, when they need it.

The Empowerment Center
We provide free access to computers, training, and job resources alongside a professional clothes closet, interview coaching, and personal care services—empowering neighbors to secure employment and build brighter futures.

Target Audience

SML GIVES INC serves neighbors experiencing hunger, poverty, and household instability throughout the three-county region surrounding Smith Mountain Lake, including Franklin, Bedford, and Pittsylvania Counties.

Our target population includes low-income families, seniors, individuals with disabilities, homebound residents, people without reliable transportation, and households facing temporary financial crises. Many of the neighbors we serve live in rural communities where food pantries, transportation, healthcare, and other essential resources may be difficult to access.

SML GIVES INC works to remove those barriers by providing mobile food delivery, pantry services, emergency household support, referrals, and connections to community resources. Our services are designed to meet immediate needs while preserving dignity, strengthening stability, and helping ensure that no neighbor is left behind and no one goes to bed hungry.

Geographic Focus

United States, Virginia (USA), Bedford County (VA), Danville city (VA), Franklin County (VA), Henry County (VA), Martinsville city (VA), Pittsylvania County (VA), Bedford (VA), Boones Mill (VA), Chatham (VA), Danville (VA), Ferrum (VA), Gretna (VA), Hurt (VA), Moneta (VA), Penhook (VA), Rocky Mount (VA), Union Hall (VA)

Current projects

SML GIVES INC is currently advancing several interconnected projects designed to expand food access, stabilize households, and strengthen support systems for underserved rural communities.

Our primary initiative is the renovation and launch of the SML GIVES INC Glade Hill facility, which will become a permanent food pantry, volunteer hub, and community support center serving southwestern Franklin County and the greater Smith Mountain Lake region. Renovation projects include completion of administrative and community spaces, construction of an ADA-compliant public restroom and accessible sidewalk, preparation of the basement for program and storage use, exterior improvements, parking and landscaping upgrades, and a planned warehouse addition to increase food storage and distribution capacity.

SML GIVES INC also operates a Mobile Food Distribution Program that delivers food and essential supplies directly to homebound seniors, individuals with disabilities, families without transportation, and neighbors experiencing crisis. Through our Partner Pantry Program, we receive and distribute bulk food donations to food pantries, meal programs, and nonprofit partners throughout the region.

Additional current projects include household stabilization assistance, appliance and air-conditioning distribution, Meals on Wheels support, volunteer development, expanded food rescue partnerships, and the continued development of an Empowerment Center model that will connect residents with food, clothing, employment support, health resources, referrals, and other services.

Organization goals

**Short-Term Objectives**

Over the next 12 to 24 months, SML GIVES INC intends to complete the renovation and opening of its Glade Hill facility; establish regular pantry hours; increase storage, refrigeration, and warehouse capacity; expand mobile food delivery routes; strengthen partnerships with food donors, retailers, farms, food banks, and community organizations; improve volunteer recruitment and training; and build reliable systems for intake, inventory, referrals, data collection, and outcome reporting.

The organization also plans to increase access to emergency household assistance, develop additional programming for seniors and homebound residents, and create a welcoming community location where neighbors can receive support with dignity.

**Long-Term Objectives**

SML GIVES INC’s long-term goal is to create a coordinated rural support network that ensures no resident is excluded from food and essential services because of geography, disability, age, income, or lack of transportation.

The organization plans to develop the Glade Hill facility into a comprehensive Empowerment Center offering food access, clothing, household stabilization, career readiness, internet access, health and dental partnerships, benefits navigation, case management, and referrals. SML GIVES INC also intends to expand regional food rescue and distribution capacity, create a dependable warehouse and transportation network, increase service throughout Franklin, Bedford, and Pittsylvania Counties, and strengthen collaboration among nonprofits, businesses, civic organizations, and local government.

Ultimately, SML GIVES INC seeks to build a sustainable model for addressing rural hunger and poverty that can grow with community need while remaining personal, responsive, and rooted in neighbors helping neighbors.

Leadership

SML GIVES INC is led by a committed team of nonprofit professionals, community volunteers, business leaders, healthcare professionals, and civic partners who bring experience in hunger relief, logistics, fundraising, community engagement, governance, education, healthcare, and organizational development.

The organization’s executive leadership provides direct oversight of daily operations, program development, partnerships, fundraising, facility planning, volunteer coordination, and community outreach. The Board of Directors provides governance, financial oversight, strategic guidance, and accountability through an active committee structure.

SML GIVES INC’s leadership model is collaborative and community-centered. Board members, staff, volunteers, donors, and partner organizations work together to identify unmet needs, respond quickly to emerging crises, and develop sustainable solutions for rural communities. Leadership is grounded in lived experience, professional expertise, fiscal responsibility, transparency, and a shared commitment to ensuring that no one is left behind and no one goes to bed hungry. Our Board of Directors consists of Dr. Brian Alexander, Member At Large, Marie Anderson, Member At Large, John Aull, Member At Large, Melanie Burnette, Member At Large, Melanie Eames, Member At Large, Peggy Overstreet, Member At Large, Kavyn Page, Member At Large, Robert Santmyer, Member At Large, India Wright, Member At Large, Elizabeth Deemer, Board Secretary & Director of Community Engagement, Susan Hogan, Treasurer, Kevin Bugg, Vice President, Timothy Smothers, Chairman of the Board, and Joseph Donovant, Executive Director & CEO.

Funding Needs

Grant categories you're seeking

Aging and Seniors, Capital Funding, Community and Economic Development, Community Services, Disabilities, Disaster Relief, Domestic Violence, Education, Entrepreneurs and Startups, Farming and Agriculture, Financial Assistance, Health and Medical, Homeless, Housing, In-Kind Support, Literacy and Libraries, Mental Health, Nutrition and Food, Operating Support, Quality of Life, Small Business, Social Justice, Special Education, Substance Abuse, Transportation, Veterans and Military, Workforce, Youth and At-Risk Youth

Funding needs

SML GIVES INC seeks funding to support both immediate capital needs and the continued expansion of programs serving rural and transportation-limited communities.

Current funding priorities include renovation and buildout of the Glade Hill facility; construction materials and contractor services; ADA accessibility improvements; warehouse and cold-storage capacity; shelving, pallet racking, refrigeration, freezers, and food-handling equipment; security, technology, internet, and office infrastructure; exterior improvements, parking, signage, and landscaping; and equipment necessary for safe volunteer and client operations.

Program funding is also needed for food purchases, fuel, vehicle maintenance, delivery supplies, pantry equipment, volunteer support, emergency household assistance, appliance distribution, and staffing. Because many donated food products must be transported, stored, inventoried, and delivered across a large rural service area, operational funding is essential to converting donated products into reliable access for families.

SML GIVES INC also seeks flexible operating support to strengthen administrative capacity, improve data collection and reporting, expand community outreach, maintain insurance and compliance requirements, and sustain the personnel necessary to coordinate volunteers, partnerships, distributions, and direct client services.

Website & Social Media