Grace Klein Community

Nonprofit

Grace Klein Community (GKC) is a Birmingham-area nonprofit that brings people together to meet physical and spiritual needs with compassion and kindness. Since 2010, the organization has worked to create community by uniting individuals, churches, and local partners to share resources and serve others. One of its signature efforts, FeedBHM, rescues good food that might otherwise go to waste and redirects it to families in need through volunteer food pickups, drive-thru distributions, and partnerships. GKC also supports basic necessity distributions, such as diapers, hygiene products, and clothing, and encourages community through shared service and relationship building.

Recently, Lilee Richards, a junior at Hewitt-Trussville High School, took thoughtful initiative through her volunteer project, creating a mini-house stocked with essential feminine products that members of the community can access with dignity. It’s located at Huffman Methodist Church, where Lilee’s heart for service is supported by her family: Her mother, Tanya, serves at the church, and her father, Donald, was appointed as Head of the Trustee Board last month. You can help stock Lilee’s essentials pantry by dropping off supplies at FeedBHM or by shopping the Lilee’s Amazon list available through GKC.

Volunteers are what make GKC work. Every day, people of all ages and backgrounds serve together—sorting and distributing rescued food, staffing drive-thru food sites, organizing supplies like clothing and hygiene items, preparing meals, creating comfort kits, and offering encouragement to neighbors in need. From Food Rescue Heroes who use Grace Klein’s app to gather safe, surplus food to Garden Club members transforming local green spaces, volunteers consistently bring compassion to life across Jefferson and Shelby counties.

In the past few months, an 8-year-old hosted a Love Does event for her birthday. Starting with a “Kindness is Cool” theme, kids wrote encouraging messages on rocks and placed them on the walking trail at Lee Springs Park. Then, partygoers made bouquets with flowers provided by GKC and were encouraged to give the bouquets to someone they love. Others collected donations for Love Does hygiene bags that are shared with street friends and friends in recovery and shelters. Orange Theory in Vestavia Hills hosted a shoe drive with GKC, filling up a donation barrel more than three times. And the Hueytown Library knitting group is already looking toward Christmas 2026 and their Papa J’s Workshop, as they collect supplies to knit scarves, gloves, and stockings.

GKC’s 2025 internship program saw 252 interns representing five universities, two middle schools, and five high schools, including Samford, UAB, Auburn, and the University of Montevallo; Louis Pizitz Middle School, Helena Middle School; and Fultondale and Oak Mountain high schools. (For 2026 internship opportunities, visit intern.gkcbhm.org.)

If you’d like to join this compassionate community in serving your neighbors, Grace Klein Community offers many ways to help. To sign up or learn more, visit gracekleincommunity.com/volunteer. Volunteers of all ages and skill sets are welcome.