The homepage of The Olive Organization’s website has a simple quote, “Be doers not thinkers.” Essentially those at the Olive Organization are trying to eliminate hunger by taking care of the thinking so all we have left to do is, well, do.
The goal of The Olive Organization is simple: get food from those with an excess and give it to those with a shortage. The organization named itself after the olive because of the amazing qualities of the olive tree. It is resilient, beautiful and productive. It can produce enough food for an entire family even in terrible conditions, and the olive branch has long been a symbol of peace and harmony.
“Our slogan is ‘take the ‘I’ out of Olive, and you’ve just got love,’” said Olive founder Chris Purifoy.
Chris owns a social and production technology business specializing in music. He moved to the middle Tennessee region about four years ago.
Since his move he has regularly volunteered with the hungry and homeless in Nashville, but he recently decided to move his efforts to Murfreesboro.
“Someone I’m really close to said, ‘you know there is a lot of help in Nashville, but there isn’t much in Murfreesboro,’ and there are a lot of people here that are hungry,” Chris said.
Chris and a few friends felt their best opportunity to really help was to start something in Murfreesboro, and did so with The Olive Organization in July of this year.
So what can you “do” to help? The “do” Olive is referring to is hosting a food drive. Whether at your church, school or work, all you have to do is visit The Olive Organization’s website or call Chris directly.
Instead of one organization attempting to hold numerous food drives, The Olive Organization puts the tools needed to host a drive directly in your hands.
If one food drive could feed 10 families, then 10 food drives could feed 100, and the numbers keep growing with each additional drive.
Olive has done all the thinking for you. All you have to do is show your interest and they will give you all the information you need to host a successful food drive.
The food gathered from the numerous donation drives organized by motivated community “doers” will be given out to needy families and individuals in the organization’s first event, The Seven Day Dinner.
“There is no shame in it,” Chris said. “A lot of people who have been hurt by the economy could use some free food for their families.”
The Seven Day Dinner is basically what it sounds like. Once enough food has been collected, Olive and its volunteer friends will divide it into boxes. The idea is that one box will feed one person for seven days, six boxes will feed a family of six for seven days, and so on.
Though a date has not been set, the event will take place on the Murfreesboro Square and is open to anyone that needs a little help or wants to give a little help.
The Olive Organization is young, but ambitious. So are you an Olive?
For more information on The Olive Organization or the Seven Day Dinner, click here or call (479) 629-8674.