The pandemic impacted all of our lives in dramatic ways. For William, COVID brought his business to a screeching halt, plunging him into despair and an addiction that nearly cost him everything . . .

“I owned a coffee shop in North Nashville. We were in the lobby of a huge office building with 1,700 employees. We saw the same people every day for eight years,” William says. “And then it came to a complete stop.”

Just like that, everyone was working from home . . . and no one was buying their morning cup of coffee from the friendly face in the lobby.

“When COVID shut us down, I just went off the rails. I started drinking a lot, doing a bunch of dumb stuff, got arrested, and received a year and a half of probation,” William says, shaking his head at those tough memories.

“I convinced myself the only option was just to disappear and finish probation. So I spent a year and a half living in the woods in Green Hills, homeless . . .”

“One day I got jumped and all my stuff was stolen and I didn’t know what to do. I remembered hearing about the Mission’s Life Recovery Program. I was like, ‘I should probably go to the Mission and check out this program.’ It’s easily the best decision I ever made.”

In the Life Recovery Program, William was amazed at the quality of care and the endless kindnesses of staff and volunteers. “I thought it was going to be like jail,” he says. “But everyone at the Mission was just trying to help me out.”

At the Mission, William learned about God’s love and the lifesaving, life-changing strength to be discovered through his newfound faith. “I learned that if I don’t put God and recovery first, I’ll always self-destruct. I do well when life is good, but when it’s not, I fall apart,” he shared.

“But the biggest thing I’ve learned is the Great Commandment . . . to love God and to love other people like you would love yourself.”

“God literally picked me up and He was like, ‘This is no way to live. I’m going to give you what you need if you just listen.’ I think I finally listened for once. Looking back, I think He’s probably done it a lot in my life. I just never listened . . .”

William has deep gratitude for people like you who choose to support the services and programs at Nashville Rescue Mission. “The Mission’s donors are literally saving lives. Not that you’re literally out there pulling people off the streets, but you’re saving lives on a daily basis. Especially for me . . . my life is being saved here.”

“I’ve learned I’m important, my life matters, and I have purpose. God wants me here for a reason or I wouldn’t be here,” William says with a smile. “My long-term goal is to be the best man that I can be—and to be a good dad.”

Thank you for sharing a special gift today to share meals, help, and hope with a neighbor like William who is in great need now.