Jenny Waltman
Jenny Waltman moved to the Magic City to attend Samford University, later joining her husband in their remodeling and restoration company, Grace Klein Construction, Inc. Soon, the name “Grace Klein,” meaning “little gift from God,” became the right name for the nonprofit she would be compelled to start in 2009.
Grace Klein Community’s main initiative is rescuing food to ensure no morsel of good food goes unused. Known as FEEDBHM, the initiative has embraced the challenge of food waste in Alabama and reallocated the problem into a solution for food scarcity.
“When we give a box of food to someone who needs it, that’s a little gift – but Jesus is the big gift who sticks with you when the food is gone,” Jenny says. “Loving our neighbors is the point. We pursue and love every type of person, share what we have, and do our part to meet basic needs in our community.”
One of the best parts about FEEDBHM is anyone can volunteer through a national app platform, Food Rescue US, adopted by Grace Klein Community. Volunteers rescue food between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. by selecting a pickup location and following the directions in the app. The rescued food is delivered to one of Grace Klein Community’s locations in Bessemer, Hoover or Calera where the food is distributed in 24 hours or less.
Recipients, volunteers and donors in 35 Alabama counties are benefiting from the work of FEEDBHM. Educational in nature, everyone from food suppliers and team volunteers to the food insecure are learning from Grace Klein Community the importance of preventing food waste and sharing overage to benefit the community.
In the last year, FEEDBHM rescued more than 2.7 million pounds of food, valued at over $8 million, to feed 448,368 unique individuals. The long-term goal of Grace Klein Community is to address food insecurity in all 67 Alabama counties. In 2022, Homewood City Schools piloted as a food donor which has inspired 25 additional schools to consistently share their food overages in 2024.
“We are taking collective strides to bring the best food options to the table to address heart disease, obesity and mental health challenges,” Jenny says. “When we provide healthy food to our communities, our food recipients miss fewer days of work due to illness, maintain their jobs, advance their careers and volunteer to give back to their communities.”
Occasionally, the food volunteers rescue food that is not ideal for human consumption. Grace Klein Community responds with their program, Handfuls of Purpose, which equips farmers to feed animals or compost. The vision is for all Alabama schools to partner with local farmers in their food purchasing program, offered through the Alabama Department of Agriculture, to create a “full circle” relationship.
“A school purchases food from a farmer, students eat the food, schools give the overage food to the FEEDBHM initiative, and any food not acceptable for human consumption is returned to the farmers… a full circle,” Jenny says. “And nothing is wasted.”
Susann Montgomery-Clark and Meredith Montgomery-Price
In December 2019, Susann Montgomery-Clark’s world turned upside down when her daughter, Megan, lost her life to an abusive husband. Megan Montgomery was a gifted young woman with a bright future and numerous interests and talents – in other words, her mother says, “like any victim of domestic violence.”
“The first 90 days after a woman escapes are the most dangerous – more so than while living with the abuser,” Susann explains.
Susann and Megan’s older sister, Meredith Montgomery-Price, didn’t know these stats prior to 2019. But in the wake of Megan’s horrific death, the family made it a solemn mission to research domestic violence and how to prevent it. Today, the Megan Montgomery Foundation ensures that young adults know and understand the difference between unhealthy and healthy relationships. Prevention is key to stopping relationship violence, says Susann, who worked in nonprofit fundraising for 35 years before launching the foundation in 2022 with her husband Rod Clark, and Meredith.
“After what happened to Megan, I closed my consulting practice,” Susann said. “I knew I had been prepared by God for this very thing. It would have been a sin to waste 35 years of experience and not take this on.”
It is well documented, Susann adds, that domestic violence is not a “women’s issue” – rather, it is everyone’s issue, and young men need to be educated on how to hold one another accountable. “We are working for a cultural shift not to accept any kind of violence to women, whether it’s physical, verbal or emotional,” Meredith and Susann point out.
The two women put their heart and soul into the foundation for Megan’s sake; Meredith serves as the executive director, while Susann is volunteer president of the board. “I am learning so much from Mom,” Meredith beams, while her mother adds, “and I am so proud of Meredith. This is emotionally exhausting work.”
Funds raised are distributed to schools and nonprofits – a total of $134,000 since the foundation’s inception – and each school or nonprofit can invite the program of their choice to educate on the topic of healthy relationships, as long as it is approved. But even literature from the foundation – a brochure listing “red flags” to look out for in a potentially abusive partner – has already made a difference in prevention.
“Moms have told us that their daughters learned about the red flags in our brochure and ended their unhealthy relationship before any harm occurred,” Meredith shares.
As of press time, the Megan Montgomery Foundation had just funded its first school outside of the state. The family’s long-term goal by the year 2031 – honoring Megan’s age of 31 when she passed away – is to fund healthy relationship programs in every corner of Alabama.
“Before Megan died, she wanted to save women’s lives,” Susann says. “It was her Godly calling
. . . and now, it is ours.”
For information, visit megansfoundation.org.
Catherine Lake and Augusta Cole
One day in 2022, Catherine Lake found herself hyperventilating in a windowless stairwell at a local hospital. She’d just received the worst news of her life and didn’t know where to turn. Just nine weeks pregnant, she was informed her baby had Anencephaly, a terminal diagnosis. Days later, a trusted friend connected her to Augusta Cole, another Birmingham woman who had lived through the same diagnosis exactly two years prior.
The two started texting. “Augusta became my life support. It was monumental to have her coach me through that time,” Catherine says. Months later, they decided to meet in person. The conversation turned to action–the two asked themselves why there were no support groups or resources for women facing “non-viable” diagnoses. Catherine wondered how she would have gotten through that devastating time without the emotional support Augusta provided.
After much discussion and research, Worthy Within was born. The organization, which is pending 501(c)(3) designation, aims to be a nationwide online portal where women can connect with other women who can support them as they face the heartbreak of a non-viable diagnosis. The idea is that Worthy Within will be a resource given to mothers by their doctors and caregivers and will provide that immediate lifeline Augusta was for Catherine, along with unbiased information and resources.
The organization plans to help women find therapists and counselors and provide financial support for time off work, mental health care, and child care. As the tribe of Worthy Within women grows, Augusta and Catherine imagine hosting gatherings for women to honor the babies they’ve lost. “We don’t want anyone to experience a lack of connection as they walk through this,” Augusta says.
Visit worthywithin.org to learn more.
Tammy Spence
Tammy Spence didn’t plan to devote herself to youth aging out of the foster care system, but personal experience called her to be the lifeline so many young adults in Birmingham need.
“It was adopting my children and learning about their trauma and needs that prompted me to go back to school and get my degrees,” Tammy, now a licensed master social worker, says. She went on to work in a residential treatment facility for adolescents in the foster care system. The experience opened her eyes to the struggles and statistics young adults face as they leave the system. “I felt like something had to be done,” she says.
She worked with a colleague to write a book about the issue. “We talked about how someone should change things for these kids. We complained about the system having failed them. We asked ourselves why nothing changed. For a long time, we did not see our power to affect change in the world,” Tammy says.
One day, while discussing marketing and selling books, Tammy realized she didn’t care about profiting from the book–she wanted to use the money to help kids. “That’s how Second Shift came about. We just stepped out and started,” she says.
Today, youth and young adults come to Second Shift through DHR referrals and self-referral. Anyone who knows of a young person aging out of the foster care system or at risk of homelessness can contact Second Shift for help.
To assist young adults transitioning from foster care to independence, Second Shift provides “Beginning Bins,” large plastic storage bins packed with household goods and supplies needed to set up a home. “When young people age out of foster care, they usually move into an empty apartment or dorm room if they can obtain housing, Tammy explains. “Beginning Bins give them all the little things they need, like sheets, towels, extension cords, etc.”
Another life-changing resource Second Shift offers is the “Forever Adult Mentor,” or FAM, program. A FAM is a stable, caring adult who is in it for the long haul–they go through Second Shift’s training and decide to become a lifeline for a young person. “Research tells us that even just one stable, caring adult can change outcomes–preventing homelessness, unemployment, incarceration, trafficking, and the repeated generational cycle of foster care,” Tammy notes. “When we provide someone support and encouragement, it costs us nothing but changes everything.”
Tammy relays the story of one of Second Shift's earliest clients to emphasize the impact one adult can have on a young person. “He left foster care with a very good plan. He had housing, a roommate to help with expenses, a job within walking distance of his apartment, and all the furniture and household goods he needed. Aging out was a smooth transition. Everything went beautifully for a couple of months. Then his roommate moved out.” Tammy explains how this event, which may seem ordinary to many of us, led to panic and distress for the young adult. “He froze, stopped going to work, got an eviction notice, and abandoned all his belongings. Suddenly, he was homeless and unemployed. This began an 18-month-long period of couch-surfing, homelessness, unemployment, anxiety, and depression.”
Throughout those 18 months, the young man had a Second Shift mentor who stayed in touch and provided help, encouragement, advice, and emotional support. The client returned to stability, health, and a job. He’s now sustainably independent, happily married, and a homeowner. He and his wife have become foster parents so that he can give back.
For anyone interested in learning more about Second Shift, Tammy encourages attending one of the group’s monthly informational meetings. Volunteers and potential board members are encouraged to reach out to Link@secondshiftalabama.org. Follow Second Shift @secondshiftAlabama on Facebook and Instagram.
Our work is hard and heartbreaking, and burnout is very real, but we know that for some of our clients, we are all they have. No matter how hard it is for us, it is harder for them.
