Giving Back to the Community We Call Home

Resource Tony Carletello September 1, 2026

There are a lot of things that make Nashville special. The neighborhoods. The music. The food. The growth. But more than anything, it's the people.

On Thursday, August 20, our Carletello & Co. team stepped away from listings, showings, contracts and closings and spent time together volunteering at Nashville Rescue Mission.

Nashville Rescue Mission has become one of our favorite places to volunteer as a team. Every time we serve there, we're reminded of the incredible work happening every day and how much of a difference people can make simply by giving their time.

For us, Nashville isn't simply the market where we sell homes. It's our home. It's where we live, work, raise families, build relationships and serve our clients. We believe being invested in a community also means finding ways to give back to it.

An Organization Making a Difference Every Day

Since 1954, Nashville Rescue Mission has been serving people in our community facing homelessness, hunger and hardship. Today, its work includes emergency services as well as programs designed to help individuals take meaningful steps toward stability and recovery.

The impact is significant.

In fiscal year 2025 alone, Nashville Rescue Mission served 599,797 meals, safely sheltered 7,724 men, women and children, helped 443 people move into permanent housing and provided 25,558 case management, therapy, coaching and counseling contacts.

But behind every one of those numbers is a person, a family and a story.

The Mission provides much more than a meal or a place to sleep. Its emergency services include food, safe shelter, clothing, showers and personal hygiene resources. Case managers also work one-on-one with guests to help identify next steps and connect them with additional resources.

It's an incredible example of what can happen when a community comes together to care for its neighbors.

Why Giving Back Matters

It's easy to think that making a difference requires doing something enormous. It doesn't.

Sometimes it's simply giving a few hours of your time.

Serving a meal. Donating clothing. Making a financial contribution. Sharing information about an organization doing meaningful work. Or inviting your coworkers, friends or family to serve alongside you.

When enough people make the decision to do something small, the collective impact can become something very big.

Our August 20 volunteer day was also meaningful for us as a team. Real estate is fundamentally a relationship business, and serving alongside one another outside of our normal day-to-day work gives us an opportunity to connect around something bigger than contracts, listings and closings.

It's one of the reasons we continue to make service a priority at Carletello & Co. It strengthens our connection to Nashville and to each other, while giving us the opportunity to support organizations that are doing important work every single day.

Want to Get Involved?

One of the things we appreciate about Nashville Rescue Mission is that there are several ways to help depending on your time, resources and interests.

Volunteer Your Time

Nashville Rescue Mission offers volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups throughout the year. Whether you volunteer on your own or bring your family, friends or coworkers, giving a few hours of your time is a tangible way to support the Mission's work.

Learn more and view current volunteer opportunities: https://nashvillerescuemission.org/get-involved/volunteer/

Donate Needed Items

The Mission relies on donations of everyday necessities to help care for its guests. Needs can include clothing, non-perishable food, personal hygiene products and other essentials.

Because needs change throughout the year, check the Mission's current-needs information before collecting or delivering items:

https://nashvillerescuemission.org/ways-to-give/

Make a Financial Contribution

Financial contributions help support meals, shelter, recovery programs and other services provided to people throughout our community.

Learn more:

https://nashvillerescuemission.org/ways-to-give/

Spread the Word

Giving back doesn't always require money or even a large time commitment.

Share Nashville Rescue Mission's work. Invite someone to volunteer with you. Organize a service day with coworkers, friends or neighbors. Even introducing someone else to an organization doing important work can make a difference.

Learn more about Nashville Rescue Mission:

https://nashvillerescuemission.org/

Community Is More Than an Address

In real estate, we spend a lot of time talking about what makes a great community. Schools, restaurants, parks, local businesses, convenience and, of course, great homes all play a role.

But we believe a truly great community is also defined by the relationships we build and the way people show up for one another.

At Carletello & Co., we're proud to help people find their place in Nashville and throughout Middle Tennessee. But our connection to this community goes far beyond real estate.

We believe in building relationships, supporting local organizations doing important work and investing our time in the communities we're fortunate enough to serve.

Nashville Rescue Mission is one of those organizations we're proud to support, and we hope sharing our experience encourages someone else to find a way to get involved.