Our History
Divine Dignity was incorporated as an Ohio nonprofit in November 2022, but the seeds for this organization go back many years earlier. We have always had a desire and a passion to help others and have come to understand that dignity and hope are critical for a person’s well-being. Hygiene is essential to a person's self-esteem and hope is essential for a person’s self-worth. Hygiene is often a largely unmet need in low-income communities. Many organizations provide food, shelter, and clothing to those in need, but hygiene is not one of the recognized needs. The lack of hygiene — soap, toothpaste, deodorant, those basics we take for granted — can mean the difference in a person’s dignity. After much prayer and discussion, our staff and board had the vision to establish a ministry to serve our neighbors in need throughout the Columbus area. We found a centrally located warehouse. We developed a strategy that focuses on working with like-minded nonprofits to distribute hygiene to their community members. We established two programs: our hygiene centers and our hygiene closets.
The results have been amazing. Every week, we receive requests from communities and organizations who want to partner with us, and we are looking forward to adding more hygiene centers and closets throughout the Columbus area.
We also created our DigniTeens program which offers local teens from churches and service organizations to help teens in low-income communities receive dignity and hope through dignity bags filled with personal care hygiene items. This program has a huge opportunity to grow and expand.
About Us
Who We Are
We are champions of transformation, committed to empowering individuals by providing dignity, hope, and hygiene, and sharing God’s love. We believe that self-worth is the key to unlocking true potential, and we tirelessly strive to help those at risk transform into thriving members of society.
Milestones Achieved
In this past year, we distributed over $120,000 worth of hygiene to our neighbors in need through our 6 Hygiene Centers and 14 Hygiene Closets located throughout high-risk Columbus communities.
We serve over 600 people and families — giving out more than 5,000 hygiene products each month.
As generous individuals, companies, and organizations support our work, we will continue to grow and offer dignity and hope to those in need.
We have a total of 20 Hygiene Closets and Centers we serve each month, with a growing wait list of 12+ organizations. We look forward to expanding the number of communities we serve in the coming months and years.
Our Board
Nancy Gillette
President
Lindsay Wylie
Secretary
Matthew Nordman
Treasurer
Loren Geistfeld
Board Member
Marty Igel
Board Member
Alicia Overmyer
Board Member
Elaine Pierce
Board Member
Mike Short
Board Member
Why did we start Divine Dignity?
“I believe that Divine Dignity is a God-ordained organization that will not only impact thousands of lives in our low-income communities through hygiene but will also share God’s love and hope with people who may not know Him. Sharing His love gives us hope of impacting people with better lives and helping them to know that they are loved.”
—Terry Starr
Our Team
Terry Starr
Founder & Executive Director
Lesley Tate
Operations Manager
Chris Bumpass
Resources Manager
Elizabeth Adams
Executive Assistant
Patti Grill
Warehouse Assistant
Bonnie Johnston
Warehouse Assistant
Pam Shelley
Warehouse Assistant
Sue Ellen Shoup
Hygiene Collection Coordinator
Corporate Sponsors
Our collaborations with corporate sponsors are significant to our mission to transform lives in Central Ohio, and we deeply value these relationships! Our commitment to uplifting our community members with dignity through hygiene is crucial, and we appreciate the opportunity to provide that to those who share our dedication to serving our neighbors. By working together, we can positively impact more of our neighbors and extend the reach of our mission to share dignity and hope through hygiene.