Our Work
The Race for Grace operates at the intersection of public health, youth leadership, and community wellbeing. What began as a local effort to meet urgent needs has grown into a multi-region service network rooted in direct outreach, food access support, resilience-focused initiatives, and dignity-centered care across the Southeast.
Every initiative is designed, led, and carried out by students who believe service is more than a moment of charity – it is a long-term responsibility to the communities around them. As our work has grown, so has our role in building a stronger regional model of youth-led care grounded in structure, accountability, and measurable impact.
Today, our work extends beyond individual service events. We partner with local organizations, support community-based public health efforts, and help develop a generation of young leaders prepared to strengthen wellbeing across the region through disciplined, community-centered action.
Grace National
Grace National is the regional expansion of The Race for Grace, created to strengthen public health and community resilience across the Southeast through a connected youth-led service network. By linking regional field offices through shared standards, shared initiatives, and shared accountability, Grace National transforms local outreach into a broader system of coordinated care.
Its focus is practical and community-rooted: nutritional, access, resilience-building, health-centered outreach, and service that responds directly to the conditions shaping everyday life in each region. More than an expansion effort, Grace National is a framework for long-term impact – one that equips young people to serve with structure, responsibility, and purpose across the Southeast.
Cross-Community Food Network (CCFN)
At the center of our work is the Cross-Community Food Network (CCFN), a youth-led regional food access model designed to reduce barriers to care and bring support closer to the communities that need it most. Rather than relying on distant or rigid systems, the CCFN connects regional offices, local partners, and coordinated distribution efforts to deliver food relief in a way that is immediate, flexible, and dignity-centered.
More than a distribution system, the CCFN reflects our broader commitment to public health across the Southeast. It strengthens community resilience, supports local wellbeing, and helps ensure that care is delivered in ways that are personal, responsive, and rooted in real community need.
Service Regions
Areas where we currently have active teams, assigned leadership, and direct organizational work taking place through Grace National.
Miami, South Florida
Tampa, North Central Florida
Savannah, Georgia
New Orleans, Louisiana
Houston, Texas
Jackson, Mississippi
Charleston, South Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Management Regions
Areas that are under observation, planning, or expansion review, but are not yet functioning as full service branches.
Mobile, Alabama
Memphis, Tennessee
Little Rock, Arkansas
Get Involved
If you are ages 15-18, you can join a new generation of young leaders serving communities across the Southeast through direct outreach, public health-minded initiatives, food access efforts, events, and regionally coordinated service opportunities.
Make a Donation
We accept small donations that go directly to food and supply purchases for those in need.
