Modeling a Life of Giving: Tamrisa Matlock and The Restorative Nesting Foundation

The Restorative Nesting Foundation started with a normal family meal.

As the family finished their meal, Tamrisa Matlock’s young daughter presented her mother an empty plate and said she was finished. Later, Tamrisa found that instead of finishing her food, her daughter had hidden the veggies she didn’t want to eat.

“She didn’t really have a clear understanding of what life could look like outside of [her home],” Tamrisa explained. “She didn’t understand why she shouldn’t throw away her food or waste things like that.”

Tamrisa wanted to give her young daughter more perspective as she grows, so she started looking for opportunities to volunteer together 

“I wanted her to experience what other people’s lives look like,” she said.

During this time, Tamrisa was also grieving the loss of her younger brother, who had struggled with food and housing insecurity.

“People are often facing unseen challenges, but we can step up as a community,” she said. “I was thinking of how I could give back and honor his legacy.”

But she couldn’t find an opportunity that helped her do both. So she decided to create her own!

In 2024, Tamrisa established The Restorative Nesting Foundation. Since then, she’s connected with other organizations and rallied her circle of friends and family to meet community needs.

“I want to be a liaison to connect the community with volunteers by creating a hub for volunteers,” Tamrisa shared.

While searching for local organizations that needed volunteers, she came across Home of Hope.

“It touched my heart to see these moms facing challenges and hardships with their kids. I saw how much they needed the resources,” she explained. 

“Moms aren’t just filling space [at Home of Hope]. They’re learning concepts they’re able to take with them into the real world and find independence after hardship.”

So Tamrisa and a group of friends started bringing hot meals to Home of Hope, using these donations to model giving back for their children. 

“Just a simple meal can express comfort. It helps moms know that there are people out here who care about them and their well-being and want them to be able to get back on their feet,” she said.

This passion to support families in crisis is personal for Tamrisa.

“My mother passed away when I was eight years old, but I had people who poured into me. If I went to a church function, there would be people saying, ‘We’ll take you on a shopping spree!’ I have family members who took me in and poured into me things I was not able to receive from my parents,” Tamrisa explained.

Recently, Tamrisa heard that Home of Hope needed donations for its annual Back-to-School Bash. She reached out to friends, family and her social media followers to collect donations so she could provide backpacks for Home of Hope’s school-aged children. She also connected with a local Chick-fil-A that provided treat cards for each backpack. 

She’s grateful for opportunities like that to not only bless Home of Hope but also raise more awareness of its mission.

“These children are so young [and facing homelessness]. But our community can be there to lend a helping hand,” Tamrisa said. “I just want to give back, even in the smallest things.”