PLN’s master chef and day-to-day operations ninja, Colleen Lampa, has been serving with People Loving Nashville since 2009. Just a few months after she moved to Nashville, she joined her siblings in serving meals to locals on the streets and has only grown in her passion and commitment for the vulnerable.
“I make new friends and new memories downtown every week. My favorite part of being down there is watching the family grow. I get to walk through some of the darkest moments of their lives with them, as well as celebrate the good times. I get to visit their camps, apartments, hold their babies, taste their cooking, visit them in the hospital, and so much more. I don’t just cook food and give it out to people that are hungry. I pour my heart into meal planning, coordinating and cooking, and invite my family to come have dinner. We always say we blur the lines of the homeless and the home full, that that is 100% true. Homeless or home full, they are all family to me. I was made to love and I am good at it. PLN is not just what I do, it is a part of who I am.”
A quote from Mother Teresa has become a sort of mission statement for Colleen's life; 'I see Jesus in every human being. I say to myself, this is hungry Jesus; I must feed him. This is sick Jesus. This one has leprosy or gangrene; I must wash him and tend to him. I serve because I love Jesus.'"
When Colleen isn’t coordinating donations, volunteer groups and meal planning, and hanging out with our friends without homes, you can find her exploring nature, hanging out in a hammock, dancing, eating pizza or a combination of all of the above. She also loves making new friends and hugging babies, no matter where she is in the world.
“I make new friends and new memories downtown every week. My favorite part of being down there is watching the family grow. I get to walk through some of the darkest moments of their lives with them, as well as celebrate the good times. I get to visit their camps, apartments, hold their babies, taste their cooking, visit them in the hospital, and so much more. I don’t just cook food and give it out to people that are hungry. I pour my heart into meal planning, coordinating and cooking, and invite my family to come have dinner. We always say we blur the lines of the homeless and the home full, that that is 100% true. Homeless or home full, they are all family to me. I was made to love and I am good at it. PLN is not just what I do, it is a part of who I am.”
A quote from Mother Teresa has become a sort of mission statement for Colleen's life; 'I see Jesus in every human being. I say to myself, this is hungry Jesus; I must feed him. This is sick Jesus. This one has leprosy or gangrene; I must wash him and tend to him. I serve because I love Jesus.'"
When Colleen isn’t coordinating donations, volunteer groups and meal planning, and hanging out with our friends without homes, you can find her exploring nature, hanging out in a hammock, dancing, eating pizza or a combination of all of the above. She also loves making new friends and hugging babies, no matter where she is in the world.