Today we’d like to introduce you to James Pride.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Gather for Good really started with something I was already doing naturally. Once I got my own house, I loved hosting people. I would have cookouts, bbqs, kickbacks, game nights, and other gatherings where people could come together, eat, hang out, and have a good time. I’ve always enjoyed creating spaces where people could connect. I started asking myself how I could continue doing what I loved while making a positive impact in my community. These gatherings were free, so people were coming, having a good time, and then going home. There was nothing wrong with that, but I started thinking, “What if we hung out for a good cause?” What if coming together could mean something beyond just having a good time?
That idea really came together during Oakwood University’s Alumni Weekend last year. Instead of hosting a party like I normally would, I decided to give the event a purpose. That became the starting point for Gather for Good.
Since then, the idea has grown into a model where the admission to our events isn’t money. Instead, people bring physical items that we can give directly to people in need throughout Huntsville. Huntsville has a large unhoused community, and they are right here in our city. As a Christian, I see serving my neighbors as a responsibility, but I also believe that anyone who considers themselves part of a community has a responsibility to care about the people around them.
We’ve hosted several of our own events since then, and we’ve also realized that we don’t have to create every event ourselves. There are already so many people in Huntsville creating great experiences, and we want to partner with them rather than compete with them. That has become a big part of our model.
We want to add to what people are already doing. A Gather for Good event could be a pool party, a dinner, a networking event, a cookout, a night at the club, or even something at a library. The event itself can be whatever the host wants it to be. Our role is to create an opportunity for people to participate while also making a positive impact.
In a lot of ways, I think of Gather for Good as the doorman for giving back. Instead of paying an admission fee just to get through the door, you bring something that can help somebody else. Our goal is to make giving back feel natural, accessible, and fun, while showing people that you don’t have to choose between enjoying your community and helping your community. You can do both.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of the biggest challenges has been staying the course and figuring out what works as we grow. I was fortunate to already have a community of people who had been coming to my events for years, so transitioning from the gatherings I was already hosting into Gather for Good wasn’t too difficult. But as we’ve expanded into new types of events and partnerships, some experiences have had more participation than others. A big part of the process has been being willing to try new things, learn from what works and what doesn’t, and keep going even when something doesn’t turn out exactly how we expected.
Another challenge has been learning how to manage growth. Some of our events picked up quickly, and we had to think about things like capacity, programming, weather, and how to make the experience work for everyone. The weather especially seems to have a way of testing us every time we plan something! But honestly, the challenges have been more about learning and adapting than anything else. For the most part, it has been a really positive experience, and I think the biggest lesson has been to stay consistent, keep experimenting, and ride with the punches.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Professionally, I recently graduated with my Bachelor of Social Work and work as a behavioral support professional within the school system and a Men’s Transitional Housing manager, so I’m still figuring out exactly what I want my career to look like. I’ve always considered myself a creative person, and now I’m finding ways to combine that creativity with my passion for social work and being involved in my community. In a lot of ways, Gather for Good has allowed me to become a promoter, community connector, and event curator while still doing the kind of work I care about.
What I’m most proud of is the impact that happens after the event. Seeing people come together, have fun, contribute something, and then being able to take those donations directly into the community is incredibly rewarding. After our first distribution event we asked the people we were serving what they actually need and have since been catering item collection for our community specifically based on those requests. Having the opportunity to listen and provide necessities they asked for and feel their immediate gratefulness is the most rewarding part. Everyone deserves to feel loved, seen, and heard.
I want to be known as someone who connects people to the resources and necessities they need, but also connects people to each other. What sets Gather for Good apart is that we’re using socialization, community events, and event curation as the vehicle for that connection. We’re showing people that you can have a good time, meet new people, experience something new, or something old, and still leave knowing you helped somebody else.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
What I like most about Huntsville is the growth. I’ve been here since 2014, and when I first moved here, there really wasn’t much going on. There were only a couple of tall buildings, downtown was pretty sparse, and there weren’t many events or things to do. Now Huntsville has completely boomed. There’s something happening almost every day, and while we’re still a smaller and more laid-back city compared to places like Atlanta or Nashville, there’s so much more opportunity to connect, meet people, and experience new things. I also love how connected the community is. Huntsville is still small enough that once you meet someone, you usually realize you have mutual friends or connections. You’re often only one or two people away from someone else, which makes it a great place to build friendships, partnerships, and community.
What I like least is actually a side effect of that growth. Everyone is doing something, and everyone wants to create something, which is exciting, but sometimes we’re all doing it separately. You can have several great events happening on the same day, or multiple people planning similar events without realizing they could have worked together. I’ve experienced that personally, wanting to support two friends but having to choose because their events were happening at the same time. I think Huntsville has an opportunity to focus more on collaboration, and that’s something Gather for Good is passionate about. We want to help connect people, promote what others are already doing, and create opportunities for collaboration instead of adding more competition. That’s why partnering with existing events is such an important part of our model. We don’t want to saturate the community with our own events. We want to help make the events that are already happening bigger, more connected, and more impactful.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: gatherforgoodhsv
- Other: email: gatherforgoodhsv@outlook.com
