Meet Racheal Rickman

We were lucky to catch up with Racheal Rickman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Racheal, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

I think it is important to find purpose in the small things. I love running my non-profit 500 Projects of Love because we get to give back and help others. It is in the moments of connecting with others and connecting with the community and those in need that really bring everything full circle. Making a difference even for one person is making a difference and that is powerful and holds so much purpose.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

500 Projects of Love is an organization that began in 2010 which supported vulnerable moms and their babies. Previously named “Baby clothes worn with love” it was an organization I managed from my garage. What began as a mission to help one mom, grew into a project that helped support over 100 moms in need by supplying essential items for their babies.

As time passed and I moved away to college, storing all the essential items in a small one-bedroom apartment was no longer practical, so I needed to come up with an appropriate alternative. As a lifelong philanthropist I wanted to continue to support those most vulnerable in our communities but didn’t want to limit my organization to a specific group of people.

So, in 2012 I changed the name to 500 Projects of Love. The inspiration for the new name came from its numerology meaning which represents life changes, progress, and opportunities for new beginnings; and this is exactly what we offer our homeless friends- an opportunity for a new beginning!

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It was around this time my Dad- who was an addict until his passing in 2019 was also homeless. My father was homeless for most of my adult life and it pained me to witness how our homeless friends were being treated. Their ill treatment and denial of basic human needs is what inspired me to shift my focus to supporting the most disadvantaged in our community. Our main focus now is to support our homeless friends however, when we see additional needs, we do what we can to help by supplying essential resources.

In June of 2020 500 Projects of Love became a registered non-profit organization.

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During this difficult time, I myself was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Many have suggested that I not disclose this information however I see it as an advocating opportunity. A 2015 study conducted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development stated that at least 45% of all homeless people in the US suffered from some kind of mental illness. These statistics are truly alarming and more needs to be done to address this issue. Working with the homeless and with my own experience of how this disease affects people allows me to help from a personal perspective.

In June of 2025 500 Projects of Love turns 5 years old since we took the leap and became an official 501c3. We have served over 10,000 meals, 5000 Holidays of Hope Gift bags, Thousands of blankets, jackets, pairs of socks and shoes, clothing items, and other misc needed items.

We strive to always serve unlimited Love and Kindness to our homeless friends in need.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I started 500 Projects of Love knowing the goal was always to give back and help those most in need. Full transparency though I knew absolutely nothing about running a business. I had to teach myself skills and how to put together reports, and schedule meetings , and budgets and several other business related tasks. There are many things I still am learning and some I struggle to do so it is a daily process. community outreach comes easy for me because it is where I connect and give back but the admin side not so much. The 3 biggest takeaways for me would be:

1. Knowing when to ask for help. I am fully aware I can not do everything as one person, but as one person I can still make an impact.

2. Knowing that not everyone wants to help you and that many people only want to help when they see a benefit in it for themselves.

3. Being a team player. Collaboration and partnerships are huge to being successful. Working together for a common goal not only helps each non-profit, company, donor. volunteer participating but it creates a bigger impact for those being served when we all come together as one.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

500 Projects of Love is always looking for other non-profits, companies, donors, volunteers, and individual’s to partner and collaborate with. Together we can accomplish so much more. Anyone interested in working together can reach out on our social media platforms Facebook and Instagram @500ProjectsofLove or on our website 500projectsoflove.org

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