Meet the CEO of Nashville’s Community Resource Center
Tina Doniger leads the Community Resource Center with one belief — hygiene is a human right, and dignity can start with a toothbrush. Image: Community Resource Center
As CEO of Nashville’s Community Resource Center (CRC), Tina Doniger has transformed a once-overlooked warehouse of donations into a statewide hub for hope, demonstrating that dignity can begin with something as small as a toothbrush. Under her leadership, CRC has redefined what it means to care for our neighbors — offering choice, respect, and humanity alongside hygiene essentials that make daily life possible.
Since the 1980s, CRC has evolved from a humble “wishlist” posted in The Tennessean into Tennessee’s only hygiene hub, providing essentials like shampoo, toothpaste, diapers, and laundry detergent to families in need. What began as donated odds and ends has evolved into a robust network supporting hundreds of local nonprofits, schools, and faith-based organizations across seven counties.
At the heart of it all is Tina, whose leadership ensures every neighbor feels seen, respected, and cared for.
When Tina took the helm, she knew she wanted CRC to feel different. “People facing poverty don’t get a lot of choices,” she says. “They’re often standing in line for support, and what they get handed to them is what it is.” Under her guidance, CRC has made choice part of its mission. Tina wanted the experience of receiving hygiene products to feel more like shopping at Target or Kroger than standing in a charity line.
Instead of distributing generic bulk items, CRC intentionally mixes brands and types, ensuring that when a hygiene kit is distributed, it reflects care and variety.
That emphasis on dignity extends to every family CRC serves. Tina still remembers a story that stopped her in her tracks. It’s a moment that crystallized what hygiene insecurity really looks like in Nashville. A partner organization working with unhoused students invited a small child to pick out a toothbrush. The child proudly chose a red one, and when told to grab another for their parents and siblings, they responded, “We share a toothbrush.”
For Tina, that moment was unforgettable. “To think that in Nashville, the ‘IT City’ with so many resources, there are families sharing a toothbrush … it always gives me chill bumps,” she says. “When we can give every family member their own toothbrush, full-size products, and laundry detergent, it’s life-changing.”
Those small acts of care can ripple far beyond the surface. Another reminder comes from an MNPS school partner who told Tina, “If you’re having a great hair day, you can show up and take that test.” It’s become a CRC mantra. “You can walk through that door and have a great job interview,” Tina says. “Sometimes that’s all you need to feel seen and served in a way that’s dignified and respectful.”
That confidence is especially vital for young women. “One in four menstruating students in Middle Tennessee is going to skip a week of school,” Tina explains. “It becomes a cycle. We package products discreetly so kids can walk down the hall without embarrassment. Access changes attendance and confidence.”
Her team uses census and United Way ALICE data to pinpoint high-need areas, working with more than 100 community partners to distribute hygiene items to 500 sites across seven counties. In times of crisis, like a government shutdown, CRC doubles its hygiene support for food pantries and mobile distributions. “A $40 or $50 bill can snowball into eviction,” Tina says. “This feels like COVID 2.0 for many families. Hygiene access prevents bigger crises.”
Tina has been part of CRC’s story for years, long before becoming its CEO. She joined the board shortly after the 2010 flood, drawn to the organization’s resilience and purpose. “The reality of being in a city like Nashville — to have this poverty, to have these overlooked communities — it pained me,” she says. She opted to step up and do something about it.
Since then, she’s helped guide CRC through strategic growth and national partnerships, and sometimes, she can even be found driving the warehouse forklift, something she takes pride in. “It’s usually a bunch of girls doing the work,” she laughs. “Truck drivers are shocked to see women running a warehouse — licensed and lifting.”
Her leadership style is hands-on and humble. “It was never about me,” she insists. “It was about what our neighbors need and how we show up in a way nobody else was.”
Born and raised in Portland, OR, Tina’s path to Nashville wasn’t a straight line. She started her career in country radio before realizing her heart was squarely rooted in service work. “We’ve always been a philanthropic family,” she says. “My mom was a teacher. I grew up seeing students learn English as a second language. I was called the ‘cookie ninja’ in kindergarten because I knew who couldn’t bring cookies to school. I would buy extras and sneak them into class. That’s always been part of my nature.”
That same compassion guides her today, whether she’s leading disaster response efforts, coordinating volunteers, or simply offering encouragement. “Every dollar given to us is put right back into the community,” she says. “We’re buying product to send to partners we know need it. Basic needs allow everything else — education, employment, health — to flourish.”
Even with a full schedule, Tina carves out small joys that keep her grounded. “Sonic unsweet iced tea — Monday through Sunday, every day,” she laughs. “I know who works [at my neighborhood Sonic] Tuesday through Friday, and we have a conversation every day. If I don’t show up on time, they’re wondering if I’m all right. That, a really good charcuterie board — that’s girl dinner — and a great gin and tonic.” She also builds Lego projects and bakes often for relaxation. “Once a cookie ninja, always a cookie ninja,” she jokes.
Her best advice is as practical as it is profound. “Always have a sensible pair of shoes in your office,” she says with a grin. “And when you’re leading something, you can take the easy way and go back to how things were, or you can walk the hard line and grow something transformational. We chose the hard line. And it’s worth it.”
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Jenna von Oy Bratcher
Jenna von Oy Bratcher is StyleBlueprint's Associate Editor and Lead Nashville Writer. The East Coast native moved to Nashville almost two decades years ago, by way of Los Angeles. She is a lover of dogs, strong coffee, traveling, and exploring the local restaurant scene bite by bite.