We had the good fortune of connecting with Philista Gossett and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Philista, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
After escaping a difficult marriage and being homeless for almost 3 years, I found purpose and community in church, which inspired me to give back. In 2018, I started the Bear Closet of Marion, with a youth group at a local church. The Bear Closet of Marion (Loving Hearts Bear Closet) is an independent non-profit providing necessities and emotional support to families in need. I think back on my experience overcoming homelessness and rebuilding my life to empathize with those the Bear Closet serves. Through tireless outreach and care for my community, I have grown the organization into a lifeline for local families facing hardship with the help of my board members. My story proves that with compassion and perseverance, we can lift up those around us.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Continuing the Bear Closet has been a struggle. We are a small non-profit that relies on donations and grants. We have struggled to find a permanent home and grant large enough to expand services with paid staff so we can bring more resources to our community. This past year 2023 was our biggest year for donations and it helped us purchase new car seats and tons of hygiene items that our community needed. Bear Closet is unique because we offer our services without any strings attached. We believe if someone needs something bad enough to come to ask Bear Closet for help then we should help them. We do not turn anyone away. We have had so many challenges to try and get our name out to the community to show them what we are willing to do for anyone in need.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Favorite spots Cross Mill Wellness Center to get lashes done, facials, and nails. We would have to eat wings at the Marion Wing Factory and enjoy the nightlife at Mica Town.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate my shout-out to my community members, local business sponsors ( Camping World, Walmart, Crane, Food Lion) , and my Board of Directors Danielle Gossett, Susan Gossett, Arrick Gordon, and Jessica Swafford. Special thank you to Deb Webb for her help. Deb is now retired but still helps us with community events and is still actively trying to find Loving Hearts a new home so we can expand our services even more to our community.

Website: www.bearclosetofmarion.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bearclosetofmarion

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutNorthCarolina is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.