When are paper towels more than rolls of cleaning cloths? When they are the exact brand you’ve had on your shopping list and you’ve spent the last two weeks in the hospital. Paper towels, then, become messengers of care.

Essential household items turn into reminders that one isn’t alone.

For White House resident Terri Noah, an annual Christmas tradition—teaching her son the value of giving back—has become a project pulsing with passion all year long.

“When Spencer was two years old,” Terri shares about her son, “we chose an Angel Tree child that was his age.” The pattern continued throughout Spencer’s childhood, ranging from Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes (at age four, Spencer declared he and Terri would purchase gifts for the entire church’s shoebox goal) to Angel Tree gifts. Each time, Spencer shopped as if he were the one receiving the gift, with Terri instilling within him a giving heart. It’s a heart he would share decades later with his own daughter, as her toddler hands helped Terri assemble water filtration kits for third-world countries.

This year was different. Prompted by a Bible study, Terri began to pray, “Let me see the spiritual markers in my life. Let me tell Your story.”

Leaning in, listening, and being willing to step outside the box, Terri prayed expectantly. Her business associate and longtime friend, Lynn, did the same. Together, it was confirmed. This year, the call to give was wrapped around toilet paper and cleaning supplies, jugs of milk and cartons of eggs—boxed up with intention and loads of love. Terri knew she was being called to provide essential care items for the elderly and those facing critical illness. Not simply making a donation to a shelter or organization, Terri’s calling involved direct connections with people facing crisis and those living on a fixed income.

Gathering their funds together, Lynn and Terri began clipping coupons and scouring ads for savings. All the while, they shared their project with those around them—passion bubbling over into conversations at church. “People wanted to help,” Terri recounts, “so we quickly went from a $500 budget to a $1,000 budget.”

Shopping commenced. “The amount of stuff we ended up buying was insane,” says Terri. Her home buzzed with the bustle of sorting, packaging, and strategizing delivery. The recipients selected were active senior citizens—people embedded in the community, constantly working to assist others. They are not sitting back and coasting through retirement, but tinting those years in rich shades of gold as they serve with their time and presence.

“We knew that when we free up their time and their limited income through this gift,” Terri adds, “it allows them to keep serving others.”

Wanting to pop in and surprise the recipients, Terri didn’t call ahead to schedule deliveries. This heightened the faith required, especially with perishable items in tow.

“Everyone was home except for one 92-year-old lady,” says Terri. Instead of letting the food go to waste or dropping it at a shelter, Terri and Lynn paused. “We were sitting there trying to think of who to give it to,” Terri recalls. “At the same time, we looked at each other and said our friend’s name.”

Their friend, undergoing treatments herself, was hosting her in-laws while her father-in-law also received treatments in Nashville. The house was full. The need was great. And the delivery became a gift far greater than the goods tucked inside.

Later that evening, Terri received a text: “My son asked how you knew what brand of paper towels we get. You brought everything I had on my shopping list.”

A mile-marker moment—born of passion, intention, and love. Seeing a need and filling it. Being quiet enough to hear the call.

A couple of days later, staring at the extra care items still filling her space, Terri and Lynn began praying again about who to serve next. Once more, the same name came to both of them—a local teacher, a wife and mother of young children, battling cancer. They didn’t know her personally, but they knew the impact she had made on countless students in the community.

They gathered the supplies and prepared for delivery.

Uncharacteristically, Terri found herself sitting at home most of the day. “I was getting frustrated with myself,” she shares, “wondering why I wasn’t getting a move on.” Lynn checked in, expecting an early delivery. But the delay lingered—until it didn’t.

Like a jolt of espresso, Terri suddenly knew it was time.

Urgency took over. They loaded the Jeep and headed out. When they arrived, the husband answered the door. He paused, taking in Terri, Lynn, and the packages in their arms.

“How did you know?” he asked. “I just got home.”

After spending two weeks in the hospital with his wife, it was his first time back in the house.

In that moment, something shifted.

“This is no longer a project,” Terri remembers telling Lynn. “We’re being called to serve people in this community.”

And just like that, The Essential Needs Project was born.

Today, the mission is simple but powerful: to come alongside individuals and families during hard seasons—not to create long-term dependency, but to help them over life’s unexpected humps and hardships. “We want to help people over the humps and hardships of life,” Terri says.

People cannot request help for themselves. Instead, referrals come through trusted sources—churches, businesses, nonprofits, and community members—ensuring that needs are both real and immediate.

Each carefully assembled kit includes both perishable and non-perishable food, household supplies like paper goods and cleaning products, and personal hygiene items. As the project grows, Terri hopes to expand offerings to include incontinence supplies and other medical support items.

But every box holds something more.

Each one also includes a Bible—thanks to a friend who is a Gideon and donated 100 copies. “My goal is to give out all 100 by the end of the year,” Terri shares.

That goal—and the growing vision—will be celebrated at a launch and fundraiser event this Thursday at All Seasons Sports Grill. Community leader Dante Mitchell, who serves on the board of directors, is helping lead the charge. “He’s spent his whole life feeding people,” Terri says. “I really wanted him to be part of this with us.”

Because at its core, The Essential Needs Project isn’t just about meeting physical needs. It’s about showing up. It’s about listening. It’s about being willing to deliver more than groceries—it’s about delivering hope.

And sometimes, hope looks a lot like a roll of paper towels—exactly the kind you needed, arriving right on time, reminding you that you are seen, known, and never alone.