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Giving Back to Our Community

Craters and Freighters as a company is known to:

  • give back to the community,
  • provide sustainability and eco-friendly support, and
  • streamline services to benefit the customer and the carbon blueprint.

Taking a cue from these company-wide programs, the Nashville & Birmingham franchises created The Esther Fund in 2019. The Esther Fund is an outreach program designed to positively influence the community.

The Esther Fund logo for giving back

The Esther Fund

The name for the fund comes from The Book of Esther in the Bible, verse 4:14. This verse inspired the franchise owner, Russ Connelly, to make a significant change in his personal life and strengthened his sense of integrating community service and giving back into the company. One of the main ingredients of the mission statement and purpose of Craters & Freighters is to be a “shining light” in our community. We do not want our company to be only about generating an income or to make profits. We want to have a more meaningful purpose as well. We are a company that is made up of like-minded individuals who want to help others. In that respect, we have created an outreach program where we donate a portion of our sales to others. The program is called The Esther Fund. The name Esther means “star” so in that respect we intend to be a “shining light” in our community.

It’s a Team Effort

Each month these two franchises hold back 1% of their monthly sales revenue as “Esther Funds”. The money is then distributed by the team member who has been designated as the “Esther Donor” for that month. The “Esther Donor” role rotates monthly throughout the team, and the designated staff member selects a non-profit or 501c(3) organization to support. Doing this provides an opportunity for relationship-building between donor and recipient. It also enhances the gift of giving and personally involving the people who make up the Nashville & Birmingham teams. At Craters & Freighters, we encourage our staff to do more than just earn a paycheck; we hope to encourage generosity and inspire a gift-giving nature that emphasizes both the strengthening of our community and giving back to it. Through this journey, our teams have learned that to give is genuinely better than to receive. The letter below is what is included with each check personalized with the employee’s name inserted that chose the recipient organization. This is what the Esther Fund is all about.


To Whom It May Concern: On behalf of <Esther Donor Team Member Name>, Craters & Freighters would like to make a donation to your organization from our company’s Esther Fund. The following letter will serve as a summarization of Craters & Freighters’ outreach program named the Esther Fund. One of the main ingredients of the mission statement and purpose of Craters & Freighters is to be a “shining light” in our community. We do not want our company to be only about generating an income or to make profits. We want to have a more meaningful purpose as well. We are a company that is made up of like-minded individuals who want to help others. In that respect, we have created an outreach program where we donate a portion of our sales to others. The program is called the Esther Fund. The name Esther means “star” so in that respect we intend to be a “shining light” in our community. In our own way we want to be a positive force with our neighbors. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Craters & Freighters Esther Fund. I hope that in some way our company has shared its mission of hope and light. Thank you! Sincerely, Russ Connelly Craters & Freighters


Giving Back to Various Non-Profit Organizations

Since 2019, as of April 2021, the Nashville team has donated $212,304.90, and the Birmingham team $46,863.60.

  • 2019: Nashville donated $34,191.26 and Birmingham donated $15,806.64
  • 2020: Nashville donated $37,677.47 and Birmingham donated $28,598.59

Video Testimonials from the Community

Non-Profits We Have Supported Include

A Soldier’s Child Alive Hospice American Heart Association – Hoops For Heart
Assist The Officer Foundation Big Brothers-Big Sisters of Middle TN Big Fluffy Dog Rescue
Bikers Against Child Abuse Tennessee Boys & Girls Clubs of West Alabama Challenged Athletes Playing Equally
CityScape Clear Creek Community Church Club Knockout FOP Boxing Gym
College Hills Church of Christ Convoy of Hope Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation – Tennessee
End Slavery Tennessee Feed America First Ferrell Hollow Farm
Gilda’s Club of Middle Tennessee Gildas Club Middle Tennessee Gilgal Baptist Church
Good Shepherd Childrens Home Grace United Methodist Church Greenhouse Ministries
Habitat For Humanity Habitat For Paws Hartsville Church of God of Prophecy
Healing Hands International Hope Clinic for Women Hope Park Church – Benevolence
HPFFACF Iglesia Bautista Hispana de Lebanon Iglesia Cristiana Una Esperanza Viva
Iglesia El Gran Yo Soy Iglesia Evangelica Casa de Oracion Iglesia Mishkan Lugar de Adoracion
Iglesia Mishkan Lugar de Adoracion / Juvenile Ministry Impact Youth Outreach, Inc Inter Soccer Club
Josue Yrion World Evangelism & Missions, Inc MCM Amo ato Projimo Men of Valor
Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt Monroe Harding Nashville Humane Association
Nashville Predators Foundation Nashville Rescue Mission New Beginnings International
Nikki Mitchell Foundation Officer Down Memorial Page Operation Smile
Operation Stand Down Operation Troop Aid Pencil Foundation
Potomac Center, Inc Preston Taylor Ministries Project HOOD
Raise the Roof,Inc Renewed Life Outreach Ministries Retrieving Independence Inc
Ridgecrest Baptist Church Rio de Dios Room In The Inn
Salvation Army Special Kids, Inc St. Frances Cabrini Church
St. Jude St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital St. Thomas Health Foundation
St. Frances Cabrini Church Tabernaculo La Roca Tennessee College of Applied Technology
Tennessee Voices For Children The 98 Fund The Experience Community Church
The King Foundation The Nashville Food Project Un Llamado Una Mision Ministry
Una Esperanza Viva United Cerebral Palsy of West Alabama, Inc Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center Walden’s Puddle Wounded Warrior Project