Two Organizations, One Shared Purpose
We are excited to announce a new partnership between Project: Porchlight and Porchlight Pathway Ventures.
Project: Porchlight and Porchlight Pathway Ventures are a two-part community organization rooted in Omaha and the Council Bluffs metro area. We show up where people need us — delivering emergency supplies straight to doorsteps, navigating crises alongside families, and connecting neighbors with the resources they need to move forward. Whether you are facing a hard moment right now or you want to be part of the solution, you have found the right place.
This collaboration marks an important step forward, as both organizations bring their unique strengths and experience to the table. Together, we aim to create innovative solutions and foster growth in our shared mission.
Through this partnership, we are combining the heart of Project: Porchlight’s community support work with the operational backbone and strategic resources of Porchlight Pathway Ventures. What this really means is simple: we’re building a stronger, more coordinated system to help families facing hardship. Porchlight Pathway Ventures will focus on developing sustainable funding, organizing community events, strengthening partnerships, supporting long‑term planning, and helping build the structure needed for Project Porchlight to grow. This includes event coordination, capacity‑building, and the continued development of Solidarity Smoke Co. as a community‑powered fundraising and outreach arm.
Project: Porchlight will continue doing what it does best — providing direct assistance, crisis navigation, emergency supplies, porch‑drop deliveries, mutual aid support, and hands‑on help for individuals and families in need. By bringing these strengths together, we’re able to expand our emergency resource distribution, increase our reach, and respond faster and more effectively when people need support.
By working side by side, we’re creating a pathway that connects immediate relief with long‑term stability. This partnership allows us to reach more families, build sustainable programs, and create a community network that lasts. We’re showing what it looks like when compassion, structure, and community power come together with purpose.
More updates are coming as we take this next step forward together.
Our Commitment to the Omaha Community
A Mission Rooted in Solidarity, Not Charity
Porchlight Pathway Ventures and Project: Porchlight stand side by side with one purpose: to make sure people don’t face hard times alone. Project: Porchlight is the hands‑on heart of our work — the porch‑drops, the crisis navigation, the late‑night messages, the emergency supplies, the real‑life support that meets people exactly where they are. Porchlight Pathway Ventures is the backbone — the planning, the partnerships, the fundraising, the systems, the events, and the steady structure that keeps the mission moving and growing.
Together, we build something stronger than either could do alone. We create practical solutions for real people, rooted in compassion, community, and the belief that resilience is something we build together. Our mission is to turn chaos into clarity, crisis into connection, and darkness into shared light. This isn’t charity. It’s solidarity — and it’s the pathway we’re building for anyone who needs a hand to hold while they find their footing again.
Our Community Projects in Omaha and Council Bluffs
Volunteer and Community Outreach Programs
Every project we run is built around one question: what do people in our community actually need right now? From distributing nutritious meals and essential supplies to connecting unsheltered neighbors with safe emergency shelter, our programs address the most urgent gaps in Omaha's safety net. Solidarity Smoke Co. supports this work as our community-powered fundraising arm, helping us reach more families and sustain the programs that matter most.
Food Security Initiatives
We distribute nutritious meals and provide essential supplies to ensure everyone has access to food and basic necessities.
Emergency Shelter Services
We offer safe, temporary shelter options during extreme weather conditions, prioritizing the safety and security of our unsheltered community members.
A mission that is a long-term goal
Resource Connection
We connect families with local resources for housing, job opportunities, and healthcare services, promoting long-term self-sufficiency.
Community Awareness Campaigns
Our events raise awareness and funds, uniting citizens in efforts to address hunger and homelessness.
Targeted Outreach Programs
We provide crucial supplies and information to vulnerable populations, ensuring they are aware of the support available to them.
Volunteer Opportunities
Engage with our volunteer programs to make a meaningful impact in the community while building connections with others.
ABOUT The Founder
Hi, I’m Rachel — I’m the founder & CEO of Porchlight Pathway Ventures and Project: Porchlight. Before stepping into this work, I started The Organized Owl, my first real leap into entrepreneurship and the place where I learned how much I love building systems that help people breathe a little easier. I’m called a lot of things: a mother, a wife, a veteran, a sister, a daughter. But underneath all of those roles is one constant — I care fiercely about my family, my people, and my community.
I built this work because the world feels like it’s spinning faster than any of us can steady ourselves. This is my grip on something real — a way to push back against the chaos with compassion, purpose, and a stubborn kind of hope. When the lights go out, we don’t wait around for someone else to fix it. We strike a match. We share the flame. We make do. We stand together.
This isn’t charity. It’s solidarity. And I’m grateful you’re here in the light with me.
Our Commitment to the Community
Porchlight Pathway Ventures, LLC is passionate about improving the lives of individuals in Omaha/Council Bluffs. We focus on creating lasting change by implementing programs that address basic needs and foster community engagement. Our approach goes beyond charity; we aim to cultivate a spirit of unity, resilience and solidarity among our neighbors.
Home of Project: Porchlight & The Organized Owl
Empowering Lives Through Action
COMING SOON
About Solidarity Smoke Co.
When the world goes dark, we fire up the pit.
Solidarity Smoke Co. was born from the same flame that lit Project: Porchlight — a belief that when times get hard, we don’t turn away, we turn toward each other. Founded by Rachel Kellenberger, a veteran, mother, wife, and CEO of Porchlight Pathway Ventures, this smokehouse isn’t just about food. It’s about community, remembrance, and resilience.
Here, every ember tells a story. Every plate carries a purpose. And every flame burns in dedication & honor of Christopher Carey — a man whose light shaped the people around him and whose spirit still warms the rooms. Chris was more than my family; he was the steady hand, the laugh that cut through the noise, the one who showed what it meant to show up. His fire didn’t fade — it became part of who he was... who he wanted to become. His desire to help others and feed fellows who were down and out, was only ever an idea to him. It is with this new endeavor that I attempt to lay reality to his dreams.
The porchlight in our name isn’t just a symbol — it’s a promise. A promise that when the world goes dark, we’ll keep the light burning. That we’ll feed people, lift spirits, and stand shoulder to shoulder through it all.
Solidarity Smoke Co. lives where compassion meets grit — where smoke carries stories and flavor becomes fellowship. This isn’t charity; it’s solidarity. It’s how we remember Chris, how we rebuild community, and how we keep the fire alive for everyone who still believes in showing up when it matters most.
Latest News and Updates
