Growth & Connection
Seeds & Bridges
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About Our Organization
Seeds & Bridges is a nonprofit organization rooted in compassion, connection, and the belief that every person deserves the chance to thrive.
We are dedicated to building stronger, more inclusive communities by supporting individuals facing profound challenges—whether they are refugees, people experiencing homelessness, those in addiction recovery, or individuals with special needs.
Our Mission
Our mission is to empower people on the margins by providing tangible pathways to stability and self-sufficiency. Through employment opportunities, small business support, life skills training, and community-building initiatives, we create spaces where dignity is restored and hope is reignited.
We Believe
We believe that by planting seeds of opportunity, we can build bridges of understanding and love—between neighbors, across cultures, and among those society too often overlooks. Our food programs bring nourishment and jobs to underserved people Including feeding our homeless community with dignity, Our disaster relief work ensures no one is left behind in times of crisis. And our mentorship programs help turn dreams into sustainable realities.
This mission is deeply personal to us. Our founder, Yassin, rebuilt his life from the ground up after hardship. Welcomed by a community that believed in second chances, he experienced the transformative power of compassion—and committed his life to paying it forward. Every board member and team member shares that same conviction: that people don’t fall through the cracks because they lack potential, but because they lack support. We are here to change that.
Projects | Knoxville & Around The World
Why We’re Passionate About This Cause
We’ve seen firsthand what happens when someone is given a hand, a voice, a job, or simply a place to belong. We’ve witnessed people of all backgrounds come together around meals, stories, and shared dreams. From a refugee who once served in the Marines now running his own restaurant, to a young man honoring his mother by building a business she would be proud of these are the stories that inspire our work.
Syrian Refugees Project:
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We’re Just Getting Started
The heart of Seeds & Bridges beats not only in our local neighborhoods but in communities around the world. Our vision is to extend this mission globally—to build bridges of love and solidarity between those who are too often overlooked and the broader international community. Whether in a refugee camp, a rural village, or an urban center in crisis, we believe every person deserves dignity, opportunity, and the support of a compassionate global family.
By planting seeds of hope across borders and cultures, we aim to bolster local resilience while connecting people through shared humanity. We want to walk alongside vulnerable communities worldwide, showing that no matter where someone comes from, they are never alone. Together, we can build a world where support knows no boundaries and love builds bridges that reach every corner of the earth.
At Seeds & Bridges, we don’t just offer help—we offer hope. And with your support, we can do even more. Together, we can train the next generation of community leaders, respond rapidly to crises, and ensure that no one is forgotten or left behind.
Community support and donations will provide the ability for the pop-up and food truck to serve first responders and victims when local disasters occur and provide necessities like food and water when they are not easily accessible. There are many other projects in the vision of Seeds & Bridges that aren’t just food related. This will allow us to help even more people and explore new projects by hiring people in need and giving back to the community.
Eventually, Yassin sees his vision expanding internationally, but for now, his focus is on our community as his open doors have always shown love and compassion for those in need.
Help us to make every dream real.
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Our Board
Yassin Terou
PRESIDENT
BIOGRAPHY
Mr. Yassin Terou arrived in 2010 from Damascus, Syria, and by the time he became a US citizen a decade later in 2020, never had any intention of leaving Syria. His family was there. Work. Friends. But war forced him to leave it all behind. He relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee, with a suitcase and a few hundred dollars. He spoke no English and knew no one in the United States.
Since then his kindness, enthusiasm, hard work, and generosity have earned him more awards and recognitions than most of us see in a lifetime. In 2014, Yassin opened Yassin’s Falafel House in downtown Knoxville and dedicated the space to be welcoming to people of “all sizes, all colors, all ages, all sexes, all cultures, all religions, all types, all beliefs.” He works tirelessly to help the Knoxville community, including many without permanent homes who suffer from hunger.
In 2018, Yassin’s Falafel House was recognized by Reader’s Digest and ABC’s Good Morning America as the “Nicest Place in America.” The same year his shop was also chosen as the Knoxville News Sentinel’s Best Middle Eastern Food, he opened a second shop, he received the 2018 Peace Award from Knoxville’s Rotary Club, and he was named the 2018 News Sentinel Person of the Year.
Since then he has won the Pinnacle Award from the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, was named Knoxvillian of the Year in 2019, presided over the inauguration of Knoxville’s new mayor, and won more awards than there is room here to list. He has also, though, through it all, maintained his generous spirit and tireless work ethic.
He has fed children in need in Knoxville; fed hurricane victims with a pop-up kitchen in Nashville, and used his fame to help countless others in Knoxville and beyond.
Dr. Natalie Rice
SECRETARY
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Natalie Rice, a native of Belarus, is a researcher at the CCI Research & Innovation Center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her research is focused on the use of digital and social media disinformation, propaganda, and other information warfare techniques used by state actors targeting the U.S. and foreign audiences.
Natalie earned both her Master’s Degree and Ph.D. from UT. She has been interviewed by local and national media outlets, including CNN and a nationally syndicated radio show Background Briefings with Ian Masters.
Her passion for educating the public and sharing her knowledge has been highlighted through a series of public speaking engagements, including the League of Women Voters, Knoxville Bar Association, Knoxville’s Executive Women’s Association, Rotary Club, and the Howard Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy.
For her efforts in sharing with the Knoxville community her knowledge of international affairs and issues related to modern-day disinformation and propaganda, she was selected as a finalist for the 2017 YWCA Tribute to Women award in the category “Arts and Education”.
Natalie lives in Knoxville with her husband Dean and two step-daughters. For several years, she and her husband Dean Rice have hosted Iftar Dinners at their home to promote intercultural and interfaith dialogue in the Knoxville community.
Adrienne Webster
Treasurer
BIOGRAPHY
Adrienne Webster is a Knoxville native who obtained her BA from the University of Tennessee in 2000. After working in the downtown business community for 5 years, she opened her firm, AOW Tax & Accounting in 2008. Although she has clients city-wide, her firm has focused on the greater downtown community.
Adrienne is an advocate for the small business community and believes that all businesses should be given the resources to thrive, regardless of their ability to pay. She offers free business consultations to anyone who contacts her. Since 2016, she has volunteered her expertise by speaking twice a year in the Co-Starters Program at the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center. She has also been a part of numerous Expert Sessions at the Makers City Summit. Most recently, Adrienne was the lead accountant for the “What’s The CARES” webinar series that helped small businesses navigate the CARES Act and PPP Loans.
Adrienne has always been active in the Knoxville Community and currently serves as Board President of Knox Heritage, the Treasurer of the Downtown Knoxville Alliance, the Treasurer of the Historic Fort Sanders Neighborhood Association and the Fort Sanders Community Development Corporation and is the treasurer and founding member of BreastStrokes Knoxville.
Nadeem Siddiqi
board member
BIOGRAPHY
Ustadh Nadeem Siddiqi grew up in Knoxville where he has lived since 1977. He graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in Economics in 2002 and from Tayseer Seminary in 2016 in its first class.
He serves on the Board of Directors for the Muslim Community of Knoxville, Annoor Academy of Knoxville, Tayseer Seminary, and the Association of Muslim Chaplains. He serves as adjunct faculty for Tayseer Seminary where he teaches a course in community activism.
Ustadh Nadeem serves as a Muslim Chaplain in the local prisons and at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville for the Muslim Student Association. Ustadh Nadeem is a local investor and advisor to businesses ranging from healthcare, IT services, real estate, and hospitality industries.
Patricia Robledo
board member
BIOGRAPHY
Patricia is originally from Colombia, South America. She came to Knoxville in 1982 to work as a VIP Hostess at the World’s Fair. She attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and then Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO.
Patricia joined the Public Affairs and Communications team at Knox County Schools in August 2021 as the first Latino Community Outreach Specialist. In 2024, she joined the Office of the Ombudsman, as the English Learners Family Liaison, the primary point-of-contact for parents whose primary language is not English. In 2011, Mayor Madeline Rogero appointed Patricia as the City of Knoxville’s Business Liaison, heading up the new Office of Business Support. In this role Patricia became the first Latina immigrant appointed by a Knoxville Mayor. In 2019 Mayor Indya Kincannon appointed Patricia to serve in her administration as a Development Services Liaison.
Patricia is the owner of Robledo Translations, LLC, which has served clients in federal, state, and local government, as well as in the private sector including national retail and food service chains, television and telecommunications firms and health care providers since 1997.
Patricia has served on the board of directors of various non-profits, including East Tennessee Foundation, YWCA of Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley, Project GRAD, Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking, Family Justice Center, Knoxville Entrepreneur Center and the Alliance for Better Nonprofits. She is a supporter of Centro Hispano de East Tennessee and HoLa-Hora Latina. Patricia led a Girl Scout troop at Lonsdale Elementary School for close to ten years. Patricia has been a medical interpreter for Knoxville Medical Mission Foundation for 20 years on their annual mission in Guatemala.
She is the proud recipient of the following recognitions and awards: The Tennessee Human Rights Commission Jocelyn D. Wurzburg Civil Rights Legacy Award (2024); East Tennessee Historical Society´s Spirit of East Tennessee (2024); Anything is Possible with Hallerin Hilton Hill 17th season (2019); Knoxville Association of Women Executive´s Webb Gibson Notable Woman Award (2017); YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley´s Tribute to Women Finalist (2016); Project GRAD’s Caught Doing Right for Kids Award (2016); Centro Hispano de East Tennessee’s Spirit of Inspiration Award (2015); Lonsdale Community School Volunteer Hall of Fame (2015); Knoxville FBI Citizens Academy (2014); Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee Community Leadership (2014); University of Tennessee Chancellor’s Associates (2011); Hola-Hora Latina’s Unity in the Community Award (2009); East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Inaugural Leadership Class (2008); FBI Community Leadership Award (2007); Leadership Knoxville (2007); Leadership Plenty Inaugural Class (2006).
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