About

A native of Covington, Louisiana, Shannon Monique Burkhalter moved to Atlanta, Ga to go to Carver Bible College in 1990 as a student of Foreign Missions. Walking around downtown Atlanta, Monique saw homeless families for the first time in her life. Growing up, she saw everyone have somewhere to eat and sleep. So, it was heartbreaking to see people living under bridges in refrigerator boxes and tents. This is when she started collecting food and blankets to give to the homeless.

Over the years Monique’s mission turned into the Warm Atlanta Coat and Blanket Drive where she collected warm items from co-workers, local businesses, and churches to place “Love” boxes in their establishments. Warm Atlanta Coat and Blanket Drive supplied well over 8,000 people with blankets, socks and coats.

Monique changed Warm Atlanta Coat and Blanket Drive to Love Thy Neighbor Community Empowerment Network (LTNCEN) because she was collecting more than warm items to distribute to the homeless.  She started collecting and distributing anything that helped families with their basic needs.

Since 2018, Love Thy Neighbor Community Empowerment Network has positively impacted over 500 families providing free warm meals, clothes, shoes, hurricane relief supplies and personal hygiene supplies.

Monique’s hearts desire is to be an example of God’s love by taking care of the needy. Her favorite verse of the Bible is James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”