Meet Christina Ambalavanar | Owner of Amba Creative & Founder of Neighbors Denver

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christina Ambalavanar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christina, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I’ve always lived in places where there was a large unhoused population, but due to safety reasons, never felt like I could do something about it. When I moved to Denver, I had to pass by the Colfax/Broadway bus stop every time I came home, and every time I would feel this overwhelming urge that I needed to do something to help them.

I have witnessed so many sickening interactions where unhoused people are not only ignored, but even worse, treated like garbage and have (completely unprompted) awful things done to them by passersby. When I see someone asking for food or laying in the street trying to keep themselves safe, I immediately think about the fact that they were once someone’s infant, born in a hospital, completely innocent and perfectly, intricately designed. Tiny, perfect fingers and toes, chubby cheeks, unharmed by the world. I don’t know where the narrative changes and people forget that we all started the same exact way, all of us unable to choose the situation into which we were born, fully reliant on people to nurture and help form us into adults.

I moved to Denver without knowing anyone and had never even served at a food bank before, so I didn’t feel all too prepared. I put out some feelers in a few forums for young adults in Denver, and had about a dozen people who I hadn’t met show up at my apartment to serve our unhoused neighbors; no real plan and no idea how to organize ourselves, only a desire to serve. It’s been a long journey from then until now, turning Neighbors into an official non-profit (!!), but it’s only been made possible with the help of all the hands and hearts eager to serve.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’m most proud of the hearts of the people who volunteer every time we do an event. More than half of our volunteers are new every time, and I’m always blown away by how little information some people need before they clear their Saturday morning to serve, feed, and converse with our unhoused neighbors. Because the nature of this endeavor is a bit different than a for-profit business, it’s been a huge learning curve. I am a business owner (Amba Creative- photography and design!) so I’ve had to learn a lot about what it takes to work for yourself, but when you throw in management of volunteers, funds, and other peoples’ precious time and resources, it’s a whole new beast.

I’ve spent hundreds of hours learning about the unhoused population in the Denver area, how to organize volunteers, troubleshooting process flows, and so much more that I never imagined. Most recently, I’ve discovered just how much goes into starting a non-profit, and my desire to do so in a way that honors the time and lives of both our volunteers and those we’re serving has made this a very tedious task. I’m so passionate about this, and aware of the responsibility that is this opportunity to serve in such a meaningful way, so I’m immensely grateful for the patience of everyone who’s helped along the way as the (sometimes very large) wrinkles have been ironed out.

What would I like everyone to know about Neighbors? First- that working in this capacity has given me and so many others such a unique eye into the actual lives of people who are unhoused in Denver. For every person who wants to help that population, there are many more who think of them as completely devoid of value, worth, and importance. As much as Neighbors exists to meet tangible needs, like food and sanitary supplies, the main goal is to provide a space where unhoused people can feel loved, cared for, and important- because they are. Conversation and positive attention that helps them feel seen and loved is the main goal, and if a hot meal on a cold day is a good avenue to do that then we’ll take it.

There was a time in my life where I was really selfish and all I cared about was what I was doing, how I could get ahead, and what I needed. One day, I came to know Jesus, developed a personal relationship with him, and my perspective changed from “what can I do to feel more loved and accepted?” to “what can I do to make others, especially people who society would deem “less-than”, feel loved and accepted?”

Hope in something greater than myself and that perspective has changed my life in so many ways and has enabled this work that positively impacts those who are often, at best, overlooked. So if I have the opportunity to pour into another human being who happens to be unhoused by simply asking them how they’re doing and what’s going on in their life, then we’ll take it. And if I then have the chance to share with them the only reason on the planet that I have hope for myself and for them through a life lived alongside Jesus, then that’s even better!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is hard! I would definitely take them to see all the Denver “classics”; sit and read at Union Station, spend a sunny afternoon at Wash Park, stop by the Pearl Street Farmers’ Market after church on Sunday morning, and spend an evening on a First Friday strolling and eating our way around the art galleries on Santa Fe. I don’t drink much anymore, but one of my favorite coffee shops in Denver is Hello Darling (and they have a new location too!), which turns into a super nice bar in the evenings. My most favorite place in Denver, in general and for drinks, to sit and work, or to just chill by myself or with friends is ESP HiFi- a Japanese listening bar on Santa Fe. It’s not super well known, but is such a great little hidden gem. If we had some more time, I would drive about an hour west to Silver Plume to spend the day at Plume Coffee (Julie is the best! Owner and barista) to breathe in the mountain air and get some work done at their adorable shop.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to shout out Bri Wirtz, Annie Westermeier, & Joshua Kalmbach! They all started helping with Neighbors when it was an unbaked idea in my tiny downtown apartment and have all been instrumental in the growth of Neighbors in their own ways. From brainstorming as we move to become an official non-profit, to organizing volunteers, to buying supplies and so much more, Neighbors would not be what it is now without all of our volunteers, but especially these three.

Website: https://neighborsdenver.com

Instagram: @neighborsdenver

Image Credits
Amba Creative (Photographer: Christina Ambalavanar)