Meet Donte’ Churchill | Owner of Go Get It Gear and Founder of Help The Homies Non-Profit

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

Hi Donte’, what’s the end goal, career-wise?
My end goal is to make a generational impact on people. The Go Get It Gear merchandise has positive and inspirational messages on hats, t-shirts and hoodies. We also stand behind our mission to help others. We work hand and hand with Help The Homies Non-Profit. Help The Homies provides food, clothing, toiletries and encouragement to the homeless communities around San Diego. Hopefully the positive energy and work that I do will be reciprocated. I want to show how easy it is to do and I would like for it to encourage others to do the same. Everyone has a gift. My goal is for everyone to find out what their gift is and see how it can be used in a positive manner. God’s Work and God’s Plan!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What makes Go Get It Gear different is we take 25% of our profits and personally put it back into the community. If you follow us on social media you will see me interacting with the Homies in different communities. There is no question about where your donation is going, or how buying a hoodie helps someone else get chips and a bottle of water. There are people that have the desire to go into the communities, but don’t have the time, courage, or the know how. We will do it for you! Come with us on our journeys! Everyone has a role.

I most excited and proud about the ability to personally make a difference in people’s lives. It’s a good feeling when you see someone wearing your shirt, or giving someone a hot burrito and the person says they say were just praying about food and hadn’t eaten all day.

One thing that I have learned is to know the value of my products. Instead of discounting everything, be patient and wait for the right customer(s). People that really want you to succeed won’t ask for freebies. Louis Vitton never has sales. I have to remind myself of the sweat and tears that go into my products. There is a market for what I’m offering and it’s not everyone.

I would like people who support me to feel good about what they are doing. I would like for my customers to know that their money is going toward a company with a positive mission and quality products!

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?
Thank God first and foremost for grooming me to do the things that I do today. My parents laid the foundation and gave me the outline for life and the basic knowledge on how to be successful. They taught me how to wash clothes, balance a checkbook, compare prices, how to dress for a job interview…lots of things that I wasn’t interested in learning at the time. I received a few of my quotes on shirts for Christmas one year (thanks Crystal) and that’s what made the idea become real. I volunteer at the Rock Thrift Store and one of the things that we do is pick-up furniture that people want to donate. I wore one of the shirts on the truck one day and my coworker said he liked it and asked how much it costs. I told him $25 and so he pulled out the money and said that he wanted one. My first customer and I had no product. My coworker is Rod, who is the Owner of Elenex (which means Elevate To The Next Level). They are on the action sports scene. They make skateboards and merchandise. He put me in touch with a print shop, told me the numbers I should be paying and made sure I got him that shirt! He’s taken on a mentorship role and pushes me in the areas that I need help. Iron Sharpens Iron!

I have helped feed the homeless dating back 6 or 7 years ago when there was a homeless community and shelter behind where I lived in Atlanta. They used to host the BET Awards right across the street from the front entrance of my complex (at the Civic Center), so the front was always well groomed. We would pass out sack lunches a couple times a month. Fast forward to 4 years ago, my girlfriend and I volunteered at the Toys For Joy. This is organized around Christmas to help the community with food, clothes, haircuts, you name it. I worked in the clothing area and enjoyed it! That led me to volunteering at The Rock Thrift Store. There is an area inside the Rock Thrift Store called Angel’s Closet where the homeless can come and get clothes, blankets, toiletries, etc. I would take clothes to the homeless around downtown San Diego on a regular basis. This is where I met a wonderful lady named Debra who Founded Feeding The Flock Non-Profit. Debra began giving me burritos, Bamba socks, lunches, brand new jeans (whew)…a little bit of everything! The Rock Church and Thrift Store and Debra from Feeding The Flock are who I have to thank for my outreach.

During Covid I filed all of the paperwork to make Go Get It Gear my official brand. I have also elevated my outreach to be Help The Homies Non-Profit. The two work hand and hand.

Website: Gogetitgear.com

Instagram: @Gogetitgear

Facebook: @Gogetitgear

Other: Email address is Gogetitgear@yahoo.com