What Operation Compassion does

Operation Compassion is a 501(c)(3) humanitarian nonprofit headquartered in Cleveland, Tennessee, founded in 1998 by David Lorency. The organization operates four core initiatives — Disaster Relief, Living Waters (clean water), Second Chance (reentry/rehabilitation for formerly incarcerated individuals), and Filling Plates (food distribution) — plus the Generous Church Program for faith-based partner recruitment. Its core products include portable suitcase-based water filtration systems (Premium $2,500, Base $1,000, Home $600) using reverse osmosis and UV sterilization with capacities up to 14,400 gallons per day, plus custom labeled bottled water sold B2B at $1,123 per pallet.

The organization's business model combines donations (individual, corporate, church network via Generous Church Program), commercial water product sales, and product distribution services. It maintains an extremely lean operating structure of 14 employees while distributing approximately 7,400 tons of supplies worth $93 million annually, shipping 50 containers and dozens of semi-trailers per month to 49 US states and 73 nations. Disaster response is the flagship function with over 100 completed responses spanning Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, the Indonesia tsunami, Hurricane Helene, and recent 2025 events (Texas Floods, Kentucky Tornadoes).

Leadership transitioned to Kelvin Page as President in 2020 following founder David Lorency's passing. The executive team includes Bobby Corley (Chief Financial & Development Officer), Tony Clanton (Chief Partnership Officer), and Landon Futrelle (VP of Finance & Accounting). Strategic partners include Feed the Children (20+ year relationship), God's Pit Crew, Mercy Chefs, Christian Appalachian Project, Church of God Youth Department, and Operation Finally Home. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the $93 million annual supply value largely reflects in-kind donated goods rather than cash revenue.

Name

Operation Compassion

Legal name

Operation Compassion

Website

https://operationcompassion.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Operation Compassion is a Cleveland, Tennessee-based 501(c)(3) humanitarian nonprofit operating four initiatives — Disaster Relief, Living Waters (clean water), Second Chance (reentry), and Filling Plates (food) — serving 2.6 million people annually across 49 US states and 73 nations through donations, commercial water product sales, and a lean 14-employee logistics operation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Community Food Services (62421)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian Logistics, Supply Chain & Air/Sea/Land Relief Transport (BPAGAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF), Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Emergency Services (BPAGAAAE), Disaster Response & Search and Rescue (SAR) (BPADADAA), Emergency Food Assistance & Nutrition Response (BPADADAE)

Keywords

• Humanitarian aid services
• Disaster relief operations
• Clean water systems
• Food distribution programs
• Rehabilitation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Primary revenue source through individual donations, corporate donations, and church partnerships. Donors contribute funds to support disaster relief, clean water initiatives, food distribution, and rehabilitation programs.
2. Water System Sales: Commercial sale of water filtration systems (Premium System $2,500, Home Filtration System $600, Base Suitcase System $1,000). Proceeds fund charitable initiatives.
3. Custom Labeled Water Bottle Sales: B2B sales of custom labeled bottled water for events, hospitality, and promotional use. Pallet pricing at $1,123 (1,728 bottles), case pricing at $15.60 (24 bottles per case), with $120 artwork setup fee.
4. Product Distribution Services: Logistics and transport services delivering products and personnel to communities in need, including shipping containers and semi-trailer deliveries domestically and internationally.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Operation Compassion is a 501(c)(3) humanitarian nonprofit that delivers disaster relief logistics and supplies, deploys portable and home water filtration systems through its Living Waters initiative, distributes food through Filling Plates, and provides rehabilitation services through Second Chance. The organization commercially sells water filtration systems (Premium $2,500, Home Filtration $600, Base Suitcase $1,000) and custom labeled bottled water to fund its charitable operations.

Product overview

Operation Compassion is a humanitarian non-profit organization offering disaster relief and community support programs. Its portfolio includes four core initiatives: Disaster Relief (providing immediate humanitarian response to natural disasters), Living Waters (deploying portable and home water filtration systems), Second Chance (rehabilitation and job training for formerly incarcerated individuals), and Filling Plates (food distribution). The organization also sells water products commercially including Premium, Home, and Base Suitcase water filtration systems, and custom labeled bottled water. The Generous Church Program enables faith-based partnerships for relief efforts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Living Waters: Clean water initiative providing sustainable water filtration systems to underserved communities and underdeveloped countries.
• Filling Plates
• Second Chance
• Disaster Relief
• Generous Church Program

Products and services

• Disaster Relief Humanitarian response service providing immediate aid including supplies, emergency shelter, and rebuilding assistance to communities affected by natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes across 49 US states and 73 nations.
• Living Waters Initiative Clean water program deploying sustainable water filtration systems to underserved communities and underdeveloped countries, producing potable water from virtually any source including remote areas with limited infrastructure, providing up to 100,000 gallons of purified water daily in some locations.
• Second Chance Initiative Holistic rehabilitation program providing pathways to stable life for recently incarcerated individuals through rehabilitation programs, job and skillset training courses, and life coaching opportunities.
• Filling Plates Initiative Food distribution program utilizing strategic partnerships to procure, transport, and distribute hundreds of thousands of pounds of food annually to families and individuals in need across the southeastern United States.
• Premium Water System High-capacity portable water filtration system priced at $2,500 featuring automated backflush capability, minimal maintenance, solar panel integration, up to 14,400 gallons per day filtration capacity, and up to 7 year filter life. Designed for portable deployment in disaster zones and remote communities.
• Base Suitcase System Portable suitcase-format water filtration system priced at $1,000 designed for maximum ease of use and installation. Can be transported anywhere globally and produces potable water from virtually any water source including remote areas with no modern infrastructure.
• Home Filtration System Under-sink water filtration unit priced at $600 combining reverse osmosis and UV sterilization for maximum water quality. Compact, affordable, and effective with up to 1 year filter life.
• Custom Labeled Water Bottles Bottled water available with custom labeling for businesses, events, or hospitality services. Pallet pricing at $1,123 (1,728 bottles per pallet, 72 case minimum), case pricing at $15.60 (24 bottles per case), with $120 one-time artwork setup fee. Proceeds fund Living Waters initiatives.
• Generous Church Program Church partnership program enabling congregations to participate in humanitarian relief efforts through coordinated disaster response, clean water initiatives, and community support activities. Churches can apply to join the program and receive resources and coordination.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2.6 million people served annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Feed the ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner20+ year partnership spanning major disaster responses including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, Indonesia tsunami (1,000 containers of product), Hurricane Laura, and domestic tornado responses. Mutual collaboration on supply chain and distribution logistics.
• God's Pit CrewcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDisaster relief partner providing volunteers, heavy equipment, and product donations. Key partner in home rebuilding projects including The Matthew 5:14 Project in Cleveland, TN.
• Mercy ChefscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDisaster relief partner cooking hot meals for survivors during tornado and flood responses. Provides culinary support at relief sites across disaster zones.
• Christian Appalachian Project (CAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to change lives of neighbors through collaborative community projects in the Appalachian region.
• Heart 4 OrphansminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLife-changing international partnership focused on orphan care and support in Moldova.
• Church of God Youth DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for youth-focused humanitarian outreach and disaster relief coordination through church network.
• Bishop Martin Mutyebele (Belgium/Congo)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to build and supply a 4-wing hospital in Congo with medical supplies, exam tables, surgical lighting, and hospital furniture.
• Operation Finally HomecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to build mortgage-free homes for veterans in need. Built new home for Vietnam Veteran Alvin Jackson.
• Farmers to FamiliesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood distribution partnership providing food boxes to families in Bradley County, TN during COVID-19 pandemic.
• Affordable Roofing, Siding and GuttersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner donating roofs for The Matthew 5:14 home rebuilding project.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• World Vision: Faith-rooted humanitarian NGO operating child sponsorship, WASH, food security, and disaster response worldwide. Broad incumbent that competes for similar donor dollars and overlap with Operation Compassion's integrated humanitarian portfolio.
• Mercy Corps: Large global humanitarian organization delivering emergency relief, food security, and water/sanitation programming in fragile contexts. Broader incumbent that overlaps with Operation Compassion on Disaster Relief, Filling Plates, and Living Waters verticals.
• Catholic Relief Services: Large faith-based humanitarian agency operating in over 100 countries across disaster response, food security, and health. Broad incumbent that competes for institutional humanitarian funding and overlaps on disaster relief and food security verticals.

Direct peers

• Mercy Chefs: Disaster relief nonprofit providing hot meals to survivors and first responders. Listed as an Operation Compassion partner and a direct peer in culinary disaster response; smaller and more specialized but functionally overlapping.
• God's Pit Crew: Faith-based disaster relief nonprofit providing volunteers, heavy equipment, and rebuilding support after tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods. Direct peer to Operation Compassion's Disaster Relief and Matthew 5:14 home rebuilding work; also a Core partner.
• Feed the Children: Nonprofit focused on child hunger, disaster response, and supply chain-driven food/relief distribution. A 20+ year partner of Operation Compassion and a direct peer in disaster relief logistics and food distribution.
• Operation Blessing: Faith-based humanitarian organization providing disaster relief, hunger relief, clean water, and medical aid worldwide. Direct peer to Operation Compassion across the same four humanitarian verticals with a similar donor/partnership-driven model.
• Samaritan's Purse: Large Christian humanitarian organization delivering disaster relief, medical care, and clean water globally. Direct peer to Operation Compassion in faith-based disaster response and WASH deployment, though operating at significantly larger scale.
• Convoy of Hope: Faith-based humanitarian nonprofit providing disaster relief, food distribution, and clean water initiatives. Direct peer to Operation Compassion given the overlapping disaster relief, food, and water portfolios and similar community/donor-led GTM motion.

Emerging players

• Water Mission: Faith-based nonprofit engineering and deploying sustainable clean water and sanitation solutions in developing communities. Direct peer in Operation Compassion's Living Waters initiative with stronger technical WASH specialization but narrower disaster scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/operationcompassion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Operation Compassion