Drew Benton
– Director of Community Engagement & Volunteer Services
Drew Benton joined the Gateway Center team in May of 2022. Drew has been a leader in the non-profit community since 2000. His career began in traditional ministry, serving as a student pastor and college pastor. In 2003, Drew launched a speaking ministry called Refuge Ministries. Through Refuge Ministries, he traveled and spoke to thousands of teenagers and adults across the country and in Germany.
Drew then took a short time away from “traditional ministry leadership,” sensing he had some personal development that he needed to do first. It was during this time he learned the extreme importance of “living love.” Not just preaching and teaching love, but finding ways to tangibly show love to others.
In 2006, Drew met a man named Philip Bray, Founder and Executive Director of SafeHouse Outreach. The two began a friendship that led to Drew volunteering at SafeHouse. That volunteer position grew into a full time Director position with SafeHouse Outreach in 2007. The next three years were spent serving and loving homeless men and women of Atlanta. Drew’s life and career were transformed during his time serving at SafeHouse. He was able to live love to people in need in very real and tangible ways. Where people were hungry, he could provide food. Where people were thirsty, he could provide water, and so much more.
In 2009, Drew stepped away from SafeHouse Outreach to found Project Live Love, an organization dedicated to influencing the culture with the concept of “love-in-action.” Under his leadership, Project Live Love developed many successful events and programs including THREE- OH-WE-GO, LIVE LOVE EVENTS, and GET SET. Through these events and programs, Drew activated over 8,000 individuals to show their love to others affecting the lives of over 25,000 people in need.
In 2019, Drew returned to SafeHouse Outreach as the Director of Operations. He served there for two and a half years until departing to accept a position as the Director of Community Engagement and Volunteer Services at Gateway Center.