A moving company with a bigger mission: D3 Delivery hires formerly incarcerated workers in NC, proving jobs — and faith — can rewrite futures.
Jelissa Thomas knows what it’s like to watch someone struggle for a second chance. Growing up in rural North Carolina with a father who battled addiction and experienced incarceration, she saw firsthand how little support existed for people trying to rebuild their lives — especially in small towns.
“Too often, people in recovery or coming home from incarceration are left with no resources, no guidance, and no path forward,” Thomas says.
That realization planted the seed for D3 Delivery, a business that does more than transport furniture and appliances.
More Than a Moving Company
Founded in 2021, D3 Delivery is the workforce arm of Thomas’s broader vision: a future holistic reentry and recovery center that will do everything from educating to employing folks who need a second chance.
“We deliver household goods — furniture, appliances, and essentials that turn houses into homes — but behind every delivery is a mission to rebuild lives,” Thomas says.
D3 prioritizes hiring people from rural communities who are justice-involved or in recovery, offering them steady work in an economy that often shuts them out.
Thomas also believes “in keeping resources local — partnering with nearby organizations, churches, and service providers to make sure our team members have what they need to succeed long-term,” she says.
One of her team members started earlier this year with no formal business training, “just the drive to work and the willingness to learn,” she says. Through D3, he began handling appliance deliveries for Lowe’s. Now, just months later, he’s running his own legitimate operation.
“That’s the goal,” Thomas. “We don’t just give people jobs — we help them build businesses of their own.”
Faith, Surrender, and the Hardest Year
The focus on people also extends to customers. Thomas recalls their first long-distance move — a job from North Carolina to Pennsylvania. The client had called eight other movers but chose D3 because, from the first phone call, the team was professional, attentive, and thorough.
“She said none of the others made her feel like a priority,” Thomas says. “But we did.”
That experience proved a core belief: When you lead with consistency and care, people trust you — no matter how new you are.
But despite these successes, last year, Thomas says, almost broke her.
“I was overwhelmed, worn down, and honestly — I had forgotten where my help comes from. I hadn’t prayed in years. I was trying to carry everything on my own, and it almost broke me. But when things got heavy, I had no choice but to return to my faith roots.
But now “God is back at the forefront,” she says. “I had to surrender and realize that this vision — this calling — isn’t something I’m supposed to carry alone. It’s way too big for one person.”
Now, she leans on community, and the belief that if the mission is meant to succeed, the support will follow.
The Next Chapter: ‘We Just Need People to See Us’
D3’s greatest need now? Funding and visibility.
“We’ve laid the foundation,” Thomas says. “I’ve built relationships with local programs, recovery houses, and reentry organizations that serve the exact population we want to employ. The people are there. The vision is clear.”
But to create more jobs, they need more opportunities. That means marketing help, growth funding, and partnerships to scale their impact.
“Every job we book turns into a real paycheck for someone rebuilding their life,” Thomas says. “We’re ready — we just need people to see us and believe in what we’re doing.”
