5 Years In
It isn’t really 5 years feeding the homeless but four years and seven months is so awkward and patience is just so time consuming.
Something was speaking to Sally. She came home one day pretty well disturbed and unable to say why. She knew who was talking but the message wasn’t yet quite clear. She shared it with me and it came to me that I should just shut up and see what happened. Then she took it to her ladies bible study and it seemed to still not be crystal clear. What was clear was that the message was coming to several in the group and that it was to provide services to those who were less fortunate with Christ being foundational. I tried to help and if my memory is correct I may have been the first to come up with the idea of feeding the homeless out of vehicles. Then again, possibly I stole that thought.
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The first picture has some of those ladies, spouses, friends praying before heading out the first Saturday morning. 6-16-18). We did our first run out of the Tahoe of a lady named Pat and my Four Runner. We didn’t know exactly where this was taking us but we had to start somewhere to get anywhere. That morning alone convinced us that the variety of goods we wanted to provide was going to require something else. Something bigger with rods for hanging clothing and good weatherproofing . I failed to find the craters but I am totally convinced a bomb was set off in those SUVs. The pictures here show some of the steps we went through to get an efficient delivery system.
If you want to see the story of the trailer named Little House of Care, follow this link https://www.grangerlandrfd.com/evolution-of-a-little-house-of-care.html. To me this trailer represents a rolling clothes closet.
It allowed us to pull out some clothing without wrecking the place.
Times change and due to what represents a change of clients we don’t have clothes closets high on the list of needs now. The little house has hit the roads once weekly since the start. Lunch runs are three times a week and if my name was Rockefeller I’d do it every day.
It allowed us to pull out some clothing without wrecking the place.
Times change and due to what represents a change of clients we don’t have clothes closets high on the list of needs now. The little house has hit the roads once weekly since the start. Lunch runs are three times a week and if my name was Rockefeller I’d do it every day.
We started with one church supporting our effort. The problem was that the church was actually a mission trying to become self supporting That made supporting us somewhat difficult. The first year they sponsored us with children's VBS. Our part consisted of pulling the trailer in for 5 nights of snacks for VBS and theVBS making us the sponsored ministry with a gift of $1000 to our fund. Not a bad start when team members were buying most of the food at Costco. I think the covid pandemic might have been the primary mover that brought us "full time" to under over. Certainly of significance is the Pastor who believes that we are simply conduits for spreading Gods' gifts.
The covid pandemic. During the Pandemic we parked the little house and ran the service out our Nissan Cube. You might think that going from a 4Runner with a trailer into a Nissan Cube would be a real downsize. If you think that, you are absolutely correct. We fit it ok but were only really able to carry food. The lunch bags have grown since then so it doesn't work so well today. The solution there was that the cube became a Ford Expedition this June.
When covid shut down some of the other providers in town we just loaded up with a facemask and gloves and proceeded on. I took the food and drinks into the back seat and gave them out from the back window. We kept Sally closed off from the public (driving with her window closed) as much as we could. The reasoning was that she had a weak immune system and that I was actually able to keep her shut down. Wrong on both accounts.
Because of our age and co-morbidities the pastor at our first church advised us against attending. We found the the first option (on line) doesn't work that well for old folks with less than stellar internet. Meanwhile under over fellowship was helping us get started by advising us as highly knowledgeable and capable mentors and donating food. They had not shut down except temporarily for active cases connected to the church and did not seem to consider us too old to attend.
During that time we were attending one church (under/over) and contributing to another. We were being helped by the church that wasn’t getting paid and on the verge of being terminated by the one that was. Our original church told us we should find another church for our ministry as our mission was different. We absolutely agreed and if there were any hard feelings I was too dense to catch them. Uneasiness perhaps due to the whole “church outdoors in the park” thing that we were coming to. Took one service before I loved it .
The covid pandemic. During the Pandemic we parked the little house and ran the service out our Nissan Cube. You might think that going from a 4Runner with a trailer into a Nissan Cube would be a real downsize. If you think that, you are absolutely correct. We fit it ok but were only really able to carry food. The lunch bags have grown since then so it doesn't work so well today. The solution there was that the cube became a Ford Expedition this June.
When covid shut down some of the other providers in town we just loaded up with a facemask and gloves and proceeded on. I took the food and drinks into the back seat and gave them out from the back window. We kept Sally closed off from the public (driving with her window closed) as much as we could. The reasoning was that she had a weak immune system and that I was actually able to keep her shut down. Wrong on both accounts.
Because of our age and co-morbidities the pastor at our first church advised us against attending. We found the the first option (on line) doesn't work that well for old folks with less than stellar internet. Meanwhile under over fellowship was helping us get started by advising us as highly knowledgeable and capable mentors and donating food. They had not shut down except temporarily for active cases connected to the church and did not seem to consider us too old to attend.
During that time we were attending one church (under/over) and contributing to another. We were being helped by the church that wasn’t getting paid and on the verge of being terminated by the one that was. Our original church told us we should find another church for our ministry as our mission was different. We absolutely agreed and if there were any hard feelings I was too dense to catch them. Uneasiness perhaps due to the whole “church outdoors in the park” thing that we were coming to. Took one service before I loved it .
Our clients have changed. When we started we sought out the homeless. Still do but we don’t have to search nearly so hard and it is easier to accept that we may not be seeing them because they aren’t there. We find that St. Vincent DePaul has poor people who get money, clothes, and who knows what else - but no food. The organization welcomes us when we feed from their parking lot. Salvation Army is the same sort of situation. So our clients may not actually be homeless but they are hungry and by our countrys' standard pretty poor.
The Salvation Army (The Sally) feed the homeless. We feed them too. Our meals appeal to those who need food that won’t spoil. It also tastes good. The Sally is much more hospitable than it used to be. I think you can lay that at the feet of Bonnie who has been their director for the past year of so. Our clients seem to be able to hang out around there most all day.
MEXICO:
We have friends that we have known for years, Pastor Gregory Yacobian and his wife Ana. They have essentially become brokers for services available throughout the Rio Grande Valley. While we are busy handing out food in the Conroe area the clothing donations seem to go south at a higher percentage. The poverty and the gratitude are both highly palpable. To anyone who has not serviced both a population who are largely chemically dependent and one that is poor as a culture the difference is immense. You can see that difference in Conroe when you stop at Saint Vinnies versus any public park that has not been recently swept by the police. I love feeding the little ones at St. Vincent because they act like you just gave them the world. That feeling predominates in the Rio Grande Valley.
We started out serving one baptist church. That has evolved into a church plant, an orphanage, and most interesting to a retired special ed teacher, a rehabilitation center. Hope we find a way to do more. That may sound silly but it isn’t. They have added giving churches as well. You need to ask if there is room at the warehouse before you load up. A good problem to have and I think the best return on investment that I have encountered.'
Time to remember that you can accomplish anything if you don’t care who gets the credit.
The Salvation Army (The Sally) feed the homeless. We feed them too. Our meals appeal to those who need food that won’t spoil. It also tastes good. The Sally is much more hospitable than it used to be. I think you can lay that at the feet of Bonnie who has been their director for the past year of so. Our clients seem to be able to hang out around there most all day.
MEXICO:
We have friends that we have known for years, Pastor Gregory Yacobian and his wife Ana. They have essentially become brokers for services available throughout the Rio Grande Valley. While we are busy handing out food in the Conroe area the clothing donations seem to go south at a higher percentage. The poverty and the gratitude are both highly palpable. To anyone who has not serviced both a population who are largely chemically dependent and one that is poor as a culture the difference is immense. You can see that difference in Conroe when you stop at Saint Vinnies versus any public park that has not been recently swept by the police. I love feeding the little ones at St. Vincent because they act like you just gave them the world. That feeling predominates in the Rio Grande Valley.
We started out serving one baptist church. That has evolved into a church plant, an orphanage, and most interesting to a retired special ed teacher, a rehabilitation center. Hope we find a way to do more. That may sound silly but it isn’t. They have added giving churches as well. You need to ask if there is room at the warehouse before you load up. A good problem to have and I think the best return on investment that I have encountered.'
Time to remember that you can accomplish anything if you don’t care who gets the credit.
