Peace, Love & Hygiene Vol. 99: The theme for this week is- Potential. You may have noticed that I haven’t gone to Detroit the last couple of Tuesdays. Magdalene’s Mission is all of our mission. That’s why I am as open and honest about everything that happens as I can be. We are in a bit of a crossroads.
I have so many clothes I can hardly move. I didn’t have enough money to keep up the storage unit. My garage is so packed with bins and bags of clothes that I can’t deal with it. What began as a mission to support hygiene grew into donations of food and clothing. For quite some time I was able to keep this going. Unfortunately, the cost of storage has negatively impacted our food budget and we are not able to meet expectations.
Operating out of my house at this level is no longer an efficient option. The medical team is having difficulties with us because I can’t be consistent regarding the schedule of when we can come out. Nothing about Magdalene’s Mission is consistent. It has always been a collection of random blessings that I chauffeur to vulnerable people and God makes miracles from it. As heartwarming as that is, it’s not a long-term business model.
I need Magdalene’s Mission to have its own facility. I have many groups of volunteers, from businesses to college students to other nonprofit agencies, that have offered group services. But I have nowhere to put them. My house is too tiny and too full.
I need grants. I have one for $10,000 that we are in the running for. I’ve been connected to a lady in Detroit who can help me get connected to a lot of other grants, as well as other the non-profits that we could be utilizing relationships with.
I need some time to do this. My treasurer has advised that Magdalene’s Mission holds back from street outreach for two months. The goal is to return in October with a new headquarters and enough funding to get us through the year. Over the past 2 years, our operating expenses have been just over $10,000 a year. From that, we have helped hundreds of people stay alive, get clean, get healthy, earn degrees and certifications, get into housing, find Hope.
As you may have heard, I have successfully rejoined the workforce. I love my job. I love the people I work with. I am taken care of by the company I work for. I can’t give up this opportunity. The difference it makes for my family is extremely significant. It’s full-time. I can get Tuesday and Wednesday off for outreach, but those are my only days off to do everything.
Magdalene’s Mission has also been my full-time volunteer work. My family and house are also a full-time commitment. I can’t even get to church anymore. I try to listen to the sermons at work.
It makes me feel like I am running on a hamster wheel every week trying to scramble to get everything done. The hamster wheel is buried beneath a mountain of clothes. I’ve called Shalom in Pinckney, the Community church on Rickett Rd, and the Salvation Army in Brighton. They accept clothes on the days Traci and I work all day, but not Tuesday. I don’t want to throw them away, but I have nowhere to keep them and no place to take them. So now I’m on a hamster wheel that can hardly move. We cannot keep operating like this.
“Winter is coming.”
Therefore, through the rest of August and September I am going to focus on grants and pushing our nonprofit to the next level. As always, I am open to any help or suggestions that anyone may have regarding such an endeavor. I have never done this before.
I’m going to use our present challenges as opportunities to be better and stronger.
Because that’s how we do it in Detroit.
Amen.
