In kindergarten, we learned that whatever we use, we return it better than how we found it. I believe that’s true of our life, and our world. That’s a big part of why we volunteer.
The wind was icy razor blades last night. We still managed to find a lot of our people.
The first woman we served was my One-eyed Widow. She’s still alive and kicking and doing her best to survive. Like we all are. She was starving hungry. I made mac ‘n cheese this week. My grandma made some of her homemade cookies. I bragged about it to every person we fed last night. And every volunteer I saw. The peanut butter cookies were homemade, too. It’s not random stuff that we pass out. Every item in that van is a heartfelt donation. Each one has a person and a prayer behind it. Every human being desperate enough to need something to survive from the back of my van knows it. You can tell in the way everything is individually prepared and not shrink-wrapped.
I couldn’t be prouder of our species.
Magdalene’s Mission isn’t funded by a corporation or government entity signing checks for their image and a tax write-off. This is what being human is all about. We work together as a single species. And we’re all Americans here on American soil. That means something to me.
My family, the Husted brothers, came here from England in 1634 and helped build 5 colonies into an American Nation. So, to thank them for their hard work and this country, I’m going to keep my corner of it nice. I’ll leave it better than I found it.
Thank you because we had enough blankets for everyone we saw.
We saw sex workers who were grateful to get a bit of warm food in their tummies, and some pepper spray while their next client waited for them. We saw a lot of hungry seniors. We found hidden tents desperate for hygiene kits. I met up with a guy who was staying in his jeep. Helped a man in a wheelchair.
We passed out a lot of food and Mag’s Bags (drawstring bags hygiene kits with extra everything in them), handwarmers, and blankets. A lot of people are trying to work their way onto the housing list. That team of volunteers sure have their work cut out for them. Keep them in your prayer. The work they do is the work that fixes problems.
The volunteers I serve in tandem with are fearless, and vital. Every week they make Detroit a little better than how they found it.
Ms. GG is connected to a housing resource specialist. I kept telling her, “You don’t belong here. Get out of here. I love you. I will visit you in your new place.”
Traci told her, “You deserve a door with lock and key.”
Ms. GG’s eyes lit up. “A door with a lock and my own key. I want that!”
Whether it was one small donation, or full-time volunteer service, or accepting help from someone who can improve your life situation- last night, we all did something to make the world better than it was before we got there.
Because that’s how we do it in Detroit.
Amen.
