Magdalene's Mission blog

Peace, Love & Hygiene: vol.180   3/17/26

A raccoon crouched on the ground near a brick wall, with bright eyes reflecting light.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! What a great night for street outreach, for giving hope and the ability to carry on another day to the homeless people in Detroit.

It was freezing cold, but my team was on fire connecting with people. Let me tell you about what your donations did last night.

I made spaghetti and meatballs. Nick packed up cookies, popcorn, oranges, Gatorade and water into plastic bags. We had hygiene bags/purses, blankets, clothes, socks and coats, plus, handwarmers, pepper spray and flashlights.

Nick drives, I’m lookout, and Traci was squished in the back seat.

Our first stop was only a few blocks away. A homeless man was living in a tent on the sidewalk. He kept part of his tent over a manhole cover for heat. I dropped off some food and hygiene while the other teams did their thing.

A few more blocks away, we saw the girl who lives by a bridge. She had her little sign up. She waited patiently for mercy. We passed her supplies out the window of the van. Then we drove around the block until the other teams could finish helping her. A couple of blocks later, we saw the guy who lives in a tent near hers. We passed his supplies out the window, too. Drive-by service with a smile!

We went to an abandoned school in the area. It was gated off, so we gave some bags of food to other teams to deliver for us.

The next stop was a big one. We went to Ms. GG’s house. She’s in the process of acquiring her own place to live, but she’s still in the process. Traci gave her some new larger sized jeans to fit her new healthier body. We helped at least 10 women and another 5 men at just that stop.

Some of the volunteers from the other teams were new. They stood on the curb and just stared at the swarm of people surrounding the van. So, I started handing them meals, flashlights and pepper sprays and told them to pass them around.

One young man was so sweet. He only accepted the food, but he was hanging out with an older woman in a wheelchair. He said that he was so touched and felt so blessed. He didn’t know that people came into his neighborhood to just help people. What a beautiful smile.

We seen the man who lives in the abandoned building. He’s still there. I stopped asking why and when.

I saw my buddy downtown! The guy who builds the forts and has a son in college is finally not homeless. He looked so clean, I hardly recognized him. He still needs a bit of help. He has MS and can’t stand up straight. We helped him out with food and hygiene. He remembered Nick and was super happy to see him. I got a big hug from him in return. He looks great. Thank you for helping me keep him alive long enough to see this day.

There was a very young person huddled up next to a building across the street. They desperately needed all kinds of help. I’m glad we found him. While we were there, a woman came out of the store looking like she was ready to be confrontational with the young person sitting outside. Traci stepped in and did her thing. She spoke to the homeless person before the other woman did. The woman slowed down once she heard the person’s story. She told Traci that she was most afraid of another overdose happening in front of her. Traci asked her if she had Narcan. She didn’t, so Traci got some and showed her how to use it.

Blam! Fear subsided. Another life could be saved.

We stopped the angry guy’s pile. He wasn’t there.

We ended up on the east side. There was a man huddled in the doorway of a church. We jumped out and helped him. Another lady was walking by, and we took care of her, too. Best of all, I GOT TO FEED A KITTY!!!

Our last meal went to a homeless old man on the side of the road. We gave him food, hygiene, blankets, and most importantly, a darn belt. His pants were falling off. He was holding them up so he could walk. Traci gave him another pair, a warmer coat, and a belt. His smile was all the thanks anyone would need.

The luck o’ the Irish followed us last night.

Last night, a woman asked Traci about Magdalene’s Mission. She was concerned that we would be sucked dry by energy vampires. That all this goodness and light we exuded would get used up on a scale exponentially larger than the returns. She was worried we would burn out.

I just laughed.

The source of love and goodness inside me and Traci comes from a source that is bottomless and eternal.

You know the one I’m talking about.

Because that’s how we do it in Detroit.

Amen.

Magdalene's Mission blog

Peace, Love & Hygiene: vol.177- 3/3/26, Blood Moon, Lunar eclipse

A white minivan parked with its side door open, set against a backdrop of tall skyscrapers illuminated at night.

What a great night for exploring the shadows in Detroit!

We had a new helper this week. He is the friend of our other newest volunteer. This new helper just got off the streets himself. He is a wounded military veteran who was living under bridges.  Our volunteer got him connected with VA and housing.

We were busy packing up new hygiene kits. I asked him about our kits. Were they useful? He said they were excellent. Everything was useful, and necessary. Giant bottles of shampoo did nothing for him unless it was a rainy day. Our kits are very well thought out. That made me feel proud.

In honor of the Pistons, I made homemade Beef Stew. I had delicious peanut butter cookies and some other rando snacks to put with it.

This week, our first stop was the lady under the bridge. She uses propane to keep warm. Not every panhandler buys drugs with the money.

Traci and I carried food and hygiene bags through a wooded area beside the highway. The first tent we came past was empty. We kept trekking through area finding more evidence of human life as we walked.. The pitch of the hill next to the highway was very steep. The trail we leveraged was only a few inches wide. It was a bike path. I would have been too scared to ride a bike right there on a tiny track next to a bust freeway. But it looked like it was well-traveled, so someone does. Yikes!

We got to her tent, and she was so grateful to see us. Her area is neat, organized, well=kept. I saw a bike parked next to the fort she had put together. She’s a brave little woman surviving out there.

We went to a couple more places where we had seen tents, but no one was inside.

We went to Ms. GGs. At least 10 or 12 people poured out of there. Everyone was so sweet and grateful. Nick and Traci were amazing at helping people.

Ms. GG didn’t come out. I haven’t asked for her yet. I hope it’s because she found a real place to live.

We drove out to a shady hotel. There was a lady standing outside wearing pajamas. The caravan pulled over and she didn’t move. I got her some food, hygiene, flashlight, and pepper spray. I walked it up to her. She was hungry and happy about the pepper spray. I could tell she was absolutely suffering from mental illness. But at least she is fed, warm, and safer than I found her.

The next homeless lady we helped was overjoyed that we had found her. She complimented my bright red hair. She told me, “That hair fits you. I’m not just saying that because you gave me stuff either! I tell the truth!”

What a sweetheart!

We hit a couple more places on the east side. One was for just one lady who needed everything. I thought she was going to cry when Traci took her back to get new coat.

The last spot was a swarm of people. We pulled up next to an old, abandoned brick house. People trickled out from every shadow. Honestly, it was kind of scary. Mostly just creepy. It was a new place. New people.

We got out of the van, and the three of us covered our stations. Nick passed out hygiene and blankets. I passed out meals. Traci covered the chaos that is clothes. They were so grateful. So many praises to God that they were cared for that night. I hope we come back.

Which only proves:

The path of God

will never lead you

where the grace of God

cannot keep you.

Because that’s how we do it in Detroit.

Amen.

Magdalene's Mission blog

Peace Love & Hygiene: Vol. 145- 

It was a SPECTACULAR day of outreach in Detroit. Lots of people helped us out this week, so we were able to truly meet the needs of a lot of people. As a matter of fact, we were helping homeless people in Detroit before we even arrived at Fort St. Church!

We needed to make a stop along the way. I pulled over on a side street downtown to search my phone. There were several concerts last night, so traffic and people were more chaotic than usual. As I was pulled over, a tall man came over and asked us if we were the ones who had those hygiene kits. Yes, we are! We flipped the van around the block and found a safe parking space. Traci jumped out and asked him if he was hungry. Indeed, he was. He was so thrilled we found him. The food still already warm, and ready to serve. I had a few hygiene kits, and some socks, hats and gloves still in the back of the van. 

“God is so good!” he kept saying. His luck was turning around! He had been homeless for a while, but he was staying in a shelter now. He just got the job working as a parking lot attendant for events. We had clean clothes, a warmer jacket, and a kit to help keep him looking sharp. Best of all, a warm, homemade meal to make it through his first shift. 

If God can lead them, I can feed them. 

Winning the Channel 4 Go For It Award on TV last week has really gotten us a lot of attention. As far as I know, all of it good. Keep the wipes, bags, pepper-spray and flashlights coming!  

That Springtime joie de vivre had everyone in top spirits. The sun was glad to have us back, too. The first person we approached as a team wasn’t homeless. Awkward. But she did asks Traci and I if we could help her. She asked us if we could give her a ride to the rehab where her brother was living. She had come a long way by bus, and according to her map, it was going to be another 3 miles to reach her destination. She was carrying all these bags of clothes and food for him. I told the other teams we would catch up with them. 

She was a nice younger lady. You could tell that her brother had gotten on her last nerve, but it was her brother so had to help him or no one would. We took her to where her brother was. I offered to wait for her and give her a ride back to the bus station.  

She wasn’t allowed to see him, so it was just a quick drop off. That turned into a 20-minute wait. She had to wait while the nurse individually inspected each and every item she brought in for him. I walked in just as she was inspecting the items in the hygiene kit I gave her. I tried to tell them what stuff was, but they were not interested in who I was, or what I was doing there. 

It was going to be another hour until the next bus was coming to the side of town she lived on. So, Traci and I offered to take her back downtown to the Rosa parks station. She was a nice lady. She really appreciated the big black bag and hygiene kit. She tried to give us money for gas, but of course, we wouldn’t hear of it. 

We met some new friends. One of them was an amputee. The girl looked new. She was so young, and shocked by all the generosity and kindness we had for her. The other guy carried himself as though he had been there a long time. The open sores on his face proved it. 

We drove around and found a couple of elderly men curled up against a fence together. As they were being helped, a few more people came up and looked at us with huge eyes, and we benevolently offered them food as well. 

Traci and I fed and provided warmth for people living on every side of Detroit last night. We saw our favorite couple from the eastside! We’re out of women’s tiny pants (size 00) or leggings but we were able to supply them with just about everything else. 

We parked in a bust area and waited for a while. It didn’t take but a few minutes for a woman to come scurrying along the sidewalk and making a beeline for Maggie, our Magdalene’s Mission van. 

After we gave out the last of the food, we called it a night. We drove back to Fort St Church. We helped one more person with a couple of extra blankets on the way back. We unloaded our wares, then headed home. Traci saw a stray dog running through traffic. I just so happened to have a gallon size zip-lock baggie left in my van that I forgot to unload. He was afraid of me, but curious. I got his attention and then emptied the dog food along the edge of the sidewalk. 

And that was our last homeless encounter of the night. 

Venimus, vidimus, amavimus. We came. We saw. We loved. 

Because that’s how we do it in Detroit. 

Amen.