Caring for the Homeless - a way we can help

Kent,

Sent all information to the teen's club. I will check up to make sure the sponsor gets it and see if they can help. I am passing the list around our neighborhood and will get in touch with you soon.

Sherry

 

Sherry, 10-4 on getting the word out, but be sure to let Alice at CITW be the primary contact for donations, etc. However, I'd love to hear about any progress as a way of inspiring me to do more.

One thing I would encourage is to have the teens, with some adult chaperones, go visit a homeless camp so they can see first hand a camp and talk with some of the men (and women) who stay there.

This would be a great local missions project/trip and would certainly have a lasting impact on everyone who participates. It certainly has had an impact on me.

I'm sure Alice would welcome an opportunity to coordinate a trip to a camp, plus everyone would have a chance to meet Alice, who is a saint if there ever was one.

Thanks for your efforts.

 

Yes, we will contact Alice. In my correspondence to her sponsors I did state that I thought a trip to visit the people would be a great experience and that I would be glad to be a chaperone.

We are working on this and will take pictures even if they don't go as a club. The teen and I will go one way or another and coordinate with Alice. I think it would be a good experience for all.

Will keep you abreast.

Thanks for all you do,
Sherry

 

The Brown Bag Ministry - another way to help

I heard more about this ministry on WPTF yesterday:

Link: http://www.brownbagministry.org/

What is the Brown Bag Ministry?

Brown Bag Ministry prepares and distributes 1,000 brown bag lunches to the homeless and those in need every Saturday. The bag preparation takes place at St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church in Apex beginning at 9:00 am. Once all the bags are complete we load up our truck and head down to Moore Square in downtown Raleigh where we distribute some of the bags. The remaining bags are distributed to various locations within Apex, Durham and Raleigh.

Working with other churches in the area, we are also responsible for preparing a hot meal to feed 200-225 homeless and those in need on the first and third Saturdays of each month.

Donations of food come from Lowe's Foods , Food Lion, Weston Bakeries and Panera Bread. We have also been blessed with 125 sandwiches a month from Jersey Mike's (US 64 & Lake Pine)

How can you help?

The Brown Bag Ministry is in need of volunteers to help prepare the brown bag lunches to be distributed weekly. See our Schedule page if you wish to offer such help.

We also accept cash, food and goods. See our donations page for additional information.

Thank You!

The Brown Bag Ministry would like to thank the St. Andrew's 25th Anniversary Committee as well as the parishoners of St. Andrew who participated in the events of the weekend. The Brown Bag Ministry received a donation from the event that will help us to continue our ministry. As the economic crisis continues, the need for this ministry increases. We are now preparing 500 sandwiches every Saturday and a hot meal that feeds 150-200 people twice a month. Along with those preparations, we are also sending 200 brown bags of groceries to St. Julia's in Siler City once a month. The generosity of the people of St. Andrew's has been overwhelming.

The Brown Bag ministry would like to thank the following businesses and organizations for supporting our ministry:

Apex United Methodist Church, Aquatise, Austin Crackers, Bill Buckner Plumbing, Boy Scouts of America, CISCO, Church in the Woods, DanEs Planning, Inc., Donnoe, Roy & Sara, Eastern Services LLC, Food Lion, Horizon Foods, Jersey Mikes, Lake Pine Drive, Jordan Oaks Retirement Center, Knights of Columbus, Kroger, Lowes Foods, New York Bagel & Deli, Crescent Commons, Pepsi, St. Andrews Catholic Church, St. Michaels 5th grade classes, Suntrust Bank, United Methodist Church, Cary, VFW, Women’s Club of Raleigh, YMCA Indian Guides Tribes, YMCA Indian Princess Tribes

and the abundance of volunteers and private donations throughout the year make this ministry the success it is today!

If you are interested in helping out with this ministry or would like to make a donation, please feel free to contact Mary Jo Bukowski at 919-367-0766 or send an email to brownbagministry@yahoo.com for further details. Our current needs are granola bars, lunch meat, cheese and water. All donations made to the Brown Bag Ministry are tax deductible. Please continue to pray for the success of the Brown Bag Ministry.

The Brown Bag Ministry would like to extent a heartfelt thank you to St. Andrew's Boy Scout Troop 316. The boys in this troop collected over 1,000 pounds (1/2 ton) of food for our Siler City outreach. Top contributors were John Kocor, Brandon Cox, and John Kastl. Through the efforts of the 14 scouts that participated, many mouths will be fed.

What goes into a brown bag lunch?

The following items are needed on a weekly basis to be put into brown bag lunches:

Lunch Meat - - -Turkey, Ham and Bologna
Cheese - -sliced cheese
Individual packages of cheese and crackers
Granola Bar
Bottles of water or cans of soda or juice
Piece of fruit or a small box of raisins

History

It is very interesting how the thoughts and prayers of two people - followed in response to the Cursillo message of Apostolic Action in our environment - can blossom into what the Brown Bag Ministry is now and still growing.

The Hearing of "Feed the poor, ..."

This special ministry has provided blessings to many people - not only those being served, but reaching abundantly to those doing the serving. It has grown since the start in early 2005 preparing 25 bag lunches delivered to one location in Raleigh to the preparation of about 1000 bags delivered to several different locations plus the preparation of a hot meal twice per month.

Where can you bring these items?

Please contact Mary Jo and she will make arrangements to pick up the items at a time and place that is convenient to you.

We are an official non-profit organization.
All donations are tax deductible.
​

Matthew 25:35 For when I was hungry you gave me to eat....

The bread which you do not use is the bread of the hungry; the garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked; the shoes that you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot; the money that you keep locked away is the money of the poor; the acts of charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit.


Donation Opportunities

Easter Food Drive

Siler City Ministry

Do you shop at Lowes? The Brown Bag Ministry is now linked to Lowes Rewards S&H Greenpoints Program. All you have to do is call 888-537-8646 and tell them you want to donate your Greenpoints to BBM. Our number is 420250660531.

Cisco Systems Employees, Family, Friends: The Brown Bag Ministry has been approved by The Cisco Foundation. Please click here for more information on how you can double your contributions to The Brown Bag Ministry.

Monthly Needs:

Beginning in June, the Brown Bag Ministry is expanding its services to reach out to our neighbors in Siler City. With the recent closing of the chicken manufacturing plants, we have learned of a great need for help with groceries and household products.

Our goal is to prepare 200 grocery bags to be delievered to Siler City on the 2nd Saturday of each month. In order to meet this goal, we will need your help. See our Siler City Ministry to help.

This might be a nice project for your group, be it boy scouts, girl scouts, Bible study, or any group that you belong to. Please look at the list below and help to support this worthy cause.

Peanut butter and Jelly
Canned meals (stews, soups, etc.)
Canned fruits and vegetables
Rice and cereal
Beans
Tortillas
Paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, etc.)
Hygiene items (toothpaste, shaving products, etc.)
Diapers
Elderly nutrition drinks (Ensure, etc.)
Infant formula
Laundry Detergent

I would like to thank you in advance for all that you do to keep the ministry alive and well. If you would prefer to send a monetary donation, please make checks payalbe to Brown Bag Ministry and send them c/o Mary Jo Bukowski, 407 Grassy Point Road, Apex, NC. May God continue to bless you in all that you do.

Weekly Needs:

Food Items for Lunches:

The following items are needed on a weekly basis to be put into brown bag lunches:

Lunch Meat -Turkey, Ham or Bologna
Cheese - sliced cheese
Granola Bar
Bottles of water
Individual packages of cheese and crackers, chips, pretzels, etc.
Piece of fruit or a small box of raisins

Disposable goods:
Large foam plates
Foam Bowls
Hot and cold cups
Napkins
Plastic silverwear
Plastic table cloths

Toys:
We are also looking for new toys and games that we will be using for a monthly birthday party for the children of St. Julia's parish in Siler City. Please call for more information.

Specialty Bags:

Below is a list of what we call "Specialty Bags", where items as grouped (or any other way) would be helpful if you are looking for a different idea for donating. Any of these items would work depending upon what your group would be able to do.

Hygiene Bags 1
Men's T-Shirts (L & XL)
Men's White Socks
Men's Underwear

Hygiene Bags 2
Deodorant
Razors
Shampoo (Travel size)

Hygiene Bags 3
Soap (Travel size)
Tooth brushes & Tooth paste
Wash Cloths

Medicinal Bags 1
Tissue Packets
Lip Balm
Lotion (Travel size)
OTC Pain Relievers
Cough Drops
Seasonal Needs
Blankets
Scarves & Gloves
Flip Flops
Suntan Lotion

 

Thank you to the 4042 sister who ...

... knitted some toboggans and gave them to me for distribution to the homeless.

They are great and will be a blessing to the recipients! Thank you for taking the time to make a difference.

I gave out two toboggans today.

One went to George, an Hispanic man at the I-440 and Poole Rd camp. He also needed some first-aid items which I keep in the trunk of my patrol car.

The second toboggan went to Louis, who was "flying a sign" at the I-440 off ramp to west bound Glenwood Ave in Raleigh. He slept under a nearby bridge last night; he tries to get a hotel room on the extra cold nights when he has enough money.

I noticed when Louis pulled the toboggan over his head he briefly shut his eyes and let out a slight sigh as way of saying how good it felt to him.

 

Man is found dead in truck - today's N&O

GARNER -- Police say they found the body of a 48-year-old homeless man Saturday afternoon in the cab of a pickup truck parked at a car sales lot in Garner.

Investigators have not released the man's name, but a Raleigh pastor who ministers to the homeless in the area said the man is Danny Daniels.

"The police called one of our missionaries when they found him," said Alice McGee of Church in the Woods, a homeless advocacy group.

Sgt. Chris Clayton with the Garner police said the man was found just before 2:15 p.m. inside a pickup truck parked at Garner Auto Brokers near the intersection of U.S. 70 and Mechanical Boulevard.

"He had permission to be staying there from the car lot owner," Clayton said Saturday.

When police found the man's body, he was dressed in winter clothes and had a sleeping bag. Investigators think the man had been deceased for at least two days. They did not find signs of foul play, Clayton said.

"As to whether he froze to death, we have no idea. That's up to the medical examiner to decide," Clayton said.

Triangle low temperatures last week were 29 degrees on Thursday, 18 on Wednesday and 17 on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service at N.C. State University.

McGee said Daniels had been living in homeless camps in the Garner area for years. She said Daniels struggled with alcohol and was mourning the loss of a daughter who had died recently. He also had a few run-ins with the law.

"He had really, really been doing well lately," she said.

But the homeless advocate said Daniels nearly froze to death about two weeks ago when overnight temperatures dipped to 25 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

The homeless man showed up the next day at Greenbriar Cleaners & Laundromat in Garner, where Church in the Woods members wash and dry the clothes of the homeless free of charge. Daniels was wearing a light jacket.

"He told me he had been sleeping under a pile of pine straw and finally warmed up enough that morning to move his body," she said. "He ran warm water over his hands for a long, long time."


McGee gave him the blanket days later on Tuesday and drove him to a homeless shelter.

"He hid the blanket in the woods so that he would have it the next day. It could have been stolen," McGee said. "That was the last time I saw him."
Church in the Woods ministers to about 1,500 homeless people each week. About half are chronically homeless.

McGee said for many of the missionaries, members of the area's homeless community become like family because they learn so much about their lives and struggles. McGee called Daniels' death a clarion call for more churches to respond to "the needs in the streets."

"We wouldn't want to be out there, sleeping in the cab of a truck."

N&O link: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1433397.html

 

Kent,

So very sorry to read about this. I so much admire what you and your friends do as your hearts must be as big as the universe. My thoughts will go out for this man and others who deserve a better life.

Thoughts,
Sherry

 

This just makes me think back to just last Monday night. My 7 yr old begged me for us to go to Bojangles for dinner up at 4042. I had told him several times no but at the last minute I gave in. (It had to be the Lord) We were sitting and having dinner when I realized there was a homeless man there going from table to table eating everyones left overs. This broke my heart as well as my children. We had ordered a tailgate so we would have left overs but of course I could not take them with me. My boys took them over to the starving man. We left and I just could not get him off my mine, as it was to get down to 18 degrees last Monday night. I got half way home and turned around and came back and got the man a gift card so he could get some food for the next couple of days. My children have thought about this a lot and realized how blessed we are to have a home and food and so much more. It also has made me realize that we have homeless people right here at home. Continue to keep these people in your prayers and help when you see you can.

 

MLH: enjoyed your post very much.

The food you and your children gave to that man may have provided just the calories he needed to save his life during a cold night, or help keep his body strong enough to ward off a bad infection.

That man may have even had enough to share with another homeless man or woman.

The ripples from a tiny stone in the pond of kindness go a long way.

You also may even consider Hebrews 13:2 - Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

 

What a truly wonderful thing that you did for that man and the example that you set for your children. Teaching them at a young age compassion, sharing and loving those less fortunate is something I hope that I can start to nurture in my son. Thank you so much for reminding me, especially during the Lenten season, that I need to be aware of those around me who are in need in whatever way.

 

It was and wasn't it wonderful to feel him so strongly? :hurray:

 

Sad that we have billions to bail out the greedy banks, money for Medicaid for illegal Aliens, Social Security for people who move here who have never worked here or paid a penny into the system, and we are letting American Citizens and veterans starve and freeze to death in the streets. Where are our priorities?

 

This is a blog called Invisible People

http://invisiblepeople.tv/blog/

 

I've got one of these radios, and it is GREAT. Had it since before they put the flashlight part on it (bout 1990ish). Maybe hand out one at every camp you come across?
http://store.sundancesolar.com/sodyamrawifl.html


Actually, here's a much cheaper one, but it isnt solar like mine....
http://www.ckbproducts.com/product_info.php?products_id=2029

 

Today's update from Alice McGee - Church in the Woods

Thought some of you would like to read Alice's letter:


Greetings Friends!

I am just amazed at the hunger for God that we are finding in the streets. Today we went to a new area where a lot of people hang out by a homeless shelter. We had brought sack lunches to give out, but before we could even get them out of the car, people began to run up to us. The first guy said he just wanted prayer. The second guy said "don't give us anything until you minister to us, we really need it !"

Another one recognized me and came up to give me his testimony. He said that he had come to our meeting in a downtown park and that I was singing (in the spirit) in the mike. He said that he hid behind a tree, because he was so moved by God that he didn't want people to see him crying. He said that the longer I sang the more he sobbed, and that he had never felt the Spirit of God before. He said that it had changed his whole life. I do not have a good singing voice, but the Lord will use us as we yield to Him.

Two more men shared how that they were now in Christ and had gotten off of the streets and were now ministering to others. We ministered to about 50 people in two locations and then went to check out another spot to start another new weekly meeting next week.

Friends, we don't realize how much a little touch of God through us can do. We hear reports constantly how they have been changed, how they have received miracles.

For years, we worshiped and sang and prayed for more hunger and thirst for righteousness and for more of God. We sang "I'm desperate for you". The Lord put that desire in us and now is answering our prayers. There is hunger in hearts all over the city! Body of Christ, please respond to the cry of your neighbors in your city. They need the touch of Jesus through you!

Our current needs: children's workers, bible study leaders, listeners, prayer walkers, cooks, people who just want to hang out with Jesus. Bibles, back packs, camping equipment, jeans, socks and underwear, good tennis shoes, finances, and a minivan.

Love and blessings!!!

Alice McGee

www.churchinthewoods.net

 

Where exactly is the Church in the woods?

 

Church in the Woods: http://www.churchinthewoods.net/aboutus.htm

Alice McGee: a living saint.

Thank you, God, for the annointing you've laid on her and her ministry.

 

Now that I have wiped away my tears and can see my keyboard to type. I am so moved by those that are stepping up to help the homeless. There is a guy that stands at the Exit 284 off ramp when I go to work. I work from home so I don't go in the office that much, but when I do, he is always there and I always buy an extra breakfast meal for him.

I give to Basic Needs all the time and have my oldest child go through his things and tell him that he has everything that he needs and there are little children that don't have anything so it would be very nice if he could give them some of the things that he no longer wants to play with. Now when we go to the grocery store he tells me that we need to buy some food for the people that don't have anything to eat so we do and then take it up to Basic Needs. We have a big drop off for them tomorrow.

For my daughter's 1st B-day we asked that people bring food donations instead of gifts so we could dontate them to Basic Needs. I was so moved at all the food that people brought to help out those that are in need.

Now that I know about Church in the Woods I will contact them to see what I can do to help them. It seems, from what I have read, there are mostly men that are being ministered to and the clothing request seems to be geared toward men. What about women and children? I am truly moved by their efforts and applaud them for all that they are doing.

 

NCGIRL: What a blessing to hear from those who have a heart for the homeless and others in need.

Alice would love to hear from you, and she is very receptive to speaking to groups/churches about her ministry.

I do meet mostly men, but that's just a small portion of the total number of homeless in our area.

 

Kent,

Thank you for all that you are doing especially bringing attention to the issue and putting an identity to the people that are homeless. So many times homeless people fall in "a bucket" and people forget that they are people with ideas, hopes, dreams, and families that have fallen on hard times for one reason or another.

I was so moved by MLH's post and what she and her children did at Bojangles. I now have renewed faith in people. Kudos to what they did to help out someone in need.

If I don't do anything else right in life I want to show my children that you need to be resourceful, compassionate, understanding, and thankful. We recycle, compost, use our own bags at stores, and give to those in need. I think that it is very important to take care of our environment and that includes the people and animals around us.

The pictures that you posted of the camp where some people had dogs just made me weep.
So many times I have seen a homeless person with a dog and I stop and ask them what they need and if I don't have it on me then I go to the store and get them food and always get water and dog food for their dog. Sometimes a dog is the only companion that they have and I want to make sure that the family is taken care of. I was so happy that when I asked for food donations for my daughter's birthday that my brother in law came through with dog food too.

Keep doing what you are doing and I will definitely be in touch with Alice.