Spring is *almost* here! We have had an exciting past few months with new partnerships.
In January, February and into March we handed out Blanket Wraps at our usual shelters and had the chance to talk to the volunteers on how they have adjusted with COVID restrictions. Kate and I admire the tenacity of the volunteers, especially Mr. Ogden from Welcome Inn, Kootoma from 2nd Chance Ministries, and Reverend Karen from the Ark Association, who have worked so hard to keep the environment clean while still always helping people. We have seen first hand that helping the homeless is truly essential work that cannot be put on pause especially during the pandemic.
Kate and I recently handed out Blanket Wraps at two locations that were unique from other visits. The first was 2nd Chance Ministries in Detroit. When you look at the small windowed building you wouldn’t expect a small, typical shelter with guests resting inside. This however was not the case as we discovered when we walked in the door. Kate and I found ourselves in the middle of a vibrant ministry service led by Kootama, a religious rapper! Guests of all ages eagerly listened to his sermon while lunch was being prepared in a small kitchen in the back. After listening to Kootama, everyone came and picked out a Blanket Wrap, and Kate and I had the opportunity to connect with a group called Angels Blessing the Homeless. They are an aspiring 501-c3 nonprofit working out of Clarkston. We would strongly encourage you to check out their Facebook page to see the great work they are doing with distributing backpacks and necessary supplies. It was particularly rewarding to have had the experience to give advice to Angels Blessing the Homeless on working with COVID rules, shelter locations, how to operate a nonprofit, networking ideas, etc.
Next, we handed out Blanket Wraps for the first time at a motel! Lighthouse shelter was creative in their approach to housing residents and rented to rooms for individuals and families at a hotel in Rochester. Although it was 30 degrees outside, we went door to door (with our rack of course!) and residents picked out the Blanket Wrap they loved. One interesting thing I noticed was the amount of people sleeping during the day. I later found out that a large amount of people living in homeless shelters take night jobs – this would have gone unnoticed at a normal shelter because they would have simply been absent when we were there.
Kate, Avery, my mom and I have also headed to Roosevelt Park in Detroit a few times in the last couple weeks to serve lunch to the homeless. On our most recent visit, we made seven large pans of mostaccioli with meat sauce and cheese, five loaves of garlic bread, and over one hundred cookies! We love helping out at this event and are inspired by Reverend Karen’s work to provide lunch every single Saturday (rain or shine!) for 20 years.
If you haven’t read about our newest partnerships, you should definitely check out our MK Blanket Wraps Facebook and Instagram pages (please follow us if you don’t already!) to see photos on what we’ve done. In December, we challenged the San Francisco Friends School seventh grade to make Blessing Bags (finding purses/bags in their house and filling with necessary items) and give them to a shelter or someone on the street. We are so proud that they completed 30 bags! It is awesome to see MK Blanket Wraps expanding all the way to California. Kate and I sent them an award for completing the challenge and an additional map to pinpoint for their next challenge: contacting a family member or friend in another state to have them help someone in their own community!
Last but not least, we are thrilled to announce the results of our partnership with Michigan State University and their Alumni Network. Since December, we have had people sewing Blessing Bags, donating items, and giving monetary donations all to be used to help the homeless. Kate and I are finishing assembling the bags and buying more items (shampoo, lotion, hand sanitizer, protein bars, socks, etc.) with the $950 we received through our Facebook fundraiser. Stay tuned to where we hand out the Blessing Bags. Thank you so much to everyone who donated and Go Green!
Even though we have experienced some warm weather recently, anyone living in Michigan knows that it can even snow in May! We will continue to handout Blanket Wraps for the cold nights, and all donations are much appreciated.
Mackenzie and Kate 🙂
