The skies were clear and the sun was beaming bright, as the weather was slightly warmer than usual on March 13, 2022, which presented a beautiful backdrop of a pleasant ambiance. Preacherhead Ministries partnered with S.A.G.A. Empowerment Services Coalition (which stands for “Servants/Souls Addressing God’s Agenda”), in giving the homeless, poor, and needy, much needed care packets filled with non-perishable foods, socks, handwarmers, flashlights, soap, deodorant, toothpaste, and other toiletries.

Sister Michelle of Preacherhead Ministries also spearheaded a “Blessing Bag Campaign” prior to the event, where women from the Sister’s Corner donated 75 lightly used purses filled with feminine toiletries and beauty products. These blessing bags were given away to the poor and needy women on this day, who were especially ecstatic.

Our first location was under the viaduct, off of Chicago and Troy St. We propped up tents and set up tables alongside other charitable organizations, including ShowerUp, a mobile hygiene service that provides warm water showers for the homeless. We also gave away clothes, coats, and other items. Nothing but smiles could be seen on the faces of those receiving the items we gave.

Our second location was at Franciscan Outreach Homeless Shelter. Again, both Preacherhead Ministries and S.A.G.A. Empowerment Services Coalition set up tables. We had a U-Haul Truck full of donated items, and by the end of the day, we had completely emptied out the truck. We gave away clothes, shoes, blankets, long johns, care packages, and over 100 hot meals that included chicken and rice dinners with vegan eggrolls from Naamee & Eliyannah Yisrael of Good Galley Eats.

The volunteers are such cheerful givers and always delightful when freely donating their time and attention. Some poor and needy took time to tell us their stories. Brother Stevie passed out business cards and told them to call whenever they have a need. As our time came to an end, we cleaned up the garbage that was littered along the street and sidewalk prior to our arrival. The scene of a clean neighborhood and a stocked pantry provides a sense of peace.