People say I change their lives, but I believe they change mine.

Today I found a man Near his DEATH.

The below photo is of my 8 year old daughter holding a hand made card from her, to him (Tom). It was her idea, not mine. She is very thoughtful of others. 

                                             

 Tom

I went to Star bucks on my way to Hunt co to visit my earth mom. I had 2 packs of water bottles in the back of my truck. I was in the drive through and decided to take them out of the back and into the front seat. Just in case I run into someone. I thought it was doubtful because I was heading East. I was wrong.

Very glad that I moved the bottled waters. Before I even got on the HWY, I saw a man with all of his belongings on the side of the road. I stopped and gave him a few bottled waters. We introduced ourselves. He explained to me that he is a diabetic and left his medicine in a truck near 66. He said he's looking for a ride.

My gut did not tell me he's dangerous, but I follow my safety guidelines. That is, not to give rides unless if a man is with me. I was the only adult and had my 3 month old with me. I told him I'm very sorry, but I could not give him a ride. Cars were honking at me. He then said "This water is really going to help me, I feel dehydrated and really needed this, thank you" 

We said our goodbyes and I drove off. He seemed on the outside to me, just perfectly fine. I thought surely he'll get a ride where he needs to go. I went on to Hunt co and visited for hours. I headed home on 30 west. On the East side of HWY, I see a man curled up in a ball way up on a high hill, and under the bridge. On the other side of the HWY! So, I took the next exit, turned around and drove to where he was. I rolled my window down and kept calling for him. No response. I then pulled my truck around and on the side, I turned my hazards on and ran up this long, slippery from the mud hill. I almost fell. If I had fallen, it was nothing but a long ways of concrete. Use your imagination. 

I came up to him slowly and tried to call for him. No response. I got closer. Still no response. I then, came up right to him and shook him. No response. I thought he must be dead. While my heart was pounding and body shaking, I went down the hill back to my truck and called the cops. I couldn't stay for them to be there because I only had 15 minutes to get to my 2nd grader's school for release. I felt empty during this time. As I was driving I was crying nonstop talking to the lady on the phone. She sent help immediately! 

I picked up my daughter from school after drying my tears. She gets in the car and asked me what's wrong. My excuse- allergies. It was an abnormal quiet ride home. My mind was occupied with Tom. As soon as I got home, I searched the web for the non emergency police number. I called it and asked for information. He was alive, but very sick. He was almost dead. Non responsive. 

I find out what hospital he's at. I call and try to get more information. They aren't able to identify him. After calling SEVERAL different places and talking to MANY people, I found one lady who actually helped me! She didn't want to give information until I told her that I'm trying to give him something nice. To show him someone cares. This lady broke the rules for me, told me I'm not allowed to use her name so I won't. She got my phone number and made some phone calls. After waiting for about 25 minutes and making more of my own calls, she finally called me back. She told me "I'm breaking so many rules by telling you this, but your act of kindness is rare and this man could use a caring person to visit." 

My daughter, over hearing the story over and over, she made him a card out of her own free will. With all of the information that was given to be able to visit, we stopped at the store and bought him some warm gloves and a little bag. We went to the hospital and got our passes. We went to his room and he was out and asleep. Instead of disturbing him we gave the gift to his nurse and told him the story to make sure he gets it and knows that the girl with the water bottles does care and so does her daughter! 

They told him that he is going to be okay now and will get help from here. His family is nowhere to be contacted. They thought we were family. When they found out we were strangers they were even more willing to give the gift and talk to him. He is currently in the hospital hooked up to IVs and sleeping from medicine. He will be okay now. 

This is so serious. If you pass someone or see someone curled up in the fetal position, please stop. You could save a life! Obviously, Tom is more important than he thinks he is because he is alive for a reason.

November's Official "Warm Winter Wear" Giveaway

For the past month we have been collecting donations from all over! The week of our event we decided to get together to organize and prepare for the big official giveaway. You wouldn't believe what all we received! Ranging from clothing of all sizes for both men and women, hygiene products, snacks, coffee, big warm coats, blankets, scarves, socks, under wear, and gloves. All though we felt overwhelmed with boxes and bags, we we felt grateful and were able to give to so many. After all, that is what this is all about!

Let the organizing begin! 

Below is Mika. 
This man was walking on the sidewalk carrying what little belongings he has. As we pulled over, he first seemed leery of our intentions. But, when we pulled into a parking lot and told him we have somethings for him he walked to the car anxiously. We handed him a box of snacks that included granola bars, crackers, coffee, and hot cocoa. We asked him what size shirt he wears and as we handed him a bag of his size shirts, he thanked us. He is a high spirited man. He was even excited to get his photo taken! He says "I don't care, haha, I tell everyone, I don't care" with a smile on his face. He made us smile! 

Say "hi" to Carol and Kurk! 

They are besties! You may remember Carol from a previous blog. She was the one who lent her only coat out and never got it back. Kurk is also from another blog. These two remembered my name! As, well I remembered theirs. I felt so, well, special that they both remembered me and I really think they did too. They were under a bridge off 635 hanging out together. We all participated in giving them bags of hygiene products, box of snacks, shirts in their sizes, and Kurk a nice big warm coat to snuggle up in at night in the cold. They were so nice and grateful to our giving. We talked to them and even learned their birthdays. August 31st is Carol's and October 5th is Kurk's. We decided that we will pay them a visit on those days! 

Afterwards, we ran into Junior.

 Last time we ran into him, he declined having his picture taken. So, out of respect for him, we didn't want to ask for one today either. We mentioned him on a previous post as well. Unfortunately, he wasn't doing too good today. He said he was very bummed and not feeling very cheerful. He told us his story and mentioned that him and his girlfriend had recently split up. He said that along with being on the streets made him pretty down. We felt humbled giving him snacks, a new coat, some shirts, and hygiene products. He was very grateful and kept saying "God Bless Y'all". He's one of the ones with the lowest spirit out of all the people we've met. We really look forward to hopefully building him up next month for Christmas. Please keep him in your thoughts, guys!

So, what happens next? We all put our heads together and came up with a game plan. 

We were headed to Main Street Garden Park. This is the same area we went to last month. We were anxious to give today especially since we had so much to hand out. We parked the car and as we began to unload the car, we had curious eyes upon us. They were all wondering what we were up to.

We went up to the first group that we saw and it wasn't long before we had lots of people gathering around us needing items for themselves. 

Above we have Tracey and Lawrence. 

They were both very anxious and were excited to be the first to pick out their items from our stash. All though we hope they find a place to go we hope to be able to give to them next month as well. 

Meet William in the photo above. 

William is somebody that we will never forget! He is high spirited and full of love! We gave him a coat to keep warm in, box of snacks, some bags of shirts, and a smile! After we gave him his items, he gave us lots of hugs of appreciation and smiles. We can't wait to see him again in December!  

This man wished his name remain unsaid. He came up to us as we were handing out necessities. He seemed so shy and came up quietly. He thanked us for his items that he received from us and then began to open up to us. He explained that he has a female friend who is in need and lives on the streets. He wanted to get her something nice because she has been teaching him another language. 

Action picture above! If you look close on the building you can read the words "God is Love". We felt it was appropriate for what we're doing! The picture speaks for itself ;)

 Greet yourself to Louise above.

 His shirt is no lie. Louise served in the Army. When he came to what he thought would be home, it was absent. He was left with nothing and on the streets. From there he made a mistake, which then led him to probation. Let me just explain this, Louise's life would have been different if he had not been left on the streets after trying to make a difference in the world. The chain of events that led him to be on probation are unfortunate. When you are dealing with a situation to feeling like their is nobody who cares, how are you supposed to care about yourself too? We have faith him though. He is comical and kept us laughing. He says he hated to call his father to explain to him that he's been living on the streets. His dad was disappointed. But, Louise has belief that in the end everything will work out.

Above and left to right are Alonzo and Charles.

 Alonzo- This man touched my heart majorly. I promise you, we will find him in December and make sure he has a present to unwrap! When we gave to him he was so selfless. I held up boxers and didn't have enough. Once he noticed that not everyone would not receive boxers he put his hand out of reach so that his friends could have a chance before him. We handed him a bag of hygiene products and he went through the bag and handed his items to others in need. This photo was taken right after he got through handing something to Charles. At the end of us giving to this group, I handed him the bag that you see on his lap. I came up to him, bent down to his level so that I wouldn't be hovering over him and said "Alonzo, do you like this bag?". His eyes lit up! He said "yes I do". I said "It's yours, my friend" and he graciously said "I don't know how, but for some reason I just knew I would end up with this bag". It's a nice BARELY used bag with lots of pockets. When we got ready to leave, he came up to me and gave me an electronic that I left in it! I looked into that man's eyes and said "thank you for your honesty, I appreciate that". He could have pawned it! And being in that situation, maybe some would. But, Alonzo, nah. He's just a good hearted man. 

Charles- Sweet man, but very quiet. We chit chatted a little while he puffed on his Marlboro I handed to him. He also received hygiene products, a blanket, and some shirts. Charles says "this park is my hang out and these are my friends"

Another action picture above! This is Amber, my miles of smiles buddy and Rudy, one of the men we gave to. Rudy decided to walk with us and help take a heavy burden off of us. 

Remember Angie?

 Here we are with her! She is in a previous post as well. Let me refresh your memory a little. Angie has been homeless for about a month now. She is a victim of domestic violence and because of this unfortunate situation, she ended up homeless. She was so excited that we remembered her name. She kept telling her buddies over there that we all met last month. We LOVE Angie! She is so sweet. We made sure she had enough clothes, hygiene products, snacks, coffee, and high heels. This will help her to succeed her goals. 

Above from left to right is Charlie and Jay. 

These men couldn't get enough Folder's Coffee that we were handing out! They made us smile. They seemed to be the best of friends, these two. What we enjoyed was when we walked off, I turned around and saw them opening up their bags of clothes that we gave them and pointed it out to Amber and her mom. They were holding up the nice warm shirts and smiling. We can't wait to get to hear their stories once they feel like opening up to us.  

Claude is above. 

At first he really didn't want to participate in the giving. But, after a little while he saw that we didn't mean him any harm. He then started to slowly ask for stuff and talk. By the end of the day, he was talking, joking, and laughing with us. He has a lot character! 

Say "hello" to Jeremy above!

 Look at that smile! We feel so happy to be a part of the reason for it. We saw him a few times this event. We gave him snacks, shirts, coat, coffee, and hygiene products. He kept thanking us. When we saw him again we were putting boxes into the car to move to another location. He saw our struggle and came to help us. We ended up giving him a warm snuggie blanket that he said he would use. It was pink and he was all about it! Ha! Jeremy seems high spirited!

Above is Linda and Odell. 

These two explained to us that they just met that day and already know that they are best friends. Both of them kept smiling. Which in return, made us smile. We gave them clothes and snacks for the day. They were certainly grateful. We hope to hear their stories next time! 

Marvin is above.

 He was in the group with Rudy, Charles, Alonzo, and Claude. He's a little shy, but won us over with his picture perfect smile! We had fun conversing with him and sharing stories with the group. 

Above and to the left wished his name remain unsaid. On the right is Rudy.

 John Doe- Gracious of our giving. He just wanted something to keep his hands and feet warm at night. He's not smiling in the picture but I promise you, we will build him up and make him smile! Rudy- He literally fought in the military, served our country and is now on the streets. Does not seem fair right? Even though he has had many negative events, he still manages to rise above and smile through it all. He spoke to us the entire time like we were all old friends. I don't think he meets a stranger! We enjoy hearing his story and can't wait to hear more and tell you more! 

Meet Ted above.

 Ted is a major sweet heart! We gave him some clothes to keep warm in, a bag of snacks and coffee, and nice barely worn pants. We can't wait to give to him again and see that smile! 

This is Keven above-

 A real character! He had us laughing and talking the entire conversation! Not a dull moment with Keven. Keven says he wants to help us do the hand out next month because he likes to give to others too. 

Last action picture is above! This is a photo that Amber took of her mom (Cheryl) and I giving to one as another walked off that we just gave too. Edited by SBF Photography to give it even more of an artistic look and message. 

We gave to MANY more but did not get pictures of everyone. Everyone that we gave to had their own way of touching our hearts and making us smile.

We are still selling $1 raffle tickets. You could be one of ten winners on December 1st. You will also be helping our cause! ALL of the money will go to buying Christmas presents for the homeless. We will be passing them out and taking photos. 

Pay on PAYPAL to sbfriedman05@gmail.com

When I think about this, I think about that

                        This week has been unfortunate for me. My problems may be                                          petty some, but to me they have made my week just plain, crappy.


This post is about my problems comparitively.

When I got a no seat belt ticket this week, I was so upset. But, at least I have a vehicle to get a ticket in.

Thinking about my ticket, I remember the family that told me that they have two tickets for holding signs up for help because they are homeless. Then, I realize, my problems aren't so bad. I bet they would trade with me. I should feel grateful.

As I felt severly angry and sad because I dropped my phone in water today, it also did a huge bang and shatter on it's way into the water. I have cried so much about it. I mean, my phone is the gateway to almost every thing I do. Take pictures, instagram, miles of smiles project, facebook, PayPal account, ect.                    

When I think about this, I also think about the people who don't have nice phones like mine to drop. Their are people who are actually going without food and I'm crying about a phone.

When I think about how cold it is sleeping by a dreary window at night now, I remember all of the sweet people I have met on the streets who are sleeping directly in this cold.

I get aggrivated because I have to open my passenger door to my truck to open the driver's side. Well, their are plenty of people who don't even have a vehicle.

When I sit on my couch and get annoyed because it isn't up to par, really it isn't, it's broken in. I have to remember the people who are sitting on sidewalks, and sleeping on them as well.

Oh no, their is NOTHING to watch on T.V, okay, some people don't get the luxery of having one of those. So, I can settle for watching one of the 1000 channels that we do have.

Let's think about our problems and remember it could always be worse. We are more fortunate than others and with what Amber and I work so hard on doing with our "Miles of Smiles" project, this will be remembered.

                                                Be grateful for what you DO have :)

Helping the homeless makes me a better person

It is only November 5th and so far, this month I have met around 10 homeless people! I run a lot of errands and always grab goodies for the homeless on my way out the door. Where I live, I am bound to see a few a day!

What do I grab on my way out the door?? Oh, it's so simple!

I pack a bag full of bottled water, granola bars, packaged crackers (like shown below), and hand-me-down hoodies and jackets. There we have it, my journey on my way to running daily errands begins!

Last week I met a group of people under a bridge. Let me tell you this wild story!

I ran my daily errands and stopped at a park to feed my 2 month old. I wasn't too far away from my 2nd graders school so I decided to just head to her school and wait in line a little early.

I went a route that I wasn't used to, of course me and my bad sense of direction I took the wrong exit and had to turn around. And was a I ever so glad that I did! It's funny how things work out. If that wouldn't have happened I wouldn't have met the group of hungry people under the bridge! 

Meet Omar, the man above. This man actually got a little emotional when I gave. You can sorta tell in the photo. He's a big sweetheart and told me all about his day and how hungry he was. When I saw him get emotional I did too. Don't worry though, I held it together until I drove off! This shows the realness of what we are doing here! 

Say "hello" to Gloria above! Oh my, this woman seemed to be a selfless person. She appeared to be more concerned about her friends than herself. She kept telling me, that her friends are hungry. It's funny how the ones who don't have much are the most generous people! 

The others in the group wished to remain anonymous. The group was grateful to my giving. 

Also, remember, if you see a group and you're alone but you want to give, make sure you are where people can see you and it is daylight :) 

The man above wished for his name not be mentioned. I met him off 635. He was holding a rather interesting sign. It said "When was the last time you helped someone? Would you help me today? Homeless and anything helps". Yes, I did read all of that ;) Now, THAT sign is something for everyone to keep in mind! I love it! I handed him a hoodie and some snacks and waters. He told me he would keep my family in his prayers. How nice :) When I drove away and saw him eating what I gave him, I felt the most wonderful feeling in the world. 

Jr-

No picture. This man under a bridge in the rain. He was wearing a ripped up pleather jacket. I handed him a warm hooded jacket, snacks and waters. He seemed as though his spirit had been broken (as most of them are) but this was different. The look in his eyes told me he's scared of people. He's young. Probably mid 20's. 

He informed me that a place feeds dinner to the homeless once a week. He also told me where some others in need hang around at. He even metioned that people don't want to give. 

I hope we can inspire others to give. It truly makes your heart happy.

Carol-

She didn't have hair done, so no picture for her! Maybe next time tough, she says :P

You have GOT to hear this! 

It has been a rainy week in these parts. She was hanging under a bridge to get dry. Covered up in a raggedy blanket. I pulled up and said "excuse me ma'm" and she turned to me. I had snacks and bottle water for her. She jumped and said "oh yes" with her eyes lit up. I talked to her a few seconds and drove away. Something told me to go back and give her my jacket I was wearing. SO, I did. But, when I looked in the backseat I saw a sleeping bag that someone had donated.. I thought "that's perfect"! It's water proof and warm! So, I handed it to her and she kept thanking me. Then, guess what?

She explained to me that she lent her coat out and they never returned it and now she doesn't have one. Can  you believe that?! This lady barly has anything and SHE lent her only coat to someone. What a kind and beautiful heart. 

I couldn't help myself! When I got home, my fiance Steven took care of the kids while I drove back to where she was to give her a coat. When I got there she was very leary of me. She was confused as to why someone was being so nice to her. She even asked me why. She kept kissing her jesus cross necklace and blessing me. Wow. 

I want to remind you ALL that I stay incredibly busy. I am a mother of two, a home maker, a college student, and I am not rich by any means. I do these things with what is donated to us, what I have in my kitchen, laying around, and on my way to run errands. My point stating this, is that YOU too can help ones in need! It doesn't take much time or money to do so. 

To buy $1 raffle tickets for the drawings in December buy on PayPal to                                                                        sbfriedman05@gmail.com

Reminder! Money goes to buy Christmas for the homeless and there are going to be many winners in December's drawings!