Hello, fellow Kwikitters!
It has been quite a while since our last post. Some friends from Bradenton/Sarasota, the University of Tampa, USF, and Onething Prayer Center and I have been coming together every Tuesday at 9pm to feed, clothe, assist, encourage, and love on a group of temporary homeless people that live around Gaslight Park in Downtown Tampa.
Often times, people consider "community" as a group of people living independently in the same geographic space. Webster defines a community as "a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage."
I think we can and should take this a step further. What if living in community with one another meant more than a casual "hello" in passing? What if living in community meant sharing life together - celebrating our successes and joys, working through our fears, sharing each others burdens, picking each other up when we fell...?
This week, we had the opportunity to do just that. A friend of ours at the park mentioned his daughter had a brain hemorrhage and died this past weekend. She lived in Wichita, KS with her mom. Her funeral is Saturday and he had no money or means to get to Kansas to bury his daughter. One of the girls and I met him the next day at a library and planned to purchase a bus ticket for him. It turned out that a relative of his purchased him a plane ticket and now all he needed was $3.75 for a bus pass to the laundromat and airport. We sat together and listened as he shared his love for his daughter and how he was going to miss her - how he didn't sleep at all the night before and realized it's going to take him a while to be o.k. We gave him the money for his bus and food along the way. He was moved to tears and overwhelmed by our support. I told him, "This is what we SHOULD be doing all the time." We shared a quick prayer for safe travels and heart healing and went our separate ways. We can't wait to see him again when he gets home. Can't wait to share another hug, a smile, a laugh, a meal...
In light of the Thanksgiving season where most individuals gather with friends and family, I encourage and challenge you to pursue this idea of "community" further in your own family and circle of friends. How can you go beyond the casual, expected, and formal "thank you" among those distant relatives this season?
Love, Hope, Peace & Joy,
Meg
November 19, 2009
July 8, 2009
Kwikit Testimonies + Latest News
Hello fellow Kwikitters!
I wanted to share with you some brief testimonies from some of you who have had the opportunity to meet with these beautiful people face to face!
"I took a kwikit from the One Thing Prayer Center and gave it out the same day. The man was very appreciative - he even came back to my car window again to say thank you." - Jennifer
"I noticed a guy with his sign in the median on the left side of the road. I turned around in a century bank parking lot and after a lot of hesitation, crossed 3 lanes of traffic and finally ended up right next to him. I reached in my backseat, grabbed the kit, and held it out my window for him to grab. His face lit up - first with shock, then with thankfulness. He immediately saw the blanket and t-shirt that I had folded on top of the bag, and looked at me with tears welling up in his eyes. He said in the most humble voice, "Thank you honey, God bless." It totally blessed me seeing someone so thankful... it felt like more of a gift to me than the gift i had given him." - Andrea
"I spoke with a friend one day who mentioned what you do and she gave me one of your “kwikits” and asked me to give it to who I thought could use it the most. There were several men and women that came to mind but after praying on it God said Mr. Don could use a little bit more favor while on the streets. Mr. Don is an elderly man in his late 70’s that I met about a year ago. He has been on the streets for a few years now. He also has many medical problems including a bad heart. He is one of the nicest men I have ever met. He's always tells me that he is praying for my own son that is a recovering addict and never really fails to ask how he is doing. He was very thankful for the bag and I told him that it came from a mom and daughter Jesus team. He was very humble and just smiled and said thank you. I am so thankful that he has had the plastic covering as the weather has been horrid." - DJ
THANK YOU to all of you! You are such a blessing to this ministry and to your community! I am exceedingly and abundantly humbled and blessed by your hearts of service and your relentless pursuit to see change come to our community.
Recently I have made some wonderful connections with other local and state ministries that serve the poor and homeless. Check them out below!
Cynthia Pickney Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 1079
Seffner, FL 33583
(813) 571-1556
Cynthia Pickney, Executive Director/Founder
cp@cynthiapickneyministries.org
*Feeding and clothing the homeless, hungry and displaced
Central Florida Compassion Center
452 Palm Drive
Ocoee FL 34761
(407)905-9339
Ken Artigas, Executive Director
KJArtigas@aol.com
*We are an emergency food service organization that helps low income and homeless families and individuals with food, clothing and financial counseling.
Other news:
Kwikits ministry is in IMMEDIATE NEED of the following items:
Queen/Twin Sheets (gently used/clean is fine)
Vinyl shower curtains/table cloths
Thank you for all that you do!
Keep on changing the world!
I wanted to share with you some brief testimonies from some of you who have had the opportunity to meet with these beautiful people face to face!
"I took a kwikit from the One Thing Prayer Center and gave it out the same day. The man was very appreciative - he even came back to my car window again to say thank you." - Jennifer
"I noticed a guy with his sign in the median on the left side of the road. I turned around in a century bank parking lot and after a lot of hesitation, crossed 3 lanes of traffic and finally ended up right next to him. I reached in my backseat, grabbed the kit, and held it out my window for him to grab. His face lit up - first with shock, then with thankfulness. He immediately saw the blanket and t-shirt that I had folded on top of the bag, and looked at me with tears welling up in his eyes. He said in the most humble voice, "Thank you honey, God bless." It totally blessed me seeing someone so thankful... it felt like more of a gift to me than the gift i had given him." - Andrea
"I spoke with a friend one day who mentioned what you do and she gave me one of your “kwikits” and asked me to give it to who I thought could use it the most. There were several men and women that came to mind but after praying on it God said Mr. Don could use a little bit more favor while on the streets. Mr. Don is an elderly man in his late 70’s that I met about a year ago. He has been on the streets for a few years now. He also has many medical problems including a bad heart. He is one of the nicest men I have ever met. He's always tells me that he is praying for my own son that is a recovering addict and never really fails to ask how he is doing. He was very thankful for the bag and I told him that it came from a mom and daughter Jesus team. He was very humble and just smiled and said thank you. I am so thankful that he has had the plastic covering as the weather has been horrid." - DJ
THANK YOU to all of you! You are such a blessing to this ministry and to your community! I am exceedingly and abundantly humbled and blessed by your hearts of service and your relentless pursuit to see change come to our community.
Recently I have made some wonderful connections with other local and state ministries that serve the poor and homeless. Check them out below!
Cynthia Pickney Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 1079
Seffner, FL 33583
(813) 571-1556
Cynthia Pickney, Executive Director/Founder
cp@cynthiapickneyministries.org
*Feeding and clothing the homeless, hungry and displaced
Central Florida Compassion Center
452 Palm Drive
Ocoee FL 34761
(407)905-9339
Ken Artigas, Executive Director
KJArtigas@aol.com
*We are an emergency food service organization that helps low income and homeless families and individuals with food, clothing and financial counseling.
Other news:
Kwikits ministry is in IMMEDIATE NEED of the following items:
Queen/Twin Sheets (gently used/clean is fine)
Vinyl shower curtains/table cloths
Thank you for all that you do!
Keep on changing the world!
June 21, 2009
Kwikit Update
Hello fellow Kwikitters!
First, I must give a huge shout out to all of you who have participated in some way in Kwikits! Thank you for your donations, your time, your prayers - all of it!
I am very excited to hear that some of you have taken the concept behind Kwikits and have started to make your own modified versions at your homes and churches! What a blessing! That's the idea!
In light of recent requests to give you an update of our latest needs, below I have listed some of the main needs as of lately:
FOOD KIT
Tea bags
Instant reg/decaf coffee packets
Instant oatmeal
Instant grits
Hot chocolate packets
Small thermoses/insulated travel mugs
AID KIT
Large pill bottles (recycled)
CLEAN KIT
Travel sized deodorants
Socks
ENCOURAGEMENT KIT
Travel sized Bibles
Small notepads
SHELTER/BASICS KIT
Twin sheets/small fleece blankets
Tall kitchen garbage bags
Large garbage bags/rain ponchos
Vinyl shower curtains/vinyl table cloths
We are always accepting donations!
For more information about Kwikits and homelessness statistics in Hillsborough County, please visit our Facebook page at:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=38900597308&ref=ts
Keep checking back with us for more information about Kwikits!
Next blog: Kwikit Success Stories!
Keep on changing the world, Kwikitters!
First, I must give a huge shout out to all of you who have participated in some way in Kwikits! Thank you for your donations, your time, your prayers - all of it!
I am very excited to hear that some of you have taken the concept behind Kwikits and have started to make your own modified versions at your homes and churches! What a blessing! That's the idea!
In light of recent requests to give you an update of our latest needs, below I have listed some of the main needs as of lately:
FOOD KIT
Tea bags
Instant reg/decaf coffee packets
Instant oatmeal
Instant grits
Hot chocolate packets
Small thermoses/insulated travel mugs
AID KIT
Large pill bottles (recycled)
CLEAN KIT
Travel sized deodorants
Socks
ENCOURAGEMENT KIT
Travel sized Bibles
Small notepads
SHELTER/BASICS KIT
Twin sheets/small fleece blankets
Tall kitchen garbage bags
Large garbage bags/rain ponchos
Vinyl shower curtains/vinyl table cloths
We are always accepting donations!
For more information about Kwikits and homelessness statistics in Hillsborough County, please visit our Facebook page at:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=38900597308&ref=ts
Keep checking back with us for more information about Kwikits!
Next blog: Kwikit Success Stories!
Keep on changing the world, Kwikitters!
April 21, 2009
Coming Soon!
Hello, Beloved!
I wanted to let all of you know that as of May 2009, the current Make It Count blog will evolve into the Kwikits Global blog! This will be the home base for all Kwikit resources and stories.
See you then!
I wanted to let all of you know that as of May 2009, the current Make It Count blog will evolve into the Kwikits Global blog! This will be the home base for all Kwikit resources and stories.
See you then!
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