Another successful meal served today in the two City parks. Hilde made her incredible Spanish rice (one of my favorites of hers), I made my cowboy beans, and together we made the Sloppy Joe's & the tossed salad. It is always fun to spend time in the kitchen together & I always look forward to those days. :) It is when we cook & talk about this, that & the other. :) It feels so much like mother & daughter time. We also had cookies & of course water for everyone.
Marilyn came again to help serve the food & I am very grateful for your help & for being so constant in showing up !! :) You are much needed & much appreciated too !! :) Thank you always, dear Friend !! :)
Hilde came to the parks too to serve the food & today for the first time her daughter Liz, & Hilde's Great-grandson Michael (16) came too to help. How wonderful to be able to spend a little time with everyone !! :) Thank you all for helping out too !! :)
Ever since we took a few months off, the homeless have been extra grateful to all of us & we so appreciate all their heartfelt thank yous & their help in setting up the table & food !! :)
We are not feeding quite as many people yet as we did before. Word is still spreading that we are back & every time there are a few more people that show up. So it is growing & it will just take a little time to build it up again. Today we fed 47 people. Please say prayers that the hungry people will find us !!
I also wanted to send out this request. :) It would be so awesome if we had home-made cookies again, and not just for the special holidays. :) So if there is someone out there who likes to bake a lot & often please call me. The homeless love sweets & cookies are a big treat for 'em all. :) We've been giving out store bought cookies, but they don't have the Love in them that home baked ones do. :)
Good Night now to you all & Sleep with the Angels !! :)
Feeding the Homeless People in the City Parks of Tucson, Arizona.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
La Botana Restaurant's Generosity Once More
Yesterday we made Valentine's Day for the homeless in the City parks with the enormous help of Arnold, the owner of La Botana Grill here in Tucson. Arnold donated 75 great big burritos for the third year in a row. Hilde & I made the rice, beans & salad to go along & it all ended up being quite a feast for all. :) There were many happy faces in the parks. :) Thank You so very, very much Arnold, you are an Angel & a very kind one at that !! :)
A little while ago I was told by one of the homeless that they call me the Burrito Lady & I would like to hand that staff over to Arnold since he is THE Burrito Man. Please support his restaurant, his food is awesome & as you can tell Arnold is a wonderful & caring human being !! :) He so deserves our support !! :) La Botana - www.LaBotanaGrill.com - is right on the corner of First Avenue & Fort Lowell in the Food City shopping center. Their Shrimp Especial is out of this world good & it's my favorite. :) I could eat it every night. :)
I put together 75 gift bags for Valentine's Day, filled with a pair of brand new socks, assorted candies, home made cookies, granola bars & specially hand made cards for the homeless by many children of the Coronado School from the town of Catalina. :) Thank you Hank for initiating it all & a great big Thank You to all six teachers & the children too especially !! :) You all are awesome & touched the homeless with your caring & dear words !! :) All your posters were put up for everyone to enjoy at a homeless shelter !! :)
There were a bunch of gift bags left over & we gave them to a church group who take hot chocolate & hot soup to the homeless all over the parks every evening during the cold months. So our extra bags went to the people just outside the down town library. :) That felt really good to know. :)
We made Valentine's Day a couple of days late this year on the 16th, since it is our regular day to feed & the homeless would already know that we were coming. :)
I also would like to thank each & everyone who helped out to make this possible once more.
Thank you Randy & Mayumi for donating all the socks & for putting together all those sweet candy packs with so much Love & caring, which bubbled right out of them. :) And thank you for the water too, which is always needed. :) You both are so appreciated !!
Thank you Alvin for donating a bunch of granola bars for the gift bags once again. :)
Cheryl, thank you for baking 103 cookies. :) They looked so good & it was tempting to not eat one, but I was good & didn't !! ;)
Dave & Linda thank you for donating some of the bags & candy & some of the food for the meal !! :) I am ever so grateful to you both & hope that some day I can repay you in some good way for all that you have done to help me !!
Ginger, thank you for sending the bags of candy & some socks in the mail to help out !! :) You are wonderful to do that & to care like you do !!
Martin, Sylvia, Sherry, David, Liz, Mark, Bill & Iris, A.W., & Marilyn for sending funds for the food.
And thank you J.J. for the Albertson's gift card, which will help so much with providing food for the meals !! :) Hope to see you & Mark one of these days again at the parks !!
I am now gearing up for Easter for the homeless & am planning on having gift bags for 'em again with hopefully more socks, Easter candy, hard boiled & colored eggs, etc. :) It is just around the corner, really. :)
Hilde & I are now regularly going to the parks to feed again & please remember that I can not do this without all of your support & Love !!
Thank You all every so much !! :) I am humbled by all of you & also strengthened at the same time !!
With Love & Gratitude always !!
A little while ago I was told by one of the homeless that they call me the Burrito Lady & I would like to hand that staff over to Arnold since he is THE Burrito Man. Please support his restaurant, his food is awesome & as you can tell Arnold is a wonderful & caring human being !! :) He so deserves our support !! :) La Botana - www.LaBotanaGrill.com - is right on the corner of First Avenue & Fort Lowell in the Food City shopping center. Their Shrimp Especial is out of this world good & it's my favorite. :) I could eat it every night. :)
I put together 75 gift bags for Valentine's Day, filled with a pair of brand new socks, assorted candies, home made cookies, granola bars & specially hand made cards for the homeless by many children of the Coronado School from the town of Catalina. :) Thank you Hank for initiating it all & a great big Thank You to all six teachers & the children too especially !! :) You all are awesome & touched the homeless with your caring & dear words !! :) All your posters were put up for everyone to enjoy at a homeless shelter !! :)
There were a bunch of gift bags left over & we gave them to a church group who take hot chocolate & hot soup to the homeless all over the parks every evening during the cold months. So our extra bags went to the people just outside the down town library. :) That felt really good to know. :)
We made Valentine's Day a couple of days late this year on the 16th, since it is our regular day to feed & the homeless would already know that we were coming. :)
I also would like to thank each & everyone who helped out to make this possible once more.
Thank you Randy & Mayumi for donating all the socks & for putting together all those sweet candy packs with so much Love & caring, which bubbled right out of them. :) And thank you for the water too, which is always needed. :) You both are so appreciated !!
Thank you Alvin for donating a bunch of granola bars for the gift bags once again. :)
Cheryl, thank you for baking 103 cookies. :) They looked so good & it was tempting to not eat one, but I was good & didn't !! ;)
Dave & Linda thank you for donating some of the bags & candy & some of the food for the meal !! :) I am ever so grateful to you both & hope that some day I can repay you in some good way for all that you have done to help me !!
Ginger, thank you for sending the bags of candy & some socks in the mail to help out !! :) You are wonderful to do that & to care like you do !!
Martin, Sylvia, Sherry, David, Liz, Mark, Bill & Iris, A.W., & Marilyn for sending funds for the food.
And thank you J.J. for the Albertson's gift card, which will help so much with providing food for the meals !! :) Hope to see you & Mark one of these days again at the parks !!
I am now gearing up for Easter for the homeless & am planning on having gift bags for 'em again with hopefully more socks, Easter candy, hard boiled & colored eggs, etc. :) It is just around the corner, really. :)
Hilde & I are now regularly going to the parks to feed again & please remember that I can not do this without all of your support & Love !!
Thank You all every so much !! :) I am humbled by all of you & also strengthened at the same time !!
With Love & Gratitude always !!
Monday, February 18, 2013
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Calling all my Angels again !!
I need to ask for your kind help once more for feeding the homeless here in Tucson. :)
Hilde & I recently decided to add another weekend of cooking & serving the homeless in the parks, so we will now continuously be doing it two weekends every month. We also will feed on major holidays throughout the year. Both of us missed doing this, but since we are getting older we had to cut back some & now we are adding again. :) Go figure !! :) It's in our hearts !! :)
There is still a tiny bit of money left over from Christ-mas, but it is running out quickly. :( Would you please continue to help out, so we can continue to feed the homeless regularly again ?? Hilde & I will happily do all the work. :)
Also, I am hoping to put together about 75 small bags again for the homeless for Valentine's Day, filled with candy, chocolates, & cookies. :) New socks would be nice too, they are always a huge hit & much needed. :) Two schools are having some of their children create Valentine's Day cards to put into the bags too. :)
If anyone would like to donate cookies, candy, or socks for this occasion I would need them here by February 12th the latest, so I have time to bag them together for Saturday, the 16th. :)
Thank you once more all my Angels for your Kindness & Help !! :)
Hilde & I recently decided to add another weekend of cooking & serving the homeless in the parks, so we will now continuously be doing it two weekends every month. We also will feed on major holidays throughout the year. Both of us missed doing this, but since we are getting older we had to cut back some & now we are adding again. :) Go figure !! :) It's in our hearts !! :)
There is still a tiny bit of money left over from Christ-mas, but it is running out quickly. :( Would you please continue to help out, so we can continue to feed the homeless regularly again ?? Hilde & I will happily do all the work. :)
Also, I am hoping to put together about 75 small bags again for the homeless for Valentine's Day, filled with candy, chocolates, & cookies. :) New socks would be nice too, they are always a huge hit & much needed. :) Two schools are having some of their children create Valentine's Day cards to put into the bags too. :)
If anyone would like to donate cookies, candy, or socks for this occasion I would need them here by February 12th the latest, so I have time to bag them together for Saturday, the 16th. :)
Thank you once more all my Angels for your Kindness & Help !! :)
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Today's Meal was in my Son's Honor
Today my son would have been 47 years old & I feel that today's meal in the two parks was in his honor. :) He was very loving & kind & if he was alive he would be out there in the parks with me serving the food to everyone. :) Well, he was with us anyway, sitting on my shoulder. :) His favorite food were burritos & pizza, so I ate pizza for him this evening & made a Spirit Plate for him.
Hilde cooked the most wonderful Turkey Stew today with the help of Mary-Ann, Karen & I. It was filled with fresh veggies, rice & lots of smoked turkey left over from Thanksgiving. It was really filling & nurturing, in short, comfort food !! :) Thank you Hilde Dear !! :) We also had fresh salad & lots of fresh bread.
Sally baked 72 cupcakes & they were a huge success with the homeless. :) There is the famous homeless sweet tooth again. ;) Thank you Sally for making all those cupcakes !! That was awefully sweet of you !! :)
A thank you shout-out also goes to Marilyn for helping us serve once more !! It is always fun to have you around, you make everyone giggle with your whimsical humor. :)
A big thank you also to Mary-Ann & Karen for helping out with the cooking & serving & everything else that needed to be done !! :)
Lee, thank you for donating all those warm clothes & socks & baseball caps too !! :) Most of it is gone & I will take the rest to the parks next time I go again. :)
What an incredible day today has been .... my sons birthday, feeding the homeless, and the full moon. And the rain cleared up so we could go out & feed today. It can't get any better than this, really !! :)
Hilde cooked the most wonderful Turkey Stew today with the help of Mary-Ann, Karen & I. It was filled with fresh veggies, rice & lots of smoked turkey left over from Thanksgiving. It was really filling & nurturing, in short, comfort food !! :) Thank you Hilde Dear !! :) We also had fresh salad & lots of fresh bread.
Sally baked 72 cupcakes & they were a huge success with the homeless. :) There is the famous homeless sweet tooth again. ;) Thank you Sally for making all those cupcakes !! That was awefully sweet of you !! :)
A thank you shout-out also goes to Marilyn for helping us serve once more !! It is always fun to have you around, you make everyone giggle with your whimsical humor. :)
A big thank you also to Mary-Ann & Karen for helping out with the cooking & serving & everything else that needed to be done !! :)
Lee, thank you for donating all those warm clothes & socks & baseball caps too !! :) Most of it is gone & I will take the rest to the parks next time I go again. :)
What an incredible day today has been .... my sons birthday, feeding the homeless, and the full moon. And the rain cleared up so we could go out & feed today. It can't get any better than this, really !! :)
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Christmas 2012
On Saturday, December 22nd, together we made Christmas for the homeless people in the City parks with the help of many kind hearted people, some of which helped out by donating their time, a few with the cooking, & others helped out with donations of items needed for the 80 grocery bag sized gift bags, with funds, or home baked cookies. :) We ended up feeding 87 people that evening at Santa Rita Park & at Estevan Park. Everyone was very appreciative & very grateful for the food & especially for the gift bags. :)
Then on Christmas Eve I went back to the two parks with 15 great big pizza's & a lady stopped by & gave us another two, which we really ended up needing to feed all 44 homeless. :) Thank you lots Marilyn & Michael W. for being there for me on Christmas Eve by helping to serve the food & transporting the bags !! :)
First of all I would like to thank my almost 90 year old Hilde for making 8 gigantic meat loaves by herself for the Christmas dinner & a huge pot of her famous gravy to go with it. :) She cooked about 30 lbs. of ground beef for about 90 servings !! Hilde, you are one of the kindest & most selfless people I know !! I feel so blessed by you walking this path with me & by your dedication to this project of putting food into peoples bellies. :) I So Love You !! :)
For Christmas dinner we also served 2 huge pots of mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans with cranberries & bacon, corn, cranberry sauce, fresh tossed salad, jello with fruit & Cool Whip (which often got called Miracle Whip ;) ), home baked cookies & bottled water. I think all the homeless were ready for a nap after that big meal with their full bellies, which made all of us servers feel good too. :)
We took many pictures & I still have to learn to post them on my blog. :o :) I will give it my best shot & try to post them separately so you can see some of them. :) Please check my blog http://karin-feedingthehomeless.blogspot.com
again in a few days for those & other entries. :)
Hilde & I decided that we will continue to serve our big meals on the last Saturday of each month. :) We are getting older & our bodies get tired quicker. And I need to focus more on my business, since that brings my income.
Each grocery bag was stuffed with brand-new underwear, socks, beanies, scarves & gloves. Also shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, shaving cream, razors, combs, wet wipes, tooth paste & brushes, some playing cards, books, magazines, home baked cookies, lots of Christmas candy & there were many Christmas cards in each bag. We also added many snack packs & granola bars this year. Those bags were quite heavy with all kinds of goodies. :)
There are soooo many people to thank & I hope that I won't forget anyone. I made many notes along the way for that reason, lil' slips of paper everywhere. ;)
Thank you each & everyone of you for your kind help, for without you I could not have done this once again !! :) We all pulled together & opened our hearts to make a difference in some peoples lives who are struggling more than we are, and we made them happy, which is the best feeling in the whole world. :)
I would like to begin by thanking the Angels individually who donated funds for the food & some of the items for the gift bags. :) Thank you Jane, K.C., Alice, Jhan, Cristina & her lil' Kiersten for saving their change for months to donate, Charles, Suzzanne & all her friends who purchased squares for the quilts & sent the left-over money for food, Melany, Sylvia to honor her son Alan, my "Cookie Family" & Michael H. Also a huge thank you to Mark & Frank & the BSD Winers & Diners Club for so helping out !! :) You made me cry with your Kindness. :) Because of you I was able to go again on Christmas Eve with the many pizzas. :)
Some of the other helpers I already thanked in my Thanksgiving blog, which carries forward to Christmas too & I will send this entry to you also. :)
Thank you Tom, Mary-Ann & Sue for helping with the cooking of the Christmas dinner !! I hope Hilde wasn't too hard on you. :) Just kidding, my sweet Hilde !! :) And thank you Marilyn for making that huge bowl of Jello with fruit for dessert, especially since you don't really like to cook !! :)
Thank you Hilde, June & Mel, Sally, Mary-Ann, Marilyn, Haroon, Umair, Adeel, Neida & Kaukab for serving the food at both parks. We had a long line up of homeless & a long line up of servers too. :) Made it so much easier for all of us. :)
Thank you Sally & Harvey, and Keith & Kristin for loading up all the gift bags in your trucks & for handing them out in the parks !! :) And for hanging out with us in between the meals at both parks. Laura & Steve, thanks for coming to the first park & for being there with us !! :)
Thank you Marilyn, Sue, Laura & Steve, and Marianne with her two lil' ones Chelsey (3) & Heather (10) for helping stuff all those gift bags !! :)
Thank you Sara & Rae, Marianne, Heather & Chelsey for all the cookies you baked !! :) We had about 360 total. :) And thank you Carolina, Cristina, Dave & Linda, Sobia for all the candy you donated. :) Those homeless have a big sweet tooth & all those were big treats. :)
Thank you so much Jeanne, Michelle, Alvin, Laura & Steve for donating some of the snack packs & granola bars for the gift bags. :) I always like to have those handy throughout the year to help tie the homeless over when they are hungry & don't have any food available.
Alvin, thank you also for donating a few of the beanies !! That was very thoughtful of you & at the end I was a few short, so it worked out great !! :)
Jeanne, thank you also for getting all those books donated from Bookman's.
And a great big thank you goes to Bookman's for donating the 5 big boxes full. You guys are awesome & always come through for me. :)
Dave & Linda thank you so for donating some of the food for the Christmas meal !! You two are just incredible & are a constant in me helping out with this project !! I am always so grateful to you both !! :) Your Hearts a big & you fill mine with your Kindness !! :)
And then there is the Helping Hands (knitting & crocheting) Club !! You always blow me away with the generosity of your members. Thank you Dianne & Caroline & everyone else for all your donations of food, toiletry items, playing cards, combs, some clothes, plates, forks & napkins, along with lots of candy & chocolates & much, much more. And thank you for writing all those Christmas cards for the homeless too. :) You ladies are incredible & you all have huge Wings !! :) Your service to those in need is awesome & goes all over the world !!
Thank you Pat for writing so many Christmas cards & all those stickers !! :) The homeless must have felt loved by all those cards that were in their bags. :) And thank you for helping dish out the food at the parks !! :) It was good to see you again after all this time. :)
Thank you so much Hilde's Granddaughter Andrea for all those toothbrushes !! :) They were so needed. That was really dear of you !! :)
Cheryl, thank you so much for crocheting 32 beanies for the homeless, yes 32 !! :) Your kindness is incredible & brought tears to my eyes when you brought them over. :) There will be many warm heads this year in the parks thanks to you. :)
Thank you Marilyn, Liz & James for helping me unload & clean up all those big pots, containers & my kitchen after the big meal !! That meant a lot to me & was such a huge help !! :) I was so tired by then. :o
Suzzanne, you simply blew me away with your thoughtfulness & your determination to make a difference !! :) Your raising funds & then sewing together 4 great big quilts for the homeless was such a gift of yourself, it was an incredible act of Kindness !! When I opened the box of quilts all this Love came bubbling out of it & it made me cry tears of happiness. :) Thank you so much Suzzanne for sending the quilts all the way from Wisconsin & the left-over money from "selling" the squares. And thank you hugely Jennifer, Robert, Elizabeth, Lowell, Cath, Lona, Beth, Dan, Cathy & Gail who all helped Suzzanne with her project for our homeless here !! :)
I made sure that these beautiful quilts were going to homeless who would honor them & who really needed them. The first quilt went to an 82 year old homeless woman who with her shopping cart roams all over Tucson's east side. She often sits on bus benches & chats with people. My Cristina has taken her into her Heart & so have I. :) The second quilt went to another homeless woman in her 50ies, who always shows up for each meal & is always very humble & grateful. :) The third quilt went to an old man who used to live out of his truck, but it broke down, so he is hopefully in a shelter now !! I knew he would honor all the Love in his quilt. :) And the fourth went to a friend of the old man's, who always helps me serve some of the food. He has a little crush on me & everyone teases me about it. :) We know that these four people will sleep a little warmer now & that they are enveloped by the Love of those quilts !! :)
And another great big Thank You goes out to Sobia & all her helpers from the Ahmeddiya Movement in Islam Mosque for making such a huge difference with their enormous amount of Love & Generosity this Christmas !! :) You also made me cry happy tears !! :)
Thank you for all the many, many items you donated, like 80 each shampoos, conditioners, deodorants, shaving cream, razors, books, magazines & chocolates too. :) It filled up my SUV when I went to pick it all up. And thank you for sending over the three young men, Atta, Ali & Fuzeal, just to unload my car at my home, because it was all too heavy for me. :) That was incredibly thoughtful of you !! Please thank your Dad for me too, Haroon & Umair for all their loving help with this !! :) You all are sharing & teaching Love so beautifully & you are a great big Ray of Light in my & the homeless people's lives !! :) Thank you for all your service work here in Tucson !! :) I hope that we will continue to work together & I am here to help you the best I can !! :) Just let me know !!
It was on December 13th when I picked up all the items Sobia's mosque donated, it was the day of the shooting in Newtown. My last blog entry is about the moment I heard it on the radio. Hopefully it is inspirational to you & I offer it to anyone to read. :)
Another huge Thank You goes to Mayumi & her boss Randy, from Chiral Research for all the big help you all provided !! :) Mayumi thank you for remembering that I feed the homeless & for suggesting to your boss to help !! :) I had missed you at the bank & always wondered how you were doing. You are the sweetest ever !! :)
Randy, thank you for your generous help of donating the 80 each scarves, bars of soap & the wet wipes !! :) Your help was so generous & I am so grateful to you for jumping in at the end of things !! :) How was your Christmas Party dinner ?? I so admire you for making pasta from scratch for all your employees that night !! :)
So many people to thank this year for making such a huge difference for the homeless & for offering your Love & Kindness !! In these trying times it is that much more important that we all pull together to help each other & that is the most important & kind thing to do !! :) I am ever so grateful to each & everyone of you & hopefully we can do this again next Christmas !! :)
Meanwhile Hilde & I will continue to cook & serve food to the homeless again once a month. :) And probably around some of the big holidays too, like Valentine's Day, Easter, Veterans Day, etc. :)
Big Hugs to each of you & my most deepest Gratitude !! :)
You all are my Earth Angels !! :)
Then on Christmas Eve I went back to the two parks with 15 great big pizza's & a lady stopped by & gave us another two, which we really ended up needing to feed all 44 homeless. :) Thank you lots Marilyn & Michael W. for being there for me on Christmas Eve by helping to serve the food & transporting the bags !! :)
First of all I would like to thank my almost 90 year old Hilde for making 8 gigantic meat loaves by herself for the Christmas dinner & a huge pot of her famous gravy to go with it. :) She cooked about 30 lbs. of ground beef for about 90 servings !! Hilde, you are one of the kindest & most selfless people I know !! I feel so blessed by you walking this path with me & by your dedication to this project of putting food into peoples bellies. :) I So Love You !! :)
For Christmas dinner we also served 2 huge pots of mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans with cranberries & bacon, corn, cranberry sauce, fresh tossed salad, jello with fruit & Cool Whip (which often got called Miracle Whip ;) ), home baked cookies & bottled water. I think all the homeless were ready for a nap after that big meal with their full bellies, which made all of us servers feel good too. :)
We took many pictures & I still have to learn to post them on my blog. :o :) I will give it my best shot & try to post them separately so you can see some of them. :) Please check my blog http://karin-feedingthehomeless.blogspot.com
again in a few days for those & other entries. :)
Hilde & I decided that we will continue to serve our big meals on the last Saturday of each month. :) We are getting older & our bodies get tired quicker. And I need to focus more on my business, since that brings my income.
Each grocery bag was stuffed with brand-new underwear, socks, beanies, scarves & gloves. Also shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, shaving cream, razors, combs, wet wipes, tooth paste & brushes, some playing cards, books, magazines, home baked cookies, lots of Christmas candy & there were many Christmas cards in each bag. We also added many snack packs & granola bars this year. Those bags were quite heavy with all kinds of goodies. :)
There are soooo many people to thank & I hope that I won't forget anyone. I made many notes along the way for that reason, lil' slips of paper everywhere. ;)
Thank you each & everyone of you for your kind help, for without you I could not have done this once again !! :) We all pulled together & opened our hearts to make a difference in some peoples lives who are struggling more than we are, and we made them happy, which is the best feeling in the whole world. :)
I would like to begin by thanking the Angels individually who donated funds for the food & some of the items for the gift bags. :) Thank you Jane, K.C., Alice, Jhan, Cristina & her lil' Kiersten for saving their change for months to donate, Charles, Suzzanne & all her friends who purchased squares for the quilts & sent the left-over money for food, Melany, Sylvia to honor her son Alan, my "Cookie Family" & Michael H. Also a huge thank you to Mark & Frank & the BSD Winers & Diners Club for so helping out !! :) You made me cry with your Kindness. :) Because of you I was able to go again on Christmas Eve with the many pizzas. :)
Some of the other helpers I already thanked in my Thanksgiving blog, which carries forward to Christmas too & I will send this entry to you also. :)
Thank you Tom, Mary-Ann & Sue for helping with the cooking of the Christmas dinner !! I hope Hilde wasn't too hard on you. :) Just kidding, my sweet Hilde !! :) And thank you Marilyn for making that huge bowl of Jello with fruit for dessert, especially since you don't really like to cook !! :)
Thank you Hilde, June & Mel, Sally, Mary-Ann, Marilyn, Haroon, Umair, Adeel, Neida & Kaukab for serving the food at both parks. We had a long line up of homeless & a long line up of servers too. :) Made it so much easier for all of us. :)
Thank you Sally & Harvey, and Keith & Kristin for loading up all the gift bags in your trucks & for handing them out in the parks !! :) And for hanging out with us in between the meals at both parks. Laura & Steve, thanks for coming to the first park & for being there with us !! :)
Thank you Marilyn, Sue, Laura & Steve, and Marianne with her two lil' ones Chelsey (3) & Heather (10) for helping stuff all those gift bags !! :)
Thank you Sara & Rae, Marianne, Heather & Chelsey for all the cookies you baked !! :) We had about 360 total. :) And thank you Carolina, Cristina, Dave & Linda, Sobia for all the candy you donated. :) Those homeless have a big sweet tooth & all those were big treats. :)
Thank you so much Jeanne, Michelle, Alvin, Laura & Steve for donating some of the snack packs & granola bars for the gift bags. :) I always like to have those handy throughout the year to help tie the homeless over when they are hungry & don't have any food available.
Alvin, thank you also for donating a few of the beanies !! That was very thoughtful of you & at the end I was a few short, so it worked out great !! :)
Jeanne, thank you also for getting all those books donated from Bookman's.
And a great big thank you goes to Bookman's for donating the 5 big boxes full. You guys are awesome & always come through for me. :)
Dave & Linda thank you so for donating some of the food for the Christmas meal !! You two are just incredible & are a constant in me helping out with this project !! I am always so grateful to you both !! :) Your Hearts a big & you fill mine with your Kindness !! :)
And then there is the Helping Hands (knitting & crocheting) Club !! You always blow me away with the generosity of your members. Thank you Dianne & Caroline & everyone else for all your donations of food, toiletry items, playing cards, combs, some clothes, plates, forks & napkins, along with lots of candy & chocolates & much, much more. And thank you for writing all those Christmas cards for the homeless too. :) You ladies are incredible & you all have huge Wings !! :) Your service to those in need is awesome & goes all over the world !!
Thank you Pat for writing so many Christmas cards & all those stickers !! :) The homeless must have felt loved by all those cards that were in their bags. :) And thank you for helping dish out the food at the parks !! :) It was good to see you again after all this time. :)
Thank you so much Hilde's Granddaughter Andrea for all those toothbrushes !! :) They were so needed. That was really dear of you !! :)
Cheryl, thank you so much for crocheting 32 beanies for the homeless, yes 32 !! :) Your kindness is incredible & brought tears to my eyes when you brought them over. :) There will be many warm heads this year in the parks thanks to you. :)
Thank you Marilyn, Liz & James for helping me unload & clean up all those big pots, containers & my kitchen after the big meal !! That meant a lot to me & was such a huge help !! :) I was so tired by then. :o
Suzzanne, you simply blew me away with your thoughtfulness & your determination to make a difference !! :) Your raising funds & then sewing together 4 great big quilts for the homeless was such a gift of yourself, it was an incredible act of Kindness !! When I opened the box of quilts all this Love came bubbling out of it & it made me cry tears of happiness. :) Thank you so much Suzzanne for sending the quilts all the way from Wisconsin & the left-over money from "selling" the squares. And thank you hugely Jennifer, Robert, Elizabeth, Lowell, Cath, Lona, Beth, Dan, Cathy & Gail who all helped Suzzanne with her project for our homeless here !! :)
I made sure that these beautiful quilts were going to homeless who would honor them & who really needed them. The first quilt went to an 82 year old homeless woman who with her shopping cart roams all over Tucson's east side. She often sits on bus benches & chats with people. My Cristina has taken her into her Heart & so have I. :) The second quilt went to another homeless woman in her 50ies, who always shows up for each meal & is always very humble & grateful. :) The third quilt went to an old man who used to live out of his truck, but it broke down, so he is hopefully in a shelter now !! I knew he would honor all the Love in his quilt. :) And the fourth went to a friend of the old man's, who always helps me serve some of the food. He has a little crush on me & everyone teases me about it. :) We know that these four people will sleep a little warmer now & that they are enveloped by the Love of those quilts !! :)
And another great big Thank You goes out to Sobia & all her helpers from the Ahmeddiya Movement in Islam Mosque for making such a huge difference with their enormous amount of Love & Generosity this Christmas !! :) You also made me cry happy tears !! :)
Thank you for all the many, many items you donated, like 80 each shampoos, conditioners, deodorants, shaving cream, razors, books, magazines & chocolates too. :) It filled up my SUV when I went to pick it all up. And thank you for sending over the three young men, Atta, Ali & Fuzeal, just to unload my car at my home, because it was all too heavy for me. :) That was incredibly thoughtful of you !! Please thank your Dad for me too, Haroon & Umair for all their loving help with this !! :) You all are sharing & teaching Love so beautifully & you are a great big Ray of Light in my & the homeless people's lives !! :) Thank you for all your service work here in Tucson !! :) I hope that we will continue to work together & I am here to help you the best I can !! :) Just let me know !!
It was on December 13th when I picked up all the items Sobia's mosque donated, it was the day of the shooting in Newtown. My last blog entry is about the moment I heard it on the radio. Hopefully it is inspirational to you & I offer it to anyone to read. :)
Another huge Thank You goes to Mayumi & her boss Randy, from Chiral Research for all the big help you all provided !! :) Mayumi thank you for remembering that I feed the homeless & for suggesting to your boss to help !! :) I had missed you at the bank & always wondered how you were doing. You are the sweetest ever !! :)
Randy, thank you for your generous help of donating the 80 each scarves, bars of soap & the wet wipes !! :) Your help was so generous & I am so grateful to you for jumping in at the end of things !! :) How was your Christmas Party dinner ?? I so admire you for making pasta from scratch for all your employees that night !! :)
So many people to thank this year for making such a huge difference for the homeless & for offering your Love & Kindness !! In these trying times it is that much more important that we all pull together to help each other & that is the most important & kind thing to do !! :) I am ever so grateful to each & everyone of you & hopefully we can do this again next Christmas !! :)
Meanwhile Hilde & I will continue to cook & serve food to the homeless again once a month. :) And probably around some of the big holidays too, like Valentine's Day, Easter, Veterans Day, etc. :)
Big Hugs to each of you & my most deepest Gratitude !! :)
You all are my Earth Angels !! :)
Friday, December 14, 2012
Good & Evil in the Same Moment
Today I experienced good & evil in the very same moment & it was incredibly emotional.
I need to back up a little bit in order for this story to make sense.
Not long ago a woman with a beautiful soul contacted me about helping once a month with feeding the homeless. Her name is Sobia & she & her family are from the beautiful white Islamic Mosque on West Speedway, near Stone & Main Street. :)
Sobia told me that she also would like to help out with the 80 gift bags for the homeless for Christ-mas I am putting together again this year. She let me know that the people from the mosque will provide all the deodorants, shampoo, conditioners, shaving creams, razors & bars of soap I would need, which multiplied by 80 is huge. :o
Today as I was driving up to the Mosque to pick up these items the news came on about the terrible shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, & I sat there just crying. At the same moment Sobia's family was loading all these incredible donations into my car for the homeless & those big boxes just kept coming & coming. We were worried about fitting it all into my SUV, it was so much. :)
At that very moment I experienced evil & good at the exact same time for the first time in my life. Normally it is one or the other, but never both at the same moment. I felt how the good covered over the evil & triumphed over it. It is quite difficult to describe the emotions that I was feeling at that very moment. It was like one of my eyes was crying in sadness & my other eye was crying tears of joy, all at the same time.
Sobia & all your loving family & friends, I am ever soooo grateful to you for your enormous Generosity & Caring & for giving me this experience today, which will live on forever in my Heart. :)
You all are the embodyment of Goodness & Love !! :)
I need to back up a little bit in order for this story to make sense.
Not long ago a woman with a beautiful soul contacted me about helping once a month with feeding the homeless. Her name is Sobia & she & her family are from the beautiful white Islamic Mosque on West Speedway, near Stone & Main Street. :)
Sobia told me that she also would like to help out with the 80 gift bags for the homeless for Christ-mas I am putting together again this year. She let me know that the people from the mosque will provide all the deodorants, shampoo, conditioners, shaving creams, razors & bars of soap I would need, which multiplied by 80 is huge. :o
Today as I was driving up to the Mosque to pick up these items the news came on about the terrible shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, & I sat there just crying. At the same moment Sobia's family was loading all these incredible donations into my car for the homeless & those big boxes just kept coming & coming. We were worried about fitting it all into my SUV, it was so much. :)
At that very moment I experienced evil & good at the exact same time for the first time in my life. Normally it is one or the other, but never both at the same moment. I felt how the good covered over the evil & triumphed over it. It is quite difficult to describe the emotions that I was feeling at that very moment. It was like one of my eyes was crying in sadness & my other eye was crying tears of joy, all at the same time.
Sobia & all your loving family & friends, I am ever soooo grateful to you for your enormous Generosity & Caring & for giving me this experience today, which will live on forever in my Heart. :)
You all are the embodyment of Goodness & Love !! :)
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Christ-mas Dinner - December 22, 2012
We will be serving Christ-mas dinner to the Homeless in the City parks on Saturday, December 22, 2012,
around 5:00 PM at Santa Rita Park (22nd Street & 3rd Ave.) &
around 6:30 PM at Estevan Park (Main Street & 1st Street, just 1 block south of Speedway near I 10).
We will be celebrating Christ-mas then. :)
around 5:00 PM at Santa Rita Park (22nd Street & 3rd Ave.) &
around 6:30 PM at Estevan Park (Main Street & 1st Street, just 1 block south of Speedway near I 10).
We will be celebrating Christ-mas then. :)
Monday, November 19, 2012
Thanksgiving Dinner in the City Parks
On Saturday we celebrated Thanksgiving with the Homeless in two City parks. :)
I wanted to provide it a little early, since on the actual Thanksgiving day many churches & organizations open their doors to feed the Homeless & this way they all will get two great big meals, instead of just one. :) We fed 77 people altogether & left behind many happy tummies. :) And everyone had a wonderful time. :)
I am so very, very grateful to each & everyone of you who helped in some way or another !! :) It definately takes a village to feed the Homeless. :)
We had 5 huge turkeys, 2 great big trays of stuffing thanks to our dear Hilde, 2 huge pots of mashed potatoes, plus Hilde's famous gravy, one huge pot each of corn & green beans with bacon. Also a big container full of tossed salad, a huge bowl of Jello with fruit & lots of Cool Whip, cookies, chocolates, & bottled water. We also had cranberry sauce, which I forgot about & I realized after I got back home that it was still in my car. :o :)
Thank you Cristina, Rae, & Marianne for roasting the turkeys & thank you Gopal for brining & smoking the other two. Our cars & my home smelled so wonderful all afternoon & evening from the smoked turkeys. :) I kept smelling my hands. :) It was so kind of all of you to take on a project that big !! :)
Thank you Elizabeth & Alberto for donating two of the turkeys for roasting !!
You are always there when I call for your help. :)
Thank you Marianne, Mary Ann, & Sue for helping Hilde & me out in the kitchen, especially at the end when things got a little hectic with loading up, etc. :) You are so appreciated !!
Thank you so much Mary Ann & Marilyn for helping us serve at the parks, we had a lot of food to dish out. :)
Thank you Dave & Linda for providing some of the groceries for the meal & for treating the Homeless with all those Hershey Kisses. :) And thank you Dave for loading up the cars once more & getting us on our way. :) You are our muscle man. ;)
Thank you Rae & Sara for baking 200 wonderful cookies for the occasion & making it so easy for me by putting them in 100 little bags. :) You even borrowed a friends kitchen to be able to make them all. :) The cookies were a big hit. It seems that many of the Homeless have a great big sweet tooth. :) I know the feeling. ;)
Thank you Marilyn for making that huge bowl of Jello with the fruit cocktail, even though you don't like to cook at all. That was such a great gift of yourself !! :)
And thank you each & everyone who donated funds from far & near to make this possible once more !! :) Your Generosity & Kindness touched me deeply & I will write more about all that in the Christmas blog entry.
Once again ................... Kindness is alive in Tucson & in America !! :)
You all are so incredible & I am so humbled by each one of you !! :)
I wanted to provide it a little early, since on the actual Thanksgiving day many churches & organizations open their doors to feed the Homeless & this way they all will get two great big meals, instead of just one. :) We fed 77 people altogether & left behind many happy tummies. :) And everyone had a wonderful time. :)
I am so very, very grateful to each & everyone of you who helped in some way or another !! :) It definately takes a village to feed the Homeless. :)
We had 5 huge turkeys, 2 great big trays of stuffing thanks to our dear Hilde, 2 huge pots of mashed potatoes, plus Hilde's famous gravy, one huge pot each of corn & green beans with bacon. Also a big container full of tossed salad, a huge bowl of Jello with fruit & lots of Cool Whip, cookies, chocolates, & bottled water. We also had cranberry sauce, which I forgot about & I realized after I got back home that it was still in my car. :o :)
Thank you Cristina, Rae, & Marianne for roasting the turkeys & thank you Gopal for brining & smoking the other two. Our cars & my home smelled so wonderful all afternoon & evening from the smoked turkeys. :) I kept smelling my hands. :) It was so kind of all of you to take on a project that big !! :)
Thank you Elizabeth & Alberto for donating two of the turkeys for roasting !!
You are always there when I call for your help. :)
Thank you Marianne, Mary Ann, & Sue for helping Hilde & me out in the kitchen, especially at the end when things got a little hectic with loading up, etc. :) You are so appreciated !!
Thank you so much Mary Ann & Marilyn for helping us serve at the parks, we had a lot of food to dish out. :)
Thank you Dave & Linda for providing some of the groceries for the meal & for treating the Homeless with all those Hershey Kisses. :) And thank you Dave for loading up the cars once more & getting us on our way. :) You are our muscle man. ;)
Thank you Rae & Sara for baking 200 wonderful cookies for the occasion & making it so easy for me by putting them in 100 little bags. :) You even borrowed a friends kitchen to be able to make them all. :) The cookies were a big hit. It seems that many of the Homeless have a great big sweet tooth. :) I know the feeling. ;)
Thank you Marilyn for making that huge bowl of Jello with the fruit cocktail, even though you don't like to cook at all. That was such a great gift of yourself !! :)
And thank you each & everyone who donated funds from far & near to make this possible once more !! :) Your Generosity & Kindness touched me deeply & I will write more about all that in the Christmas blog entry.
Once again ................... Kindness is alive in Tucson & in America !! :)
You all are so incredible & I am so humbled by each one of you !! :)
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Kindness In Tucson
A few days ago one of my refrigerators / freezers for the Homeless stopped working & the timing was terrible, since the big Thanksgiving dinner is in two weeks & there is lots of food to cool & freeze.
Once more I called Chris Edwards, the owner of Tucson Appliance Company & asked if he would be open to sending someone over to hopefully repair the fridge.
Chris didn't want to repair it & insisted on sending another fridge over. I argued with this kind man but he insisted to having another delivered the next afternoon & the old one hauled off. It arrived yesterday, free of charge & it is the second refrigerator Chris has donated to my Feeding the Homeless. :)
Chris' Kindness is amazing & made me cry once more .... happy tears of course !! :)
Please everyone support this man & his business, he so deserves our support !! :)
I am so very grateful to Chris !! :)
Kindness is Alive Here in Tucson !! :)
Once more I called Chris Edwards, the owner of Tucson Appliance Company & asked if he would be open to sending someone over to hopefully repair the fridge.
Chris didn't want to repair it & insisted on sending another fridge over. I argued with this kind man but he insisted to having another delivered the next afternoon & the old one hauled off. It arrived yesterday, free of charge & it is the second refrigerator Chris has donated to my Feeding the Homeless. :)
Chris' Kindness is amazing & made me cry once more .... happy tears of course !! :)
Please everyone support this man & his business, he so deserves our support !! :)
I am so very grateful to Chris !! :)
Kindness is Alive Here in Tucson !! :)
Sunday, November 4, 2012
And Lots More Sandwiches
Since I had so many sandwiches left I headed back to the parks again today. :) Another 32 homeless people were fed & they were again very thankful for the food.
Megan, your Kindness fed 76 hungry people this weekend & I am ever so grateful to you for being so thoughtful !! :)
I got to see some old friends & a lot of new people again. Santa Rita Park was filled with the homeless & it hurt my heart to see that. Our slower economy is definitely visible in those parks. Well, we'll just keep trucking along & do what we can to help out. :)
The Thanksgiving meal is just around the corner !! :) And not too far after that there will be Christmas food. :)
Megan, your Kindness fed 76 hungry people this weekend & I am ever so grateful to you for being so thoughtful !! :)
I got to see some old friends & a lot of new people again. Santa Rita Park was filled with the homeless & it hurt my heart to see that. Our slower economy is definitely visible in those parks. Well, we'll just keep trucking along & do what we can to help out. :)
The Thanksgiving meal is just around the corner !! :) And not too far after that there will be Christmas food. :)
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Lots of Sandwiches
Today I received a call from Megan, who works for the University of Phoenix, right here in Tucson. She shared with me that she had read my blog & that there are a lot of sandwiches left over from an event there. She wondered if I could use them for the homeless. :)
When I got there to pick them up I was totally amazed at how many there were, along with three big trays of potato & pasta salads. Also a big tray of cookies & brownies, pickles & a large bag of chips. :)
Today I was able to feed 44 people at Santa Rita, Estevan, & Stone Park & I still have a bunch of sandwiches left over, so I can go again tomorrow. :)
Thank you Megan for your thoughtfulness & for caring so much for the people who need food right here in our city !! :) You are an Angel !! :)
When I got there to pick them up I was totally amazed at how many there were, along with three big trays of potato & pasta salads. Also a big tray of cookies & brownies, pickles & a large bag of chips. :)
Today I was able to feed 44 people at Santa Rita, Estevan, & Stone Park & I still have a bunch of sandwiches left over, so I can go again tomorrow. :)
Thank you Megan for your thoughtfulness & for caring so much for the people who need food right here in our city !! :) You are an Angel !! :)
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Calling all Angels !! :)
It is with much excitement that I am sharing with you all that Hilde (Now 88 years young) & I have decided to cook a big Thanksgiving & also a big Christmas dinner for the homeless people in Santa Rita Park & in Estevan Park again this year. :)
I am humbly asking for donations to pull this off once more. :)
My dream is to get enough money together so I can make gift bags again for the homeless this Christmas. :) They so enjoyed them last year.
For Thanksgiving, like last year, I will need six volunteers to roast & carve a turkey each, on Saturday, November 17th, & then to bring it here in the early afternoon. Hilde & I will cook the rest needed for the meals. :)
To all you bakers out there, for Christmas it would be awesome to have lots of home-baked cookies once more. :) It looks like we will be serving the dinner on Saturday, December 22nd. I will need the cookies at least 3 days before then, as they will have to be counted out & bagged.
Thank you all soooo much for your Kindness & Help !! :)
Karin
L. Karin Elliott
3364 E. Popinac Loop
Tucson, AZ 85716
520-326-2236
LKarinElliott@aol.com
I am humbly asking for donations to pull this off once more. :)
My dream is to get enough money together so I can make gift bags again for the homeless this Christmas. :) They so enjoyed them last year.
For Thanksgiving, like last year, I will need six volunteers to roast & carve a turkey each, on Saturday, November 17th, & then to bring it here in the early afternoon. Hilde & I will cook the rest needed for the meals. :)
To all you bakers out there, for Christmas it would be awesome to have lots of home-baked cookies once more. :) It looks like we will be serving the dinner on Saturday, December 22nd. I will need the cookies at least 3 days before then, as they will have to be counted out & bagged.
Thank you all soooo much for your Kindness & Help !! :)
Karin
L. Karin Elliott
3364 E. Popinac Loop
Tucson, AZ 85716
520-326-2236
LKarinElliott@aol.com
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Endings
Sometimes good things come to an end & it becomes time to move on.
On Monday, January 23, 2012, I served the last meal in Tucson's City parks to the homeless there. In the past two years I have fed, for most part single-handedly, almost 10,000 people. :)
I have become very tired & it is time to rest for a little while now. Also, I feel that I have come full circle with feeding the homeless since Darryl died recently. It all began because of Darryl & now that he is no longer here on earth, it is ending with his being gone. It totally feels complete.
After a little while I will do something else & I am thinking about something with or for children, as I am ready for some innocence in my life. :)
Thank you for all your loving & kind support during the past two years !! :)
I could not have pulled this off without you & I am very, very grateful to each & every one of you !! :)
With so much Love & even more Gratitude !!
Karin
On Monday, January 23, 2012, I served the last meal in Tucson's City parks to the homeless there. In the past two years I have fed, for most part single-handedly, almost 10,000 people. :)
I have become very tired & it is time to rest for a little while now. Also, I feel that I have come full circle with feeding the homeless since Darryl died recently. It all began because of Darryl & now that he is no longer here on earth, it is ending with his being gone. It totally feels complete.
After a little while I will do something else & I am thinking about something with or for children, as I am ready for some innocence in my life. :)
Thank you for all your loving & kind support during the past two years !! :)
I could not have pulled this off without you & I am very, very grateful to each & every one of you !! :)
With so much Love & even more Gratitude !!
Karin
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