It was a great pleasure to partner with Gathering Friends Outreach in my hometown of Springfield, MO., to assist the underserved and unhoused in my community. Gathering Friends Outreach is a sub-group of Gathering Friends for the Homeless, providing on-the-street services to Springfield’s homeless and at-risk population. Every Tuesday, a meal is provided to anyone in need. They rely solely on volunteer workers who form mentoring relationships with those served while providing basic necessities. This was my first event in my own hometown, and despite an unwelcome thunderstorm, it went very well. Outreach Humanity supplied basic hygiene supplies, first aid kits, oral hygiene kits, and women’s health essentials.
Additionally, I have wanted to increase the scope of Outreach Humanity to my local community and seek other like-minded people to share my passion. Knowing I could not do it alone, I reached out to two family friends who assisted with preparing and distributing our supplies. A huge thank you to Ava Walters and Julia Jane Sponenberg for their hard work and support of Outreach Humanity and their desire to help our community. As we plan many other events like this over the summer months, I am very excited about their involvement and plan to share their compassion with the greater population.