Saturday morning ‘help others’ event produces more than 330 lunches, aid for the homeless, those in need

Joanne Williams
Editor

(Photo by Joanne Williamd/TCJ: Missy Smith (right) and more than 30 volunteers assembled more than 330 bag lunches for the homeless in the area. The effort brought donations in from as far as Flint.)

It all started with a Facebook event post – “Badge’s Pack a Lunch for His Homeless Homies.”

It turned into more than 30 people gathered in the Courthouse Square Museum in Charlotte packing lunches and other essentials for the homeless in Eaton County and Lansing.

Missy Smith, owner and operator of a local hair salon, posted the event, not knowing what the response would be to the January 31 project.

“I hoped we would get a lot of donations, but I didn’t think we’d get this much,” she said. At the end of the day, more than 330 lunches were packed for delivery, as well as coats, hats, hand warmers and other necessities for those without a home. Evelyn Bay donated ham for sandwiches, too, and the Courthouse Square Museum opened the space free for use.

An assembly line built peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, while others assembled paper bags full of other treats, from candy to bottled water. 

Smith, along with her husband William, are no strangers to lending a helping hand. She regularly gathers items at her salon to donate to others, and on February 8, she and others will host a free soup and sandwich luncheon from 1 to 4 p.m. at the American Legion Post 42, 1000 W. Lawrence Ave., in Charlotte.

Carrie Smith (no relation) is another local willing to lend a hand. She learned about children attending Charlotte schools living in cars with their families. She began to gather items to donate to help. “You should see my spare bedroom,” she said. She also keeps an eye on the wooden food pantry on Lansing Road near Beacon Auto Sales. She sometimes brings hot food there, she said. She would be bringing items from the event there that day, too.

Big Badge V has made it his mission to help others. A formidable presence himself, he travels around Lansing to feed the homeless, wherever they are. He spent hours Saturday handing out the donated goods. He does the same thing three or four nights a week after work.

He wrote on Facebook about the Saturday event, “Thanks to a group of incredible people from my hometown that worked together as ONE, these folks got some full bellies last night!”

There are no official shelters in the Charlotte area, and few tolerant warming centers. People such as Missy, Carrie, Badge, and about 40 others noticed and did something, something anthropologist Margaret Mead foresaw: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

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Clarification

    In the February 7 edition of The County Journal, inaccurate information was presented in the story “Saturday morning ‘help others’ event.” 

The story said there are no official shelters in the Charlotte area. Siren/Eaton Shelter is the homeless/domestic violence shelter for all of Eaton County and primarily located in Charlotte. The shelter provides emergency housing for homeless families in Eaton County.

The event, which provided food, brought it to unhoused people in Eaton and Ingham counties.

Two services now occupy the 520 Robinson Street address – SIREN/Eaton Shelter and the Eaton Clothing and Furniture Center. Both organizations are accepting donations but do have guidelines. Call SIREN at 517-543-0748 to find out its policies.