Kevin Camera just turned 12 years old. Instead of being a typical adolescent boy who wants material things, Kevin asked for the party-goers to bring donations for Mobile Loaves and Fishes. He collected socks, clothing, toiletries and gave a monetary donation. As his shirt proudly states “My Game Is Sick, Too Bad It Ain’t Contagious” If only it was!

If only everyone had Kevin’s enthusiasm to help make the world a better place!

Amazing things happen here at Mobile Loaves and Fishes. You must merely think about an item that would make someone’s life easier and low and behold, God answers the call by sending a volunteer with it in hand.

One example is we had been discussing among ourselves that new underwear is an item we don’t get often enough and the very next day, we received a donation from a volunteer who had done a drive for just that.

A local Boy Scout troop also collected non-perishable food items for our food pantry and Capital Cowboy Church collected socks for us over Christmas from their members.

St. Patrick Catholic Church in Hutto had an awesome event in which their children went homeless for a day. They were given limited found objects to use to make a place to sleep, etc. They also pan-handled in the community and raised $360 for MLF! This is a lesson that will stay with these children into adulthood allowing them to further understand each of our roles in society.

Hearthstone Baking is donating bread to us now on an ongoing basis. They donated 200 buns to us last weekend to feed our volunteers participating in the Texas Chainsaw Manicure Day. 

God keeps listening to our cry and sending volunteers with the answer. Without each of you, we couldn’t accomplish what we have.

Service learning is the heart of their program. Once a month, Odyssey students get out into the community and perform volunteer work at various organizations. This work not only provides the community organizations with much needed support, it embeds a habit of service and giving into our students’ minds. They help us at the St. John Neumann commissary monthly with a myriad of tasks from sorting donations to helping with meals. It’s a great way to raise community awareness about Odyssey and learning disabilities in general.

In 2005, Odyssey received a Distinguished Service Award from the Austin Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities. Odyssey makes a huge impact with their service learning partners throughout town. Austin’s non-profit community is better because of their involvement.

Tags: disabilities, Odyssey School, volunteering

          Just5Days is a five-day experience of service, hands-on learning activities, prayer and liturgy, and community building designed for groups of middle school youth and their adult leaders from Catholic parishes and schools. We had the pleasure of hosting a group from St. Joseph in Springbranch for the first time this year. We began by showing them several short videos of the work Mobile Loaves and Fishes does. By the end of the videos, there were eyes welling with tears and those who were excited to get to work. When I asked if they had any questions, the first student enthusiastically exclaimed “How can we help?!”. That zealous response fuelled everyone’s desire to help that week.

          Each day during their lunch break, they gathered as a group to reflect on what meaning their day held. They’d come back in and ask us heartfelt questions about the hungry and homeless as they videotaped our responses. Each day brought about a more profound difference in their questions, insight and understanding. They had contests of how many hands they would get to shake each day and even handed out little foam hearts to bring a smile to others’ faces.

          After helping with tasks around the commissary, they wanted to directly feed the homeless. We were not able to take them on a truck run that day, but decided they’d hand out cold water using their own vehicles instead. Trepidation and a little disappointment showed on their faces as we were getting the water together when lo and behold, a woman rushes in with 40 sack lunches from a children’s day camp that were about to be thrown away. God knew what these kids wanted to do and provided for them right on time.

          The last day they made some prayer cards to put on the trucks and made me one as well. As we were wrapping up, a little girl came into my office to tell me her father had given her more money than she needed. She emptied her pocket and gave me $24. A young boy, seeing this, emptied his pockets of all of his change. He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly and said “that’s all I have”.

           What the little boy didn’t realize is it was more than “that’s all I have”, it’s that he really gave all he had. I carry the prayer card they made in my purse to remind me of the caring innocence of these children and that with the right exposure and opportunity, they all have hearts of gold.

Positive Footprint, run by David Guzman, is an organization that facilitates monthly volunteer opportunities for high school students. Their group recently held a garage sale to benefit Mobile Loaves and Fishes. The boys each gathered items on their own to sell and then presented us with a check for $400. It was refreshing to see a group of young men so empowered by the experience and excited to hear what $400 can do for those in need. We look forward to partnering with them again as they are always a joy!

Positive Footprint Garage Sale Participants

A 12 year old from Temple Beth Shalom, Isaiah Tabach, sold snow cones in his neighborhood for 2 hours on July 4, and another 2 hours on July 14. He raised $339.00! His sign showed Mobile Loaves and Fishes as the cause. He then purchased lots of tube socks, razors, shave cream, deodorant, and more travel-size toiletries. He and his mother, Kari, and brother, Aaron, joined a team at MLF for their first time on Sunday, July 15. They helped with the make ready and the food delivery. We took along some of the razors, socks, and shave cream. Isaiah was really full of smiles to see how much people appreciated these items. He said, “This was nothing like selling snow cones. That, people just wanted. But giving this food to people on the streets, that is because they need it, for their self-esteem, for their happiness, to live.”
Such a wise young man! MLF and those we serve greatly appreciate his ingenuity and willingness to serve.

Tags: Isaiah Tabach

Jonathan Yacktman assembled 1,000 backpacks that were stuffed with blankets, socks, toiletries and snacks for Mobile Loaves and Fishes for his Eagle Scout Project. They were distributed from our trucks and at the annual St. Edwards University Resource Fair that MLF partners with. Those in need were so grateful because backpacks are a hot commodity. They wear out quickly and oftentimes get thrown away by road crews cleaning up. The homeless leave them under bridges and in other obscure places when they go to work or to run errands only to come back and they are gone. The police also will often not let them take their belongings with them when they are hauled into jail for a pedestrian in a roadway or panhandling ticket. When they are released several hours later, all of their worldly possessions are gone. This is what Mr. Yacktman had to say about his experience:

“I am so thankful to Mobile Loaves and Fishes for letting me do my Boy Scout Eagle Project through them. My project – to deliver 1,000 backpacks to the homeless community – was a great success. I sought and received many donations in order to fill all 1,000 backpacks with useful supplies. The time spent by the approximately 70 volunteers on my project added up to more than 360 hours. One benefit I gained from the project was progressing through Boy Scouts to the Eagle rank by practicing leadership. A few of my volunteers have said that it was pleasing for them to serve the homeless community. 1,000 members of the homeless community benefitted with a backpack filled with personal items for hygiene, warmth and nourishment. I would like to thank Austin’s Buckman Orthodontics, Pepsico, and Proctor and Gamble for their generous donation of dental floss, toothbrushes, toothpaste, healthy snacks, deodorant, and body wash. I am grateful for monetary donations and the hard work my volunteers gave to this effort. My family was a great support throughout the whole project. I encourage others to work with Mobile Loaves and Fishes to strengthen out community.” – Jonathan Yacktman.

Most of my life I lived on the edge, outside the boundaries of society.  Addiction to crack cocaine and and alcohol, paired with homelessness, was  a cocktail for destruction.  For many years I doubted the existence of God due to the poor quality of my life.  I’d often wondered if there was a God, and why he would put me through such an unimaginable existence.  At that point I wasn’t living–merely existing.  I dwelled among the forgotten and discarded in our society, the junkies, prostitutes and thieves.  I fit in, I wasn’t judged, I felt accepted, painfully aware that this lifestyle suited me and was what I was destined for.

Being homeless, finding a safe place to sleep was always a challenge.  Looking back I see that I was surrounded by God’s protection.  I found myself more often than not, sleeping on the grounds of one of the houses of the One I doubted.  I felt safe.  But still unwilling to accept God, my struggles continued for years, until I was broken.

Tired, withered, and wounded, I decided I needed change.  My life without God was empty.  I accepted God into my life not knowing what that meant, but I knew my attempts were from the heart.  Immediately, immovable obstacles miraculously faded.  I had to trust God and I let go completely.  I would be safe in the arms of the Lord.  The more I loosened my grip on the wheel, the more his undeniable love and grace for me was apparent.

Now in my two years of sobriety, God’s call for me has become clearer.  He whispers softly to me his adoration for me, and for my determination to do His will.  He gifted me with a place to call home, a loving family, and a beautiful daughter.

Thank you God for your precious blessings and patience.  You taught me to accept the unacceptable, to bear the unbearable, and to love the unlovable.  Through my troubled times, I found an inner peace, and love I’ve been searching for my entire life.

“Trust in the lord with all your heart, and do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” – Proverbs 3:5-6

The students at St. Austin’s Catholic School in Austin held a “Blue Jean Drive”.  They collected almost 200 pairs of blue jeans to pass out to our brothers and sisters on the streets!  The students decided that they wanted to do more.  They made hundreds of cards to share with our friends to let them know that they are loved by God and others.

Tags: Blue Jean Drive, St. Austin's School

Yesterday, one little volunteer and his mom went out on the appropriately numbered Truck 14 and delivered handmade Valentine’s Day cookies.  Here is their account:

Thank you again for the opportunity to go out with truck 14 last night. I was in awe at the amount of food it must take to keep the production going as we put together the 75 or more sandwiches for one truck load. The outing confirmed once again that Mobile Loaves & Fishes is an absolutely amazing organization, and I am touched by what it is that you and everyone involved do to keep the wheels turning.

Blake and I had a wonderful time and he told me after the fact that it made him feel happy inside to give people gifts he had made – mission accomplished! I had to talk him into leaving once the food was gone because he was concerned that he hadn’t given out all of his cookies! It made me smile as I watched him act as his normal inquisitive, chatty self, as he made people laugh and smile. He had no fear, no judgement, and I thought to myself how the innocence of children is so beautiful and reminded myself to hold onto that realization. I felt honored to personally be able to touch people with a smile, eye contact, and small talk, while also being able to provide them nourishment for their body.  I don’t believe love and compassion is something that can be taught in one lesson, but rather that if Blake continues to help others he will better learn the real value.