Our President's Message

         As people lose jobs, homes, and stability during difficult economic times, I am reminded of a season in my own life. When I was living in my car after losing my job to company cutbacks. I had always worked and never imagined I would face homelessness, so I didn’t know where to turn or where my next meal would come from. One morning, a man knocked on my car window and asked if I was hungry. He directed me to a small group of people waiting for bag lunches. The man handing out the food was known simply as “Viet Nam,” a veteran who had once experienced homelessness himself after returning from the war. His simple act of compassion—sharing food with someone he did not know—met an immediate need, but it also gave me something greater: hope and dignity during one of the lowest moments of my life.

           That moment helped shape the mission that guides my life today. The seeds of that mission were planted years earlier by my father on Chicago’s South Side, where he taught me that compassion is not measured by what we have, but by what we are willing to give. Today, through street outreach across Chicago, I strive to carry forward the same spirit of generosity shown to me. Our work reaches people in places many would never imagine—individuals and families who are often hidden in plain sight, struggling quietly without support. By providing meals, clothing, and essential supplies, we aim not only to meet immediate needs, but also to remind people that they have not been forgotten.

Melvin Bridgmon, President / Outreach Coordinator
 Navy Veteran
   2023 Peace Run Torch-Bearer Award

2023 Red Cross Military Hero Award

" I have this theory that if one person shows compassion to another person then that person will start a chain reaction of the same."