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No donation too small

Imagine yourself clearing out your son’s closet after he leaves for college, or sorting through your dad’s old shoes when he downsizes to an apartment from the house he’s lived in for 50 years, and donating the excess to the Father Fred Foundation.

Picture yourself giving a cash donation, even $10, to the Foundation.

Here’s just one of many real examples of how meaningful such simple gestures, combined, can be.

Look Good Feel Good

It’s 7:30 a.m. on a Wednesday and the staff arrives to find a 22-year-old man waiting outside by the door. It’s early October, cold and damp. He’s weary, his feet are soaked, and he’s limping.

He tells his story. He and his mother lived together in Leelanau County, and had lost their home. She had gone to stay with a friend in Charlevoix, while he was couch surfing at friends’ places. He was unemployed, and had been trying hard to find a job, but with no luck.

The night before, he received word that his mother had gone into the hospital in Charlevoix with “spots” on her brain tissue. With no money, no car, and no one to drive him, he walked all the way from Northport to Traverse City through the night. He’d come to the Foundation to see if he could get help with a bus ticket to Charlevoix so he could see his mother.

It was a few hours before time to open, but the staff set about getting him something to eat and making calls on the bus schedules. Indian Trails wouldn’t leave until 8 that night, so after talking with three transit companies, a plan was devised that, starting around noon, would get him from the BATA Transfer Center in Traverse City to Friske’s Orchards via Antrim Transit and from there, to the hospital in Charlevoix via Charlevoix public transportation. Total cost: $8. Checks were written to the bus companies, and the itinerary was typed up for him to take along.

Meanwhile, there was the matter of his wet feet. In the Foundation’s clothing department was one pair of rather large but good quality – and most importantly, dry – blue men’s socks that had been donated. It was the only pair of men’s socks in the bin, in fact. There was also a pair of sturdy black shoes that fit his size 11 feet – again, donated.

Carrying his wet footwear in a plastic bag, he left with a staff person who drove him to the BATA station downtown. She offered to buy him a hot meal, but he declined. She asked if he had any cash on him at all. He had none, so she gave him the few dollars she had in her purse.

A pair of shoes. A pair of socks. $8 for bus tickets.

For many of us, these are simple things to contribute individually. But to this young man, and to the thousands of others who turn to the Foundation for help each year, they collectively make all the difference.  Donate now on-line by clicking here.