Bicycle Built for 2

"Take my bike for a ride."

That's what the guy named Al said to me and Ken when we caught up with him in Hart Plaza this week. We had given Al packages before, and it was Ken that recognized him this time and struck up a conversation.

Al told us he was so appreciative of everything people had given him, and he was very proud of his bike that he received through a donation from a church. His offer to let us take his bike for a spin was really symbolic we thought.

"For people who are homeless and who are walking on shoes with no soles, a bike is a really big deal," Ken says. "They have very little personal property, and anything they do have they cling to. So for Al to let us ride his bike made Larry and I feel really good. We knew that he trusted us."

With each package we deliver, and with each connection we make, we hope that we are building trust and offering hope to the people we meet.

It's been a great ride so far.

The Hart is Back

Angelo was the very first guy I met on that very first hot summer day I went downtown to hand out food packages. He's probably about 55, lived a hard life, but from what I can tell he's a man that has learned alot along the way.

When I first met Angelo he was really appreciative of what I was doing. If I didn't have such a positive experience when I met Angelo that first time, I'm not sure I would have continued doing the weekly deliveries and gone on to start Heart 2 Hart Detroit. So thank you to Angelo, and the many people we have met on the streets along the way.

It's actually been many weeks since we've seen Angelo so it was nice to run in to him again in Hart Plaza. Ken and I talked with Angelo for about 30 minutes about his life. He said that he looks for us every week and that it felt good to reconnect with us.

We were excited to see Angelo again because we had a sweater and some shorts for him that he had asked for a while ago. Angelo commented once that he liked my cargo shorts, because they have so many pockets.

"Pockets to keep your things are very important when you are homeless," Ken reminded me.

When I received the donation of the size 36 cargo shorts and the black and white sweater,I knew right away they were going to Angelo. I've been driving around with the shorts and sweater for a while, so it was really great to finally see Angelo again and hand them over this week.