Monthly Project Report: Homeless Ministry (Mar 2019)

Agape Fish Fund partners with local churches and volunteers to provide meals, supplies, and Christian support for the homeless in San Jose, California.

a new semester of ministry

On Saturday, March 2, 2019, a team of 9 volunteers gathered to relaunch our homeless ministry in San Jose. This was our first time back since last year, and we got to reconnect with a lot of the same people we helped previously.

It was good reconnecting with people we haven't seen in a while, and we got to catch up with each other. It was a satisfying experience due to the fact that we have established real relationships with these people and were able to catch up like old friends.

​We told them that we were going to be out more consistently and jotted down any items that they might need. We are also teaming up with another church called Christian Worship Center, as we have done before in the past, so things have been picked up where we left off. 

supplies distributed

We decided to provide a lot of clothing for the homeless outreach. It has been quite cold out, so we figured that they could use some extra clothes to keep warm at night.

​We still had other items from the previous homeless outreaches, so we decided to distribute those out as well. We distributed clothing, food, and hygiene items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, feminine hygiene products, and soap. We were able to serve eight homeless people this time.

---

Outreach on March 16th

On Saturday, March 16, 2019, a team of six volunteers served 11–15 homeless people. We distributed clothes, dog food, batteries, duct tape, exacto blades, first aid kits, tire repair kits, super glue, matches, and food.

Repair kits and dog food

This meeting, we decided to bring a variety of goods. It was great to see their eyes light up as we brought new items from the previous meeting. The most popular items were the duct tape, super glue, tire repair kits, and batteries. A lot of the times, these items are popular because they tend to fix a lot of broken items. The dog food was especially popular considering a lot of them have dogs to care for. We also helped pass out Chick-fil-A and coffee.

Connecting with Mike

We had an excellent meeting this time around. We got to reconnect with Mike. We spent quite a few hours with him, catching up and updating each other about our lives. We must have spent at least two hours with him, just talking and enjoying each other’s company. This was good for us because he is a great connection to have so that we can reach out to others. He has been a great mediator, so we ended up exchanging numbers so that we can ask for advice on what items are needed.

Mike and Andy

---

Outreach on March 30th

On Saturday, March 30, 2019, a team of eight volunteers served eight homeless people. We distributed clothes, food, dog food, socks, coffee, charging wires for electronic devices, and shoes. 

We team up with another church called Christian Worship Center. They are always a blessing to have, and they show the love of Jesus consistently. We also teamed up with Shirley, who is a social worker, and has been interviewing homeless people to help provide them with government assistance.

Repurposing old electronics

This helped out a lot of people because the weather has been cold even though it is spring. The socks and shoes are always a big factor when distributing supplies. We discovered that we could donate old electronics that we do not use anymore, which they could put to use. New items we started donating were old electronic devices like charging wires. Mike, who I mentioned from the last homeless outreach, takes old electronics and fixes them up for other homeless people.

Clothes for James

We met an individual named James who was in desperate need of new clothes and shoes. We were able to take him to Ross to buy him a brand new pair of shoes, some new pants, and a new sweater. He was touched by the generosity, and was moved that we were able to address individual needs as well as general needs. This was a chance to invite him to our church and at least present the possibility of getting to know Jesus.