SEEDS of Love

About this campaign

PLANT HOPE. CHANGE LIVES.

This very personal faith mission started for me the Summer of 2015. That first (and very unexpected) SEED was planted when my church sponsored me to attend the RMN Conference in San Antonio. This is where I learned the disturbing truth about youth homelessness in America.

Part of this truth was, and still is, that as "The Church", we have in ways both contributed to the problem, as well as equally demonstrated our inability to form meaningful and sustainable relationships with these kids to help them get off the streets.

I returned from that conference more aware than ever that we needed to "do church" in a different way. With the help of so many people at FUMCPA, we started planting SEEDS in new and different ways.

The following winter, those first SEEDS of hope were planted by giving out Subway food cards to some kids enduring the streets alone on Christmas Eve. Since then, the street outreach team has been handing out LifePacks filled with self-care supplies to help kids be safer while surviving the streets.

Now my church, First Palo Alto UMC, in full support of this program, has committed to provide safe space for homeless youth during the day. We are planning to open our doors as a homeless youth outreach center later this spring.

I am trying to raise as much funding as I can, in as many ways as I can, to ensure the successful opening and ongoing operation of both the center, as well as continued resources for our street outreach efforts for the next year.

Any amount of support is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your part is helping to PLANT HOPE and CHANGE LIVES.

For more information, and to see what your contributions have planted thus far, please visit the SEEDS homeless youth outreach project website: https://www.myseeds.org.