12-Year-Old Girl Creates #GetBackUpAgain to Fight Homelessness in Jacksonville, FL
“Home is a notion that only nations of the homeless fully appreciate and only the uprooted comprehend.” – Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose
Months go by I walk casually to my refrigerator every day, make a meal, and sit in a comfortable home environment enjoying my life. It isn’t until I catch a glimpse of someone in tattered clothes pushing a grocery cart that I remember how blessed I am.
12-Year-old Madison Kirksey doesn’t seem to have ever taken her home for granted. Since she was eight years old she’s been focused on taking care of those less fortunate in her Jacksonville, FL neighborhood. She began by taking snacks back from school to make goodie bags for people she saw in the streets. She didn’t just drop off the food, smile and leave either. She stopped and asked them what they needed, wrote it down, and went on a search to find it.
After a while Madison’s mother, Erica, invited the company she works for (Vector Security) to support Madison, and together they created #GetBackUpAgain. Every week they collect shoes, clothes, and food. Then every Sunday Madison, Erica, volunteers from Vector Security, and others in the area invite the homeless to stop by and get what they need. Vector Security also hands out goodie bags filled with a variety of items to make living on the street a bit easier.
First Coast News covered the last event. You can watch the video and read the article here.
If an eight-year-old can make a difference in her neighborhood, certainly you can, too. Look around at those living in less fortunate circumstances and do what you can to fill in that gap. You don’t have to do it alone either. Ask for help and I’ll bet you’ll be amazed at how many others in your area have similar compassion in their hearts for the same people you do.
Sheltering Grace Ministry, Ltd. is a 501(c)3 Ltd. non-profit ministry. We resolve the initial crisis of homelessness by providing mothers with a safe place to live during pregnancy. We also equip them with the tools they need to improve decision-making, enhance employment options, and increase family income to act responsibly as the head of their household. All of our services develop their self-reliance to progress to permanent independent living. Please join us in renewing and rebuilding the lives of these brave women – #Be1of5000.
