This article is brought to you by Freedom Financial.
Homelessness takes away more than a place to call home. It can leave a person hungry. Even something as simple as a shower and a set of clean clothes can be a luxury. Kokomo soon will have another nonprofit offering these comforts and a sense of community.
Food4Souls is a faith-based nonprofit headquartered in Fishers that serves individuals experiencing homelessness and extreme poverty who may be housed but still have food and basic needs insecurities. The organization provides food and showers through a mobile outreach.
For the past 10 years, Food4Souls has served in Indianapolis, but it is starting to put together outreach programs in other communities. According to Vickie Tyner, Director of Operations, Food4Souls will begin serving Kokomo on Aug. 1, setting up with its mobile food bus at the Carver Community Center, 1030 N. Purdum St. Its mobile shower bus will be located at Coordinated Assistance Ministries, 625 N. Union St.
The mobile showers will be located at CAM every Thursday. The food truck will be in Kokomo every Tuesday from 3-4:30 p.m. in Foster Park and from 4:40-6 p.m. at the Carver Center from Aug. 1 until at least Dec. 19.
“I'm up here often, and because I know what to look for, I know what I see when I'm here,” said Tyner. “I reached out to (Mayor) Tyler (Moore) and said I'd love to talk to you about our outreach and how we could serve. We're really excited to come up to Kokomo.”
Tyner explained that Food4Souls is also looking at Noblesville as an outreach location, and it has reached out to communities in Madison and Cass counties as well.
The services Food4Souls provides involve two separate buses. The mobile food bus is something that may seem familiar, but it’s more than a pantry. It’s an experience, Tyner said.
“Our mobile food outreach is a 35-foot school bus that's been retrofitted for our serving needs,” said Tyner. “We can take up to 10 volunteers on the front of our bus, which also kind of serves as an office space with Wi-Fi. The middle section is our working food area. We have a serving window that swings open like at a basic food truck. We serve a hearty chicken noodle soup that is provided to us from Park 100 Foods.”
In addition to the soup, Food4Souls provides a brioche roll and a variety of desserts, as well as fruit punch, lemonade, and bottled water. In the fall and winter months, the bus offers hot chocolate and coffee as well.
“With our coffee, we set out a little coffee bar where you can add your sugar and your creamer,” said Tyner. “Giving choices offers another level of dignity to people. So many times, when our friends are in this situation, they take what they can get. A lot of choices are just taken away. We just like to give a little bit back in that aspect. Our main meal may not change that, but you can decide if you want a cookie or a brownie and what you want to drink with that.”
The back third of the bus is stocked with hygiene products such as shampoo, body wash, deodorant, and feminine products. Food4Souls also provides tarps, tents, sleeping bags, shoes, blankets, and flashlights. And everyone who visits the bus receives a pair of Bombas socks.
The organization packs in a little surprise with the socks. They include “Don’t Bug Me” insect repellent wipes and Dude Wipes in the spring and summer months. In the fall and winter, the wipes are replaced by hand and foot warmers.
“Everyone gets a pair when they come to our bus, whether they need any other supplies or not,” said Tyner. “And they all get a snack bag, made for us by a restaurant in Carmel.”
The snack bag is filled with soft foods and low-salt, high-protein items, keeping in mind that some patrons may suffer from dental issues or dietary restrictions.
Attending the food truck is like attending a party, Tyner said. Tables and chairs are set up near the bus. Music plays. Creating an inviting atmosphere is part of the plan.
“We want people to feel like they can be in a community,” said Tyner. “We can engage with them more, find out what their needs are, who we can connect them with, those kinds of things. The atmosphere that we try to create is to build relationships, because we really don't want to come off as transactional.
“We want to be relational. We have a life care coordinator who is out during the week, meeting with people, taking them to get their IDs and birth certificates, helping them get to doctor appointments. We do this because some of our friends are just afraid of public transportation. If you've got an appointment on a Wednesday, but you've not been able to shower in a few days, you're going to be less likely to get on public transportation, because you don't want attention brought to you.”
That’s where Food4Souls’ “Rinse & Restore” mobile showers come into play. The 14-foot trailer transports three shower stalls. Each stall is 36”x36” and includes a sink and a mirror.
“We tried to make it like walking into a shower in someone's house,” said Tyner. “It has pictures on the walls and a very homey feel. And we have on-demand hot water, so we don't have to worry about running out of water.”
Food4Souls also brings a selection of clothing with the mobile showers so that those using the showers don’t have to put soiled clothes on after washing. It also provides a selection of shoes, courtesy of Changing Footprints.
To make this outreach successful, the organization needs volunteers. Food4Souls is currently looking for people willing to help in Kokomo.
“We're not a volunteer organization, but we are volunteer-driven,” said Tyner. “We rely a lot on volunteers to come out with us on outreach, clothing drives, food drives. We have some people who want to provide sandwiches for us like turkey and cheese, ham and cheese. So, we do that as an extra little bonus to take out with us.
“Serving with us as a volunteer with us is a great way to make a connection. We break down the barriers. Just a simple table and chair makes a world of difference in someone's mindset. You can sit eye-to-eye with someone and get to know them, ask them their story. A lot of our friends are just craving community.
“Our goal is to provide hope, provide community, and help restore. We know that we cannot solve homelessness, but we can be a small part of the solution.”
To volunteer with Food4Souls or for additional information, email vickie@food4souls.com or visit www.food4souls.org. Or check out the Food4Souls Facebook page.