John Sauve of “Art N Design” and I became fast friends the moment we met. This guy is funny and lighthearted and a genuinely nice guy. He does this show were he gets to hang out and chat with folks and it was an honor to hang out with him at the Bloomfield Township TV station in 2018 to talk about BWB Detroit.
I just rewatched this and I am amazing at how many names I dropped. I love dropping names in this capacity..ie paying tribute to the folks who help out and build projects together.
A hopefully full list of the amazing folks I mentioned; (and not mentioned the hundreds of additional people who help in soo many amazing ways) Huge bow to you all!
Rosey Posey who helped level this project up!!
Kim and Chris Casteel of Anew Life Prosthetics
The amazing crew at the Tangent Gallery Joe and Jimbo
The whole DAMNED crew
Charles from Atelier Gothic who donates and hosts a very generous fundraiser for BWB Detroit at the DAMNED
Mike who does all sorts of things for BWB Detroit programs
Maddy- who organizes BWB Detroit Free Store and Shannon who does haircuts for BWB Detroit Free Store
Chris Maxwell from Shinola who comes to our annual event and gathers donations and crew
Teal and Purple of Drink and Stitch
Amy Hajec
Jen Stark
Krampus – who throws a great party that benefits BWB Detroit
End of December after the holiday rush we are gathering again in Cass Park for one last event of 2025.
As always…YOU are invited to join us in serving folks in the park. IT IS COLD…we need SOCKS and HANDWARMERS. It would be amazing if you could MAKE A HOT MEAL to share with folks living out on the streets.
This is our 18th season of our doing something to help folks living rough and in need of a lift!!
We may have a warm meal to gift out and who knows what else…feel free to contribute anything if you wish!!
Or just come down and help us hang clothes and serve the food!!
I can not believe i just used that phrase but here we are..i did it.
This was easily one of the coldest days we have ever done an event. I have been out on days colder than this but i was able to hop back in my car after minutes outside of said car. Within 30 minutes of arriving in Cass Park on Sunday i could not feel my toes…i just dont have good winter boots. i have on 2 pairs of socks…3 pair leggins and wool pants and 4 tops all under carhardt overalls..everything was good…expect my littles toes!! we were out there for only 2hrs and it took me over almost two hours to feel my toes fully.
That said it was a great day..and the Sun was out and that made it all bearable. I swear i could never live on the streets…and i am thankful for everything folks do to support us helping folks who are under-housed and who live on the streets.
We had more clothes and blankets than ever….we did not get rid of it all and more showed up. There were less folks in the park of course due to bitter weather!
Suzanne made warm lentil soup that folks enjoyed and she had take away sammiches. We had bagels and cream cheese too! and tons of snacks and drinks. everything we did not give away we gave to Daz from Deeply Rooted Detroit for her to get to folks asap!!!
we will not be accepting any clothes for our next event on Dec 28th… we are golden but we will accept socks and handwarmers!!!
ahhh..thanks everyone for the continued support..so blissed out by this. xoxoxo lalala
OK FOLKS…if you plan to be at this gathering.. DRESS WARM… and note we are NOT meeting at our normal time of 9:ish AM…it will be TOOOOO COLD! Instead we will start at 11am when it will be a 14 degrees out instead of 8 degrees like it will be at 9am.
I am not going to lie this makes me want to cancel but then seriously why would be doing what we do if we punk out when it gets too cold? … so yes..dress warm…have layers, protect your toes and fingers. Bring a warm drink and THANK YOU for being involved esp in extreme temps like this.
and a huge thanks to EVERYONE who has donated clothes, food (shelve stable and warm), hand warmers, socks and regular and emergency blankets… YOU are the reason we continue!! small bow.
We did things a little different this year.. in that we did not create supply filled backpacks for folks living rough on the streets. Instead our goal was to make food packs with more shelf stable items that provide more meals and can be cooked at home.We are making this pivot to cover where SNAP benefits had been cut off across our city and the nation we wanted help our neighbors in need due to the ongoing government shutdown. And while SNAP benefits were reinstated before our event took place many local families were still being impacted by the temporary suspension of food assistance programs.
We asked our community to come together in kindness and generosity by donating non-perishable food items to help support those affected. And donate they did: we collected so many items we were able to fill 300 bags of food and while none of them were exactly the same based on the variety of the donations, all of them will so heavy with so much food. We asked folks to pack each bag with items that made sense to make multiple meals. Every donation—large and small—made a difference. Together, no matter who you engaged with the project we all ensured that 300 families in our community were given supplied during this difficult time.
Look at this amazing group of folks who made the choice to send their free time on a Sunday to come make bags for people they will never meet with donations from themselves and from folks who could not attend who again made choices to donate their time and money. This IS what Community looks like!
Look at all those bags lined up in those pews ready to go out to folks in need. And the very next day… ALL of those bags were on their way to folks. We connected with a handful of people and organizations that got them to where they could help folks before Thanksgiving.
A special thank you to Deeply Rooted Detroit- Ms Carr came and picked up over 120 bags to get to a library in River Rouge- we have never, not to my knowledge, ever been able to service that area and she showed up with a trailer and took them directly!..we very much look forward to working with her more in the future as she has given us fresh food for us to take to Cass Park for folks to take and what we do not give away we cook into soups and stews!
We also did something else new this year. Mike made a connection with a company in Iowa that sent us all the supplies to create and seal high calorie and high protein meals. Six servings to each page. They gave a good deal and donated all the kitchen tools to us with the understanding the next time we order they will sell to us for half of what we paid for each meal this time. Now I am told the meals were kinda bland…but that is what spices are for!!
Look at Mike and Jennie K and all the rest of the volunteers. They packed well over 300 bags and i do think maybe close to 600!
and then as we left Mother Nature blessed us with what I believe is the most stunning sunset i have ever seen in my whole life..not joking. People all across Michigan were posting about it on their socials.
I went home exhausted and so blissed out! my black heart full to brim and then i passed the fuck out!
BWB will not be making backpacks like we have in the past this winter….instead we will be making food packs with more shelf stable items that provide more meals and can be cooked at home.We are making this pivot to Help Our Neighbors in Need
Due to the ongoing government shutdown.Many local families have been impacted by the temporary suspension of food assistance programs and if SNAP stops in November then 1 in 8 people in this country will need help with food. For some, this will mean facing empty cupboards and uncertainty about their next meal.
We’re asking our community to come together in kindness and generosity by donating non-perishable food items to help support those affected.
Most-needed items include: Canned meats and soups Peanut butter and jelly Pasta and rice Canned fruits and vegetables Cereal and oatmeal
Every donation—large or small—makes a difference.Together, we can ensure that no one in our community goes hungry during this difficult time.
BWB Detroit’s Legacy of ‘Me to We’….and that WE is YOU!!!!!
Thank you to everyone, the 100s if not 1000s who have helped us help others over the last 18yrs!
Impressive and humbling.. small bow
I mean it..seriously.. my brain is often overwhelmed at what WE have done to help others in our city and beyond.
I did not set out to do THIS…but it happened..I have spent more time on this than anything in my life..that was not the goal..i guess that is how a mission works though. And the by-product is a community of people who want to help..who want to be engaged.
There are sooo many access points to this project. And folks have found so many ways to contribute over the years…from collecting cans at their events (omg i was so happy when we started to ask for socks and hand-warmers due to how heavy cans get!!(i see you DVS Detroit Event NotificationsAdam Owen Layne and Xaina Mulvihill and Zakary Winchester McKazterson , Leslie Blackburn and so many more esp at the Tangent Gallery / Hastings Street Ballroom over the years.). How simple the idea was to give out $5.00 gift cards to McDonalds- thank you Tom Nardone you leveled up our giving. Thank you Detroit SOUP and Soup at Spaulding for an awkward me present so many years ago. A special thanks to Rosey Posey Zielke who asked her family for backpacks so we could stop using paper and plastic bags that tore once any amount of supplies were put into them. To Allison Guilliom and Anthony Guilliom for so much support over the years i can begin to explain…and oh from far far away the support i have received on levels i did not know were possible: Jennie Kay-not sure how i got here without You.
Thanks to Madeline Frost for convincing me to do a Street store and then she ran it for years and to Shannon Kennedy and others for tending to others and giving out hair cuts…so special…i could never to that.
And a very special human indeed who jumped on this project over 10yrs ago with an energy to match mine and exceed it (and that says a lot) Mike Willenborg..You are a unicorn and I may have given this up were it not for your sheer love of this project.
A huge bow to all of you.. my heart is so much bigger due to what all of you and so many more have given to this. Thank you for helping, for joining, for owning this project…it truly is OURS!!
xo..i’m gonna go have a good cry now.
I love you all!!
~doxie
HUGE thanks to Jaymie at BWB headquarters for writing the following blog on our chapter..its really humbling to see it all written out..
November 4, 2025
As BWB celebrates its 20th anniversary, Detroit stands as one of its earliest and longest-running chapters—a living legacy of what happens when empathy meets action, and when a community chooses to show up for one another year after year.
What began as a few blankets in the back of one person’s jeep has turned into a movement rooted in compassion and driven by community. From winter backpacking drives to summer Free Stores, we’ve seen how small acts of kindness have contributed to creating positive change in Detroit.
To honor the legacy of BWB Detroit, we’re launching a matching grant campaign: every dollar donated this Fall will be doubled, up to $1,500. Your support keeps the work going—helping Detroit fill more backpacks, serve more meals, and remind more people that they matter.
A Beginning Under a Bridge
The Detroit story started simply. Danielle ‘Doxie’ Kaltz noticed neighbors living under bridges during the cold Michigan winters. One day, she stopped her jeep, rolled down the window, and asked if a man needed anything. He said, “Yes”.
That moment became the start of a mission. She began collecting food, socks, and blankets from friends and coworkers, turning her jeep into a mobile supply station. Intuitively, she recognized “We’re Burners — this is what we do!”
By 2008, the Burners Without Borders DetroitChapter had officially formed. What began with one person’s mission became a city-wide network of volunteers dedicated to caring for the under-housed — one backpack, one hello, one act of kindness at a time.
A Legacy of Doing
Over the years, Detroit’s chapter has grown from a handful of helpers into a deeply rooted community project. This is the essence of Me to We work.
Before the cold Detroit winters would hit, volunteers gathered to pack backpacks “Detroit assembly-style,” filling them with food, hygiene supplies, warm clothing, and handwritten notes of encouragement.
In between winters, the giving didn’t stop. BWB Detroit has built bridges between art, service, and social change through creative collaborations.
Here is a look back at some of their projects.
Homeless Backpack Project (2007–present):
The heart of BWB Detroit. Volunteers assemble and personally distribute supply-filled backpacks—socks, gloves, hats, hand warmers, hygiene kits, soft foods, water/juice, emergency blankets, ponchos, and a small gift card—while sharing names and conversation to keep dignity at the center.
LuvACunt Titties & Clitties ( 2007 to 2020):
Turned body-positive performance art at Detroit’s Dirty Show into a fundraiser for Burners Without Borders Detroit. The project invited women to create body prints and later hand-made “Vag Badges,” reclaiming language and celebrating self-expression. Each year, this event raised thousands of dollars to support BWB Detroit’s Homeless Backpack Project—transforming art, activism, and empowerment into direct community impact.
“Reveal Your Detroit” Photography Project (2012):
Burners Without Borders Detroit joined the Detroit Institute of Arts’ Reveal Your Detroit initiative—a citywide photography project highlighting community perspectives. As part of the effort, BWB Detroit distributed twenty disposable cameras to individuals experiencing homelessness, inviting them to capture life through their own eyes. The resulting collection, Through the Eyes of the Homeless, offered powerful, first-person narratives of resilience and humanity. The work was later featured at the Detroit Public Library in collaboration with the DIA, WDET, and other local partners—bridging art, awareness, and empathy across Detroit’s neighborhoods.
The Street Store Project (2014):
A pop-up outdoor boutique where people could choose clean clothes, hygiene kits, and even get a haircut — all free and offered with dignity.
The Detroit Free Store (2015–present):
Monthly community pop-ups offering clothes, hygiene packs, haircut, warm meals and conversation — later expanded through partnerships with Street Medicine Detroit, Street Dogs Detroit, and the Michigan Humane Society.
The Power of Words (2020): A movement within BWB Detroit to replace the word homeless with under-housed — a small but meaningful shift toward dignity, inclusion, and human-centered language.
Backpacks to Beds (2023–present):
The newest chapter in Detroit’s story, supporting New Path Villages — a model of micro-shelters that offer stability, safety, and hope to Detroiters seeking housing.
Cass Park with the Wobbly Kitchen (2024–present):
Burners Without Borders Detroit joins forces with The Wobbly Kitchen in Cass Park to serve hot meals, distribute supplies, and build connections with under-housed neighbors.
Each new project stays rooted in the same principle: human connection comes first.
The Power of a Hello
For Doxie, it has never been about handouts — it’s about seeing people.
“I always say hi. It humanizes everything,” she says. “You’re a person. I’m a person. That’s where it starts.”
Every conversation, every shared meal, every handwritten note tucked inside a backpack reinforces that truth.
This is what radical inclusion looks like when it’s lived out in everyday life — neighbors helping neighbors, strangers becoming friends, and community built one act at a time.
Double the Impact: The Fall Matching Campaign
To celebrate twenty years of Burners Without Borders, BWB launched a matching grant campaign — doubling every donation to BWB Detroit up to $1,500 through November 15th.
Each contribution supports winter outreach and their Backpacks to Beds initiative.
You can:
Donate directly today to see your tax-deductible donation doubled.
Ship supplies via Amazon Wishlist (socks, hand warmers, hygiene items, emergency blankets, snacks)
Spread the word using #MatchMeBWB
Small gifts make big ripples — and right now, your impact goes twice as far.
Legacy & the Road Ahead
Detroit has always been a city of makers — of cars, of music, of movements. For two decades, Burners Without Borders Detroit has built something just as vital: a culture of care.
As BWB enters its next chapter, the invitation is clear: keep showing up, keep creating, keep caring. Because the most powerful thing any of us can build is community itself.
Average 500 / year since 2008, including COVID packs
Funds raised through events
≈ $18 K +
DAMNED, Krampus, Guilliom Foundation, Pollination Project, Detroit SOUP, Soup and Spalding, Ferndale Santarchy Pub Crawl, Moosejaw, Matching Grant, Krampus Art Auction, Debee Lotitio, Detroit Threads, K9-5, Glass Academy, and many, many more!
Major partner events
40 +
Free Stores, Backpack Days, Fundraisers, Clean-ups, Cass Park, LuvACunt Titties & Clitties, “Reveal Your Detroit” Photography Project
Community volunteers
3,000 + unique participants
Across 18 years of service
Key Project Support Partners
60+
Citypak Tangent Gallery •Anew Life Prosthetics DAMNED • Atelier Gothique • Guilliom Family Foundation • Moosejaw • Shinola • Mariners Inn • Street Dogs Detroit • New Path Villages • Empowerment Plan, Wobbly Kitchen, Rotary International, and many more.
Program evolution
Backpacks → Free Store → Beds / Village shelter
Expanding impact while staying grassroots
🧡 Support BWB Detroit
Donate or learn more: burnerswithoutborders.org/projects/bwb-detroit Follow on Facebook: facebook.com/BWBDetroit
How have we been doing this for 18yrs? With YOUR help is how!
Until Nov 15..we are up for a match grant due to ALL of our Civic work making our corner of the world better one generous act at a time>
2024 Civic Ignition SQ (500 x 500 px) – 2025 Detroit Civic Ignition SQ
If you can help by donating or sharing this post… we thank you!
Now through November 15th, every dollar donated to BWB Detroit will be matched up to $1,500—doubling the funds available to support the unhoused in Detroit during the cold months ahead.
As we celebrate 20 years of Burners Without Borders, this milestone year reminds us of the power of chapters like BWB Detroit. Established in 2007, this community has been dedicated to serving the unhoused since its inception, from distributing blankets to providing hygiene-filled backpacks and transforming a church into a winter shelter.
Now is the time to support BWB Detroit; let’s celebrate their past and fuel their future with funding.
Donate today to see your tax-deductible donation doubled.
Most-needed items include:
Every donation—large or small—makes a difference.Together, we can ensure that no one in our community goes hungry during this difficult time. 
Drop-off Location: Message for address
Collection Dates: Ongoing until further notice
Burners Without Borders Detroit 