Video explaining BWB Detroit from 2018

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

We are still in need of some supplies!! Help if you can!

Hello

We are keeping track of our donated supplies using SignUpGenius and we are getting really close to have all we need to fill the 504 backpacks we have.

If you can help out in anyway that would be amazing and greatly appreciated.

Thank you kindly!

Burners without Borders Detroit

BWB Detroit winter 2020/21 needs

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c4da9ae2a1-bwbdetroit

Eagles Helping Hands needs help to help others too!!

Eagles Helping Hands relies on the generosity of our partners and the public to continue to bring healthy food to the local community.

WISH LIST

Paper Towel                           Garbage bags                Clean grocery bags

Bleach                                   Diapers                    Large heavy tarps (20’x30′)

We are beginning to enter the cold season for food distribution and the below items will make the process safer and more comfortable for volunteers:

Propane Heaters

Easy-Up Canopy (straight legs, sides are a plus)

Weights to hold down tent

They have a service to pick up food should you need it. Details are on their site; https://eagleshelpinghands.org/

Can you make 125 bag lunches to support the hungry?

NSO of Detroit is looking for meals for residents they have housed in a temporary location while they wait for new housing to open up on Mack at Gratiot.

The temporary location does not have a full working kitchen so they are looking for organizations and groups or people to help out and cover the gap.

If you can help please reach out to them!!

NSO has a wishlist as well:

https://www.nso-mi.org/nso-wish-lists.html

Check out the new campus they are building :

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2020/09/30/detroit-housing-center-homeless-health-substance-abuse-services-shelter/3585632001/

Feeling weird…and yet still so grateful!

This is the weekend we normally run around organizing and getting last-minute items and are packing vehicles and picking up supplies from donors and are repacking vehicles and checking in with the Tangent about our ascending on them the Sunday of Thanksgiving to pack 100s of backpacks with 100s of volunteers.

It feels weird to be sitting on my couch not worried about getting a good night’s sleep. Not rearranging the fridge for drinks and goodies to take tomorrow. Or gathering art supplies so folks can write notes to put in the packs.

I am not checking the weather, filling the car with fuel, getting the keys ready so I don’t forget them when I go to the storage unit! 😉

2020 has changed almost everything.. but it’s not stopping this project. Sure we had a covid scare and that is why we are not meeting in secret tomorrow with a very small group of people…instead we will have to wait until we are passed a self-quarantine phase to pack.

We will pack the 504 backpacks -we are determined to do it and get them on the streets. Being under-housed and experiencing homelessness did not end in 2020 if anything more folks may be on the streets now and in the months to come.

We are so close to filling out this years signup-genius!! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c4da9ae2a1-bwbdetroit (please share if you can!) 

We owe that in HUGE part to every one of you who has helped us.. who has donated, gathered, created, purchased, transported, picked-up, packed, cleaned-up and did so many other things to help make this project a continued success over the last 13yrs.

I am so thankful to have watched this project grow from such simple beginnings out of my jeep to so many people helping; friends, family, strangers (future friends). Each bringing something special to this …themselves, and their time.

It melts my heart to know this is a Me to We project that continues to not only serve the community but built it as well.

Not just today, every day I count my blessings to be surrounded by the amazing humans who help others and care to make a difference on this planet.

Huge bow,
thank you all kindly!!

much light and love,

xo~doxie

Coming soon: BWB Detroit Patch and sticker!

I am very happy to announce that a private donor has reached out is having 100 patches made for BWB Detroit so we can use them as a small fundraiser. We will get to sell 99 (he gets one of course!) They will sell for $10 a pop! 

We are having stickers made too!!

….more details to come.!!

Why we use McDonald’s gift cards..and we need them!!!

 

Ok I admit being vegan is a luxury for sure.. and over the years i have had people give me shit and are disgusted because we at BWB Detroit use McDonalds gift cards.. and my gentle answer has been while I may not personally eat the food we use the cards as the locations are ubiquitous and due to there being everywhere folks have a better change of locating one! The food is also highly caloric and if you on the streets that can be really helpful.

 

It is also about getting folks OUT of the elements… they can go in and get a cup of coffee and enjoy it as they are paying customers. Then have enough left over to eat, which can extend their time indoors!..they can do whatever they want.

 

Be it in the winter or in the heat of summer the cards are good tools…some folks just need to be guided to thinking about the whole issue from a telescoped perspective and not just from disliking the establishment. 

 

They are an item in the pax that makes the pax really useful imho.. and i have seen folks light up when they see them..i mean they give HUGE thanks. Which is also why i ask folks to make sure to hand the cards directly to someone and tell them how much is on the card, it is a cash value and $5.00 can go far there!

 

We are in big need for these this year.. we only have 13 left from last year.. eeee.

Our goal the last like 10 yrs has been to give out one with each backpack. This year we are planning to make 504 backpacks.. odd number i know but that is how the order is boxed. That means we will need $2520 worth of gift cards… well actually $2455 if we minus the 13! 

 

Any help in this department would be amazing. If buying in bulk this is way to accomplish that and is what I do when i buy 500 at a time:  https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/services/arch-card.html

Words are powerful.. so we are modifying ours!

Calling folks Homeless as we have been for over ten years was just what we thought was the way to do it…because that is what they are. BUT We are rewording our use of it to say under-housed which we have been doing for a few years.. and we will say ‘folks experiencing homelessness. Words are powerful and it is much easier to humanize someone based on labels…so we are doing our best and we hope you join us.
Thank you

“BWB Detroit is creating random acts of kindness & service to the Detroit metro area folks who are under-housed or experiencing any kind of homelessness. One supply filled backpack or haircut at a time. Always accepting donations!”

BWB Detroit What We Do and we can’t do it without YOU!!

BWB Detroit demonstrates a genuine Me to We project which started in 2008. We have been known for the past 13 winters for creating supply filled backpacks that we give to the under and unhoused. We do an annual backpacking event where we set up supplies assembly style, which is very Detroit. During that annual event a few hundred volunteers fill 500 to 600 backpacks a year and we get them on the streets from November through April. Eight years ago we started a Community Potluck dinner to break bread after we pack with the goal of creating connections and friendships. 

After the annual backpacking event we hit the streets looking for people who do not go to shelters and offer them a supply-filled backpack. The backpacks are stuffed with socks, gloves, a hat, scarves, emergency blankets, rain poncho, more socks, juice, hand warmers, water, a soft cereal bar, four-to-five canned goods from various food groups, a can opener, a toiletry pack that includes tissue, wet-wipes, toothpaste, a toothbrush and lip balm..and more if items are donated and they all have a gift card to a local food establishment. 

Five years ago we started a Free Store where we set up clothes, hygiene packs and hair cuts for the under and unhoused from May through October. In 2019 we upped the Free Store by inviting other organizations that help the underserved to work with us, it has been wonderful to affiliate and expand. We accept clothing for this but would rather you join us for an event to get in touch with the community and the population we help to serve.

Our projects are simple, repeatable and have many points of access from writing notes for the backpacks, fundraising, collecting items as well as cutting hair, donating and getting supplies to those in need. 

Join us as we Create random acts of kindness & service to underserved communities in and around Detroit.  We can not do what we do without generous people like you!

Donations collected by patrons have afforded BWB Detroit the means to create many supply filled backpacks for our project. The generosity of our patrons humbles us and we are honored to be able to receive so we may disperse.

We thank each of you for your past donations and for any future assistance you give to Burners without Borders Detroit. 

Please feel to brainstorm with us on ways that we can continue to help others! Who in your city do you see that needs help? What organization could use a robust crew of like minded citizens to come in and help them on a project? These events could be one time or on going it matters not…what matters is that they are!!!

Please consider purchasing some essential survival items from our wishlist. It will be shipped directly to the project organizers [completely contactless], and packed and distributed to local individuals by volunteers.

https://tinyurl.com/y5shg3qp

This is the list of items we are looking for this year and how we keep track of our donation. We are making 504 pax this year

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c4da9ae2a1-bwbdetroit

To keep up with our work, visit our fb page

SO much gratitude to folks donating to BWB Detroit

BWB Detroit winter 2020/21 needs

Greetings,

We know this winter is going to be hard on many people, including ones we love and maybe even ourselves. We ask that if you are able to donate, please do. If you need some supplies please let us know and we will do what we can to help you! 

We also know that Covid is making it difficult to do the packing of backpacks this year, so we are asking for donations. Instead of gathering in a large group, we will have a small group of people pack the backpacks. Then we will ask you the community to help get them on the streets if you are comfortable doing so. If you know a group that needs supply-filled backpacks please connect us with them or get help us to get backpacks to them. 

We have an Amazon wishlist. ( Check out our list on Amazon ) Yeah, we feel the same about them, so don’t feel obligated to use them. We are just using their site to give suggestions and using this page as a tally for our inventory. Please let us know what you are kindly donating. (If you do use Amazon, please let us know who you are when you fill out the order. We’d like to thank you publicly as it means so much to us! Thank you)

If you can fill out the SignUpGenius with what you are donating that helps us keep track!!

Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. Thank you!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4DA9AE2A1-bwbdetroit

Remember we can not do this without YOU!! Thank you for your donations!

Small bow and much love

Burners without Borders Detroit