Did you know that a routine trip to the grocery store can change your life? On a 110 degree, bake cookies on your dash because it’s so hot Texas day, my daughter and I headed to the grocery store to buy last minute lunch items for back to school. At the red light, before the grocery store turn-in, we both became distracted by a homeless woman having what appeared to be an Oscar Award winning meltdown in the parking lot. Lots of yelling, crying and I believe a flip-flop lost its life during the event. She had reached the end of her rope and the ability to tie a knot and hang on was lost. We were moved to do something. We headed into the Dollar Store and bought some snacks, a gallon of water and a new pair of flip-flops. We paid, hopped in my Mom-Mobile and headed back to the scene. When we turned the corner, she was gone. She had vanished like a ghost of some sort.

 

Side note, homelessness is a soft spot for me along with other under-resourced groups. My daughter has grown up immersed in serving, so I wasn’t surprised when she said, “Mom, we have to find someone else to give this stuff too.” What I REALLY wanted to do was get the shopping done, but down the road we went. We spotted a woman and a man under a nearby bridge and as we made the u-turn I thought, “I am going to ask them what they wish for.” No one is incapable of dreaming. You don’t have to toss a penny into a well to make a wish. Lucky for me, the light turned red and I stopped and the woman approached my window. I said, “Hello, are you hungry?” She said, “Yes.” I said, “What’s your name?” She said, “My name is Terri and that over there is Jeremiah.” I handed them the snacks, water and the new pair of flip flops (which she needed desperately) and she thanked me with her words and her eyes. I said, “I have a question for you two. I can’t provide you all the things you need today, but if I could grant you one wish today, what would it be?” Terri didn’t miss a beat, “I wish for a cooler.” My response was a mix of “duh”, head tilted back with an eye roll and hands up like “Why haven’t I thought of that before?!” She said, “We try to keep food people give us in a bucket in the shade, but it goes bad.” (Insert same reaction with the eye roll) Of course it goes bad, it’s 1,000 degrees in Texas! Said child and I went to Home Depot and bought a cooler and delivered it and Terri was elated. “It has wheels!”

 

I drove to the grocery store sad. Then, I drove home sad. Food in a bucket? A cooler? I barely unloaded my rotisserie chicken before I told my husband, “I need a minivan that will hold individual coolers.” I told him about Terri and Jeremiah and the coolers and the spoiled food in the bucket and said in an elevated voice, “This is happening in our backyard!” I still don’t have a minivan by the way. I dug out a LARGE post-it pad and jotted down what it would take to serve lunch in a cooler to 25 homeless in Dallas. The ask would be for peanut butter and jelly, water, granola bars and individual coolers. How can I get those items? Then I went to bed. I stared at the post-it for 3 days and then I bit the bullet and went to the place we all go to for help, Facebook. I posted the story and within minutes, friends started commenting about how they wanted to help. Peanut Butter. Check. Jelly. Check. And then the most incredible thing started happening, my Venmo started alerting me. In two days, I had $800 donated. Just Because was born.

 

One week later, in my small house, volunteers arrived to work and love spilled out from every window and every door. We filled 45 coolers and 30 blessing bags and loaded up in 3 cars and hit the streets of Dallas. Within an hour, everything was delivered. We saw faces and touched hearts and our hearts were touched right back. We were able to give resources to an under-resourced community and share love with the under-loved. And we did it Just Because.

 

Just Because, Inc. has wishes too. We wish to bring joy to senior citizens because their families are gone or don’t visit. We wish to decorate an adult daycare that supports our special needs Lovies. We wish to support organizations that take in and care for abandoned animals. We wish to touch the hearts of the homeless and make them feel seen again. And wishes don’t come true without granters. Thank you for your support and for extending kindness … Just Because.

 

My Whole Heart,

Krissy Sarine-Van Brunt

Founder of Just Because, Inc.