Leighton’s Blog

Tonight I helped out People Loving Nashville again.  On Thursday nights they fire up the grill for 75-100 guests at an apartment complex known as the Last Chance Hotel.  It’s known as the Last Chance Hotel because it use to be a hotel and it’s the last stop before becoming homeless or it’s the first place you go after being on the streets. The complex is North of downtown Nashville on a street nicknamed Misery Mile because of all the crime.   People Loving Nashville started grilling up a meal at the complex on Thursday nights last summer. They also give out clothes, books and groceries. Nate Lampa, one of the founders or PLN, told me before they started coming on Thursday nights nobody in the complex knew each other or hung out we each other. Nate told me things have changed and now there is a sense of community there and people know and talk to their neighbors now.  Crime has reduced in the complex because people are looking after the place and their neighbors....

Before I headed into downtown Nashville to pass out coffee and doughnuts I went to three Walmarts outside of the city to do “food rescue”. I went into each Walmart and headed for the discount bakery rack. I put most of what was on the racks in my cart and wheeled over to the service desk and asked for the manager. When the manager came to the service desk I told him/her I was from Massachusetts and I was going to go into the city and distribute coffee, food, water and oranges. I asked them if they could let me have the reduced bakery items at no charge.  The first two Walmart mangers said fine and the third Walmart manger gave me most of the items for free.   I went to a Dunkin’ Donuts downtown and ordered some Boxes of Joe. I asked if they could give one of them for free. The woman behind the counter said she couldn’t do anything because her manager had left for the day. But her and her co-worker did hook me up with a couple boxes of munchkins.  I prayed with Starla...

Loaded up! @walmart & @dunkindonuts helped a bit. Thank you to everybody who donated this morning! Really appreciate it! 

Please keep the poor and homeless in Nashville in your prayers. It’s raining like crazy right now and it’s not supposed to not let up for a few days. I’d like load up the Jeep with @dunkin Boxes of Joe, hot chocolate and donuts and head downtown. Maybe you like to help out and buy a Box of Joe and some doughnuts. https://ift.tt/2SOipnT Thank you! 

Last night I helped out The Bridge Ministy in Nashville. For fourteen years The Bridge Ministry has been transforming a spot underneath the Jefferson Bridge on Tuesday nights into a very welcoming place for the homeless and poor to get a hot meal, groceries and clothes. Part of the night includes a church service with live worship music. I spoke with a volunteer (David) that has been helping out for six years and he told me that there were not a lot of guests tonight because of the rain. The guests have to walk a bit or jump on a few buses to get there. I think there were just over a hundred guests and just as many volunteers. I was told that when it’s not raining they serve hundreds more. David told me they have served as many as 800 people on a Tuesday night.  He also told me success stories of homeless they have helped that now have jobs and places to live. I did run into my friends I met Monday night, Al, IQ and Casey. I met Casey’s Mom Rose who is also homeless and living...

I would like to welcome Gaia GPS as the very first Mission For Hope sponsor! You all know how much I love their app and how much I use it! And you know it will be my absolute go-to on my 200 day trip starting in June. Not only do I use it to find back-country stuff, I use it to find my way around cities. I have been using it to find my way around Nashville this week. Thank you Gaia for your support of my journey & Good Hope’s mission.