Who Are We?
Loaves and Fishes was established in the spring of 1981 as a short-term overnight homeless shelter.
Loaves and Fishes maintains a foundational belief in the equality of all humanity and strives to provide clean and safe housing to all guests in a non judgmental and accepting atmosphere. Please explore our links to learn more about Loaves and Fishes history, mission, policies, services, success stories, volunteers, and ways to help.
Loaves and Fishes Mission
Loaves & Fishes provides short-term emergency and long-term transitional housing, advocacy and support services for homeless adults in a caring environment. Our purpose is to serve, respecting each person’s spiritual path, different though that may be from ours.
All are welcome who are in need regardless of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, country of origin, mental or physical ability. If Loaves and Fishes cannot meet some one’s needs, our staff refers them to a medical or social service agency that can.
Creating the Shelter
So they took a leap of faith and threw themselves into the process, trusting the Lord to guide them through the maze ahead. They had so little money, they decided to call their adventure. Loaves and Fishes. Endless meetings to plan the necessary infrastructure; 181 days of intense negotiations with the City of Lansing Zoning Board and the City Council to get official permission to operate a homeless shelter; searching for a house, hiring a coordinator, establishing a support community, visiting neighbors to answer their questions and allay their fears; continuous attempts at raising money; and finally jumping through endless legal hoops to complete mounds of required paperwork. It was a very demanding but exciting time. Fortunately, the five who emerged as the original Core Group (Advisory Board) were not about to be discouraged.
They finally purchased a house at 831 N. Sycamore in Lansing, and in February of 1981 were awarded a “Special Use Permit” to offer overnight shelter by the City of Lansing Zoning Board. This meant homeless guests could come in at 6 p.m., but had to be out by 9 a.m. the next day. The original Core Group, comprised of Kevin Bowling, Barbara Curtis, Carol & Paul Brun Del Re and Joan Tirak, continued to meet weekly for 17 years until the late 1990’s when they expanded to a 12-member Advisory Board, changed their title to the “Core Community,” and transitioned to meeting monthly. In the years that followed, the Core Community went through the normal struggle of building and maintaining a community of faith-filled, service-oriented members who were willing to serve for the long haul. And many did just that. Another member, Carol Baker, after nearly 30 years of service, retired from the CCBD in March of 2022. Prior to joining the CCBD, Carol was employed at the shelter first as our Guest Advocate, and then as L&F Co-Coordinator. We are so grateful for ALL the work that these loving friends did for our guests and for our shelter program over the many years they were in leadership with us.
Over the years, numerous talented and dedicated employees joined Loaves and Fishes, giving tirelessly for as long as they could and then moving on. Whether advocating for guests, cleaning the house, writing grants, scheduling and doing in-services for volunteers, attending community meetings, staffing resource tables, or speaking at events, our staff members were – and continue to be – the backbone of the day-to-day workings of Loaves and Fishes. They are the true heroes and heroines who make the program work despite often limiting and dauntless challenges.
Contact
831 N. Sycamore St. Lansing, MI 48906
(517) 482-2099
Fax (517) 482-6848
Email Us!
Executive Director: director@loavesandfisheslansing.org
Guest Advocacy Manager: advocacy@loavesandfisheslansing.org