Spreading Warmth and Joy

Dear Street Life Ministries Family,

Merry Christmas and warm greetings to all our readers! As we approach the festive season, we extend our heartfelt holiday wishes to each one of you. This December brings with it the chill of winter, heavy rain, and minor flooding in homeless camps across the Bay Area. Amid these challenges, we find hope, warmth, and joy in the shared spirit of love and giving.

We’re excited to share some heartwarming news to lift your spirits. The Academy of American Dance in Redwood City, along with their talented instructor Julia, will be gracing our Redwood City meeting location with an outdoor dance routine. The Academy’s mission, centered on mutual respect and well-being, aligns perfectly with our values. The performance, scheduled for Wednesday, December 20th, at 6:30 PM, promises to bring joy to our unhoused friends during this winter season. Let’s come together to celebrate the beauty of dance and spread happiness in the community.

We spoke with Julia about the thoughts behind this performance.
Can you tell us how long you’ve been dancing for SLM and how that started?

“It’s been several years now, seven or eight at least. I have some great photos of our group performing in 2018. Pastor David and I both attend Peninsula Covenant Church and we connected. I reached out to him with this idea, that the middle school and high school-aged dance students could use dance as a gift to give back to our community. He loved it. I asked my dancers how they felt about it and they said yes, easy as that. The girls love doing it and it’s a win-win. These girls are passionate about dance and they get a lot out of being able to share it with people who often don’t have much access to the performing arts. We believe these performances for our homeless neighbors are a chance to reach out and connect with our community.

This year we will be performing a set to a Pentatonix Christmas soundtrack in the Redwood City lot. We hope lots of people can make it!”

Mark your calendars for December 14th at 6:30 PM! Our next Street Life Live podcast episode will be a LIVE event featuring Redwood City’s former Chief of Police, Dan Mulholland, and his amazing wife. The Mulhollands, dedicated volunteers and passionate supporters of our cause, have an inspiring story that we can’t wait to share with you. Tune in on Facebook Live for an evening of stories, laughter, and community spirit. Don’t forget to RSVP! Let’s make this gathering one to remember!

Here we have a short section from the book written by our own Vicky Lanzone:

I went to a place today called Project Starfish. Do you know that story? This little girl is on the beach throwing starfish back in the sea and an old man comes by and tells her there are too many, that it won’t make a difference. She throws another back and says, “It will to this one.”

Anyway, Brother Kenny runs Project Starfish with his family. A few months back Pastor David told Kenny how Street Life handed out a few Christmas gifts last year and how much that means to people on the street. Brother Kenny called and said he had a surprise for us.

We walked in and Kenny had a wall of boxes in Christmas wrap. He made 800 gift boxes to give out on the street. 800! Some for children and women, but mostly for men. Each has a container with socks, foot powder, shampoo, and a first aid kit. He put a deck of cards in each box too.

The container goes in a bigger box with a hand-made scarf and copy of the New Testament. Kenny didn’t want store-bought scarves. I’m not sure where he found enough people to knit 800 scarves, but I got a little teary-eyed looking at that wall of gifts.

You know, it doesn’t take much. A deck of cards. A homemade scarf. Clean socks. Everybody can find some way to make a difference, somewhere.

As we reflect on the acts of kindness performed by Jesus Christ, let’s honor His teachings by extending warmth to those in need. Your financial contributions to Street Life Ministries are converted into nutritious meals, services, and support for the unhoused population of the Peninsula. Your generosity ensures that our homeless friends find comfort and solace during these challenging times.