← The Collage Podcast
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- [00:00]
A
Foreign.
- [00:23]
Welcome you to another edition of the Collage podcast. It is what the date doesn't really matter because I don't know when you're listening to it. So here we are. Cold weather just kind of started today. So the seasons are, whether we like it or not, they're changing. So we have gone from fall and we're going into winter. It's cold. And we thought today doesn't matter. When you're listening to this, it's a good opportunity just to kind of reflect and to look forward and to kind of talk about because a lot of the stuff you out there might not even truly understand.
- [01:08]
What Feed My Sheep is doing, what we're trying to do, what we were. And so we're just going to kind of have a little discussion with Nancy. Look at 2025 this year that we're in and to go, what has occurred here in 2025? What were we hoping to accomplish? What have we done and what are we doing and what does 2026 look like? So that is the discussion at hand to kind of maybe define because you've heard many times, hey, we're at Feed my sheep. Well, what does that mean? Okay. And so we're going to kind of look at this and it'll be a good, if nothing else for us and for everybody. It's a decent time capsule to look at, huh? And to put it in writing, here's what we said we're going to do, here's what we did, here's what we say we're going to do. And maybe to look back and did we do the things that we said we were going to do? So again, we got Nancy today on this one. It happens to be Giving Tuesday when we're recording this.
- [02:17]
In the world we're in, whatever. So that's Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday day and Cyber Monday day and Giving Tuesday day. I will go on record, Nancy, before we even go on this one, I cannot stand the fact that we try to make serving and sacrificing others into a one day trade off to justify. It's not a one day activity.
- [02:43]
B
Agreed.
- [02:45]
A
Giving Tuesday here, I would say it's really cool because we're going to celebrate tomorrow Giving Wednesday. And then I thought it'd be really cool following Giving Wednesday, what we're going to do is we're going to have a Giving Thursday celebration and Friday and Saturday. It's not a one day deal. It's not a one and done activity that we're trying to get across. Enough of that tirade. And if you're supported with giving Tuesday stuff here. Great. Thanks a whole lot. And I, I take back what I just said. It is about one day.
- [03:15]
B
No, I also heard that it is travel deal Tuesday as well. You can get the best travel deals today.
- [03:23]
A
Well then forget this podcast. Let's go buy a plane ticket somewhere stinking cool. So I might after this, I will tell you how cheap a plane ticket I got to Africa. I don't even know where I'm going in Africa, but I'm going to buy a plane ticket to Africa. How about Tanzania? No, we're going to fly into Kenya and then you're going to drive. You would go from there. Okay, we're going to see what we can do on plane ticket Thursday.
- [03:51]
Oh, Tuesday maybe Highland cow Tuesday as well.
- [03:57]
Okay. So Nancy, what we're going to do. And she is here. It's not me talking today. So if we're going to start here. Okay. So we would say big question, Nancy Glover, looking at Feed my sheep for 2025. Okay. With that, the simple starting point here, what would you say that you would look at the most surprising thing that occurred that was able to be accomplished at Feed my sheep in 2025 to this point is what I would say.
- [04:31]
B
In my perspective is probably a little skewed. But we took 33 people out of the line and put them into housing.
- [04:42]
A
Okay, real quick, what does out of the line mean?
- [04:45]
B
Out of the food line.
- [04:46]
A
Okay, got it.
- [04:47]
B
Experiencing street level homelessness and put them into housing.
- [04:52]
A
Permanent.
- [04:54]
B
Yes.
- [04:54]
A
What would the. This is TBRA is the letter. Okay.
- [04:58]
B
Tenant Based Rental Assistance.
- [04:59]
A
Tenant based Rental Assistance. So that then you would say in this year and not say this is fact. As we sit here. Tell me again, we have had. These would be people that were experiencing homelessness here. And when she said in our line, they were here because they were getting a meal here at Feed My Sheep. And through Nancy's program with the city. How many people are now in a place of their own with. Okay. With a case manager that works with them at the said location?
- [05:33]
B
27.
- [05:34]
A
27 of the 33 are still in.
- [05:37]
B
Yes.
- [05:38]
A
Okay.
- [05:38]
B
Yep. And. And they have. The ones that have left the program have left for a variety of reasons. One that I would like to highlight is we'll just use her initials, S.S. she had been experiencing street level homelessness and was also extremely ill. She had cancer and would have otherwise died on the street had we not had this program. And she was able to not die on the street, but rather had someone there taking care of her in her final days.
- [06:16]
A
Oh, okay. So left. Okay.
- [06:19]
B
Yes. No longer in the program.
- [06:21]
A
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Part of her lives on.
- [06:25]
B
Yes.
- [06:27]
A
I don't mean that laughing. She has a pet that we are tasked now of watching after, which is Jeff.
- [06:34]
B
And I have mixed feelings about her, but I love her.
- [06:37]
A
Yes. And I've known the dog for a long time and.
- [06:43]
It is interesting, but the dog. So in the world we're in, I gotta say this because more people will be concerned about that. The dog is safe. It is housed. It stayed in a heated place last night. It gets fed. It's wonderful. Okay.
- [06:59]
So. But yes, that one. It went on.
- [07:03]
To a whole other life. And then out of that, there is another person who was her caregiver at the end that's not in the program per se, but is in housing as well, Correct?
- [07:15]
That's right. So as the manager of the farm watching said who dog. Okay, so. But in housing. Yes, True highlight. Okay.
- [07:26]
B
True highlight.
- [07:27]
A
Yeah. So these are. We were kind of having a discussion earlier. Okay. It is an amazing thing to really think about that these people will celebrate the holidays in their home.
- [07:43]
B
Yes.
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A
Okay. Cannot stress this enough.
- [07:50]
It is not a. We can't make anybody do what they don't want to do, okay? Every adult in this country has a right, unfortunately, to do exactly what they want to do. Okay. But it is not solely enough for us just to go, hey, let's just only do this. We must provide so many different options for people and finding permanent housing for these people. Supported permanent housing. Huge. Huge. Okay. And so true highlight. Okay? To look at these and to look at some of the stories and some of them good.
- [08:36]
And a difficult journey. But they did not. They cannot under. Under state the importance. Had no access to good permanent housing and now are in a place.
- [08:54]
Story could end right there.
- [08:56]
B
Yeah.
- [08:56]
A
Okay. So then you would go, well, golly.
- [09:02]
I didn't know Feed My Sheep did permanent supporting houses. And I would say we don't. Okay. We don't. We work with other entities. So Nancy works with the people here and through her. Her professional expertise, she can do these things. But we meet here at Feed My Sheep. Okay? And so we met the people here and we met through the lines. Matter of fact, some of them that we won't say because I'm not going to tell anybody's business that doesn't want y'.
- [09:35]
B
All.
- [09:36]
A
If you wanted to go back in our podcast, you could go listen to several.
- [09:40]
B
Yes.
- [09:40]
A
Of the podcast. And these numbers aren't not even going to count. Some of them, like we have one that we call or she's in a place that's not even counted on this. The number's even bigger than the number we're stating. Sure. Because. Or is in a place. Okay, tell me another thing. 2025 that would stand out that. Okay, ready? That would surprise people. That occurred at Feed my sheep. Because some people define feed my sheep and it's easy definition to come to. Okay. That solely we are about providing a lunch every day, which we do. Okay. We'll feed 175 to 200 people every day, 365 days out of the year. Okay. That is what we do. But it is not solely all that we're about anymore. So another surprising thing. People wouldn't know, golly, 31 people came here to get a meal or a sack lunch and now they got a place to stay out of that. What else would be surprising about that goes on here?
- [10:48]
B
Of those. And you're absolutely right. More than just the people in the tenant based rental assistance program that, that are in housing or on their way to housing or substance use disorder treatment. Another huge, huge program.
- [11:02]
A
Tell me about that one.
- [11:03]
B
That.
- [11:05]
Substance use is a. Is a problem for our folks mostly stemming from mental health issues that have been untreated and they're self medicating in a variety of ways. But we do offer subs substance use disorder treatment assistance and have. I want to say the number for 2025 was somewhere in the neighborhood of 28 people that have gone through that program and have also exited into housing. Either they've gone back home to family members or they've gone into their own independent living situation. Either way, couple of tenant based rental assistance clients as well from that come from substance use disorder treatment. But I think that that has been a hugely impactful program as well.
- [11:58]
A
And again, we're going to kind of. So substance use disorder treatment, long term rehab facilities.
- [12:06]
B
Yes.
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A
Period. So it's not like, hey, go for the weekend. No, this is long term. True help in that.
- [12:13]
B
Yes.
- [12:14]
A
Okay. And so for people out there.
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Anybody, society, if you've had a loved one that has had an addiction issue, you know, this is not an inexpensive issue to get out of.
- [12:28]
B
Right.
- [12:29]
A
Somebody suffering from drug addiction is not like $5 later you're out. Okay. Expensive. So how do these people that come to feed. They come to feed my sheep because Asher would like something to eat because I'm on the street. Okay. I'll give you that. Then they go, huh, I sure wouldn't mind getting.
- [12:55]
Off of Meth or whatever the drug. Okay. How in the world does somebody who's homeless afford to be able to go to substance use disorder treatment?
- [13:05]
B
They can't. On their own.
- [13:06]
A
They can't.
- [13:07]
B
No.
- [13:08]
A
Okay. I don't mean that rude. It is financially in almost impossibility. Okay. And then so we would also acknowledge that not impossible, but nearing impossible to get off of these addictions solely on your own.
- [13:27]
B
Right.
- [13:28]
A
Sheer willpower can only get you to a certain place. Like it is statistic. I mean, it is help. So then you got people who desperately need help to be able to go on to the next steps of their life can't possibly afford the help because they don't have the money to do it. So they're stuck in this vicious cycle. Okay. Here through a program that we work with Nancy and with the city. Guess what if somebody came that met the criteria. Criteria is pretty simple. You're homeless. Okay. That's not simple, but it's pretty simple. And that you've been here in the temple area for 12 months.
- [14:08]
B
Yeah.
- [14:09]
A
That you're from here. Okay. That in your wanting help, guess what it cost you. Nothing.
- [14:17]
B
Yeah.
- [14:19]
A
Here's the choices of substance use disorder treatments. We will take you to go look at them because you're a grown adult. Hey, you want to go see this one? Hey. We'll let you know. Here's the pluses. Here's the locations. Here's how it's run. Here's the stuff. You go look at that one. You want to go look at this one? You're going to look at this one, okay? And you find the one that is the best fit for you. And guess what? We pay for it.
- [14:45]
B
Yeah.
- [14:47]
A
Okay. We pay for it. Some of them, if somebody goes through this program.
- [14:54]
They go. It takes a year, okay? And at that, yes, you work on your sobriety and you get the mental stuff and you get all these things and you get help all these different ways. And then you work on yourself a year later. Like, just picture this. A year later, you would leave the facility, in theory, clean and sober. You don't have the. You're always. Whatever. I don't want to say the wrong, but you always have a tendency towards addiction. But you have the tools necessary of how to. To fight that. Okay? You're not alone. Okay? So you have that tool. You have mental clarity. You have help with the right kind of medicine. And guess what? You have gotten housing provided for you, that you have a place to go live and a job. And one of them, you would leave all of those Things, a job, a vehicle, a place and sobriety.
- [15:54]
B
Right.
- [15:55]
A
Game changer.
- [15:56]
B
Game changer.
- [15:58]
A
Game changer. And that started because somebody happened to be in this area and they were hungry and gone. Crud. I sure wouldn't mind having some. I don't even know what we're having today. I sure wouldn't mind eating today.
- [16:15]
B
Yeah.
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A
And it isn't a bait and switch going, hey, you want the turkey and dressing? Got to go to rehab. Building relationships out of this stuff. So surprising somebody listening to this would go, crud. I can do the math. That's almost those two numbers together. It's nearing 60 people that were in the line last year that are on the pathways to self sustainability right now.
- [16:44]
B
Right.
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A
Okay. That's 60.
- [16:48]
B
Yeah.
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A
And we would go, we hadn't done all we could do. We could do even better than that. And we are 60.
- [16:55]
B
That is substantial.
- [16:57]
A
Substantial, yes. Okay, big number. And you're going, well, hold on.
- [17:04]
That was not always the definition y' all had because we haven't always been able to go, hey, we have this number of people in rehab. We have this number of people in permanent housing. Because our definition wasn't always solely based upon that. It was, we're just going to feed them here.
- [17:24]
B
Yeah.
- [17:24]
A
And we still do. We still do. But then the responsibility and the understanding is you also have an obligation, if you care about others, to help them along the way in this journey. Yeah.
- [17:38]
B
And I think we've also learned along the way that it's more than just housing. That that is, of course, the goal is to make sure that no one is sleeping outside tonight, especially in, you know, dangerous conditions. But there's so much more that needs to happen along with that. And I think Feed My Sheep has done a phenomenal job of identifying the gaps in services and the gaps in support and has answered those needs directly. The Sunrise center opened this last year, which I think is just an incredible resource, not just for the people that are in the line, but also just the general public in temple. And I don't think enough people know that those services are available.
- [18:29]
A
And what does the Sunrise center have?
- [18:32]
B
The Sunrise center has mental health services and.
- [18:37]
Substance use disorder services, too. Beyond inpatient.
- [18:43]
A
The Sunrise center is here on campus. Okay. So like and good or bad, Golly, that's just what we do. Everything has a different name. So we have Feed my Sheep and you have Sunrise center, and you got the well and you got the locker room. You got Elizabeth Farms, and you got Cafe Soleil. So you're like a lot of names that fit under one umbrella. And you're like, okay, Sunrise center is just up the road. It's on our same campus, but it's like a block up. Okay. So it's slightly separated for a purpose. And it provides free counseling and life skill classes, occupational therapy. Okay, Isaac, who's doing the podcast right now. And if you're listening to it, good job, Isaac. And if you're not hearing this, not so good job, Isaac.
- [19:34]
B
So he's smiling.
- [19:35]
A
He's smiling. So we're, we're, we're a learning curve on how to do the podcast. So we're learning on that. But Isaac's going to do a 3D printing class. You got 3D printer over there. He does classes. Our people make things over there. And you're going, what in the world?
- [19:52]
B
Yeah.
- [19:52]
A
What does that have to do with a sack lunch and a hot meal? What does it have to do with housing? Sunrise center is free counseling. We work with the local university here. You work with all kind of different places. That's where we have aa. So maybe you've already gone to long term abuse treatment. Aa, na. All your, your rehab type programs, they're offered on this side of town.
- [20:23]
Their access to it. And you'd look at that and you go, what in the world? Fully function. I will promise you. Okay. Nobody. Well, I don't care. People need to come see whatever. The building and the facility is one of the nicest counseling facilities we have in temple.
- [20:43]
B
Agreed.
- [20:44]
A
It's nice. It is not. You go, oh, the sentence that drives me crazy is, oh, it's plenty good. It's better than nothing. Like, oh, it's plenty good for homeless people. What does that have to do with anything? This is the standard they were asked to build and to redo this building was. I want it to be where the most affluent person would want to come in that place because it is so nice. We just happen to serve people who don't have a house.
- [21:19]
B
Yeah.
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A
Okay, so then out of that. And then the cool thing is like that building, it got redone. And all the work that occurred in that thing occurred by people. Let me see that. Don't have a house because we ain't got this thing called money. Okay. So we don't have that. And so. And then I'm also a big believer in that people desire to help, to come along. It is a disservice. A disservice to not allow the people that we work with here the opportunity to be part of the solution as well.
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B
Yeah.
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A
And then to keep this in mind, okay. When I say they help build it, I'm not doing, like, indentured servant of. Yeah, you're going to help me because I feed you. No, they get paid. It is dignified wages to do work right. Okay. They have a right to be part of the solution. They have a right. Right now we're redoing a building. There is a guy that's helping with that. He's doing it because he wants to.
- [22:20]
And would do it for free, but he gets paid by me because I think it's wrong for him not to get paid by doing work. He do it for free.
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B
And he's doing an amazing job.
- [22:32]
A
He's good. And that one, you can mark it here. So that's going to be a new restaurant we're going to open. Okay. In less than a year. Less than a year, for sure. Temple will not have a nicer place to eat anywhere. No offense. Whatever. All the other restaurants, this is not a negative statement to them. They will not have seen as nice a building that's going to be as the one we're making right now.
- [22:59]
B
And why did you buy that building?
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A
Well, that building was bought not because I had some grand vision of I want to open another restaurant. It was bought because it's in the alley right behind our facility. And it was a place that was kind of abandoned, but not abandoned. We would disagree. The person who owned the building disagrees with what was occurring at that place just because they weren't here. It was the place where most of the drug trafficking was going on in our little area. People would go into the house because the person that got to stay there. I can say whatever. I'm not saying nothing. Person sold and sold and sold out of the house. And it was a terrible place of drugs and bad, bad things happened there. And I purchased it simply because I didn't want that to occur anymore.
- [23:56]
Happened to be a decent building. I just bought it to make sure nobody else could get in there.
- [24:00]
B
I think the thing that I admire most about your leadership and your vision is that you can see things that other people have discarded or overlooked and see their beauty and their potential.
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A
And you just, oh, that house has got potential.
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B
Oh, my gosh.
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A
Oh, man.
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It is such a beautiful story that could be. Such horrific things have occurred in there I can't even envision. But before that, life. It was an amazing house that was built a long time ago, back when.
- [24:41]
B
They used the craftsmanship.
- [24:43]
A
Oh, my gosh. Yeah, it's amazing. Just mark it. And it was hard to see. I didn't even know it was in there.
- [24:53]
B
Right.
- [24:53]
A
I just knew what bad was going on there. And I go, it's got to end. And working with the police department and such, there's not much you can do. If the land, the person who owns it don't give a flip about what's going on at it. There's very little they can do in the world that we're in. It's a stupid world. So if the property owner doesn't really want you to go on the property, and the police don't really have solid, solid, solid, solid, solid, solid, solid stuff that they can get a warrant to go on the property, guess where they can't go.
- [25:24]
B
That's right.
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A
They can't go in that house. And everybody out there is gonna be what? Okay, that's not. We're not talking about that. But it's bizarre.
- [25:33]
So I got tired of making the phone call going, hey, so and so is over there. I know they're selling. So and so bought over there. So and so did it. Fine. Came up. I bought it, figured out how to get the money and gave him. We did on that one. Okay. So that, that's another thing new. So in 2025, we purchased that house and it's going to be the second restaurant that we have with Cafe Soleil. Also this year we opened up Cafe Soleil. Yeah. Okay. So Cafe Soleil number one, the house that was formerly known as the drug den, that's going to be known as a great restaurant. Okay. Is going to be Cafe Soleil number number two right now, for lack of a better term, because we're working on it. Don't know what its final name is going to be, but Cafe Soleil number one is up and running.
- [26:23]
B
Yeah.
- [26:23]
A
And it's cool.
- [26:24]
B
It is very cool.
- [26:25]
A
Okay. And so tell. So Nancy comes here for breakfast on Thursdays and Fridays. It's only open Thursdays and Fridays right now because we're still learning how to navigate how to run this. But tell how Cafe Soleil is different than our front cafe.
- [26:43]
B
It is a donation based cafe and it has the best food in town, period, hands down.
- [26:51]
A
Yep.
- [26:52]
B
Yeah.
- [26:52]
A
And what type of food is served at that?
- [26:55]
B
So all kinds of foods, I think. Food that appeals to everyone. I'm vegan, so I'm one of those odd ducks that can't find anything to eat in town. But this place has food that I would eat, offers tofu as a protein option. And the food is just phenomenal and delicious. But it also offers food for Meat eaters as well. That is also equally as delicious, I'm told.
- [27:24]
But I think the thing that is the most amazing about it is just the vibe that's there. It's very artistic. And the lighting is just. It's just a neat place to be. Just the atmosphere is just really cool. And then to be able to sit there with people from all walks of life either experiencing homelessness or very affluent. And everybody is sitting together eating food in the same space. Just.
- [27:55]
A
And high, high quality, high quality, non processed, all fresh, all scratch made food on China. On China.
- [28:05]
B
Yes.
- [28:06]
A
Like so. Keep like so. We don't have anything in mind. Okay. But the person who runs that is Katie. Katie is the chef. She is trained, like she is off the chain. Very skilled. The food is served on China. Her grandmother's china.
- [28:25]
B
Yeah.
- [28:26]
A
Okay. And when she started that, I will admit that I told her that is stupid. Everything is going to get broken. The food is enough. And I said, look, we can serve it on decent looking plastic plates. And she was adamant against that. And if you know her, she's decently stubborn.
- [28:55]
B
You surrounded yourself with stubbornness, buddy.
- [28:59]
A
Yeah, I got surrounded.
- [29:04]
But out of that she said no. If you invite somebody to come to your house for a meal, you serve the very best. And it is served on the very best.
- [29:15]
B
Yeah.
- [29:17]
A
For the record, since we have been open, we have not broken a plate. Yes. Like it is not. It is treated with respect. And people here, they come and it's just like any. You order the food that you would like. Yeah. Okay. So I have had meals with Nancy here and she does not eat proteins or whatever these words these vegans call it. Okay. Meat. I go there because I think the lunch sandwiches and the soups are better than anything that anywhere. So I come and get the sandwiches and they're good.
- [29:51]
B
Yeah.
- [29:53]
A
Like I come soup. The soup.
- [29:55]
B
I have had the soup even with a little meat in it.
- [29:58]
A
Okay, that's right.
- [29:59]
B
And those are special recipes. Right. Every week.
- [30:04]
A
And they're made. So what's cool about this? They're made by the Temple High School culinary arts department. The cooking class at Temple High is cooking every week. The soups that we serve at Cafe Soleil.
- [30:17]
B
That is so cool.
- [30:18]
A
It is cool like in the concept. And you sit in there and like Nancy said, is this table that may be. And it's fact like this guy who's sitting at this table is one of the top ob GYN surgeons that the country has. Not just our county, the country. There is medical procedures named after this guy.
- [30:42]
B
Yeah.
- [30:43]
A
Fact, like hospitals pay tons and tons of money for him to come teach their ob GYN people back in the day how to do these procedures. Cutting edge. He's sitting in there and you couldn't tell him from anybody else that's in the place. And they're all together in that room because they have a level playing field and they're just sharing a meal and they're sharing laughter and community together.
- [31:14]
Doesn't occur, you know, and even today, like, in that.
- [31:20]
People. I will say it, will say it, and we'll say it, okay? Just because we, we don't charge for people that don't have the money. And guess what? Nobody who comes in there eats free. Everybody, they could, they could if they wanted to. All of the people that are on their homeless, okay? They donate the best that they can, okay? And so we see it time and time again. They appreciate and they deserve that. It is nice to have that. Okay? But people outside of here, they don't get the concept. They're getting it, and I don't care. I mean, like, they don't get the concept of that we truly are serving that level of food.
- [32:06]
B
Right.
- [32:07]
A
You know, and then today I heard, oh, why would I want to come eat there? All those people, they smell or they stink or they're this or they're that.
- [32:18]
You know, and ignorance is an ugly word in our culture. So some of the stuff we're trying to do is take away ignorance.
- [32:29]
B
Right.
- [32:30]
A
Okay. And so on the record, there are plenty of people that can attest there's days I don't smell so good. Okay? So, like.
- [32:41]
But that's not my defining deal. And that's not what occurs there. Not at all. Yeah.
- [32:46]
B
And I think. And this was something that was, that was pointed out when I did the tour on Thanksgiving, which was an incredible day here at Feed My Sheep, by the way.
- [32:54]
A
Okay.
- [32:56]
B
But when I did my tour, Margaret was in the cafe and at the end, I looked at her and I said, did I forget anything? And she said, yeah, this is where we learn a trait.
- [33:08]
A
Oh, true.
- [33:09]
B
We're being taught and getting ready for employment, which is another piece of the pie. So it's fair employment and community and housing and mental health support and substance use disorder treatment. All of the pieces that need to come together in order for someone to find long term stability is available here.
- [33:34]
A
Agreed. And then how Nancy is in the picture, Tell us what occurred in 2025. Okay. That would involve Nancy.
- [33:45]
B
We bought the farm. Not like as in died.
- [33:49]
A
I was like.
- [33:52]
Okay, so we bought so we permanently have Elizabeth's farm.
- [33:57]
B
Yes.
- [33:58]
A
Okay. And tell us what that is.
- [34:01]
B
So it has been really a working farm that has been producing.
- [34:08]
Vegetables and things like that.
- [34:10]
A
Singular.
- [34:11]
B
I think we got a vegetable for feed my sheep. But now we're moving more towards a housing model for women leaving traumatic experiences and domestic violence and. And homelessness. And so we've sort of shifted our focus a bit and are now in the process of developing the property, adding some additional tiny homes. There's one tiny home there now that was built by the kids at Temple High School. Incredible project that the kids are still really proud of. We've had some school groups and volunteer groups come out with kids that. That worked on it.
- [34:53]
A
Isn't that cool?
- [34:54]
B
And. Yeah. They're just so proud of it.
- [34:56]
A
Yeah.
- [34:58]
B
So in the development phase for that and hoping to be able to have some tiny homes in place by March of 2026 and have some additional housing options for women out there.
- [35:13]
A
So out of that, just so everybody's on the same page. In 2025, Sunrise center, which is the mental health and addiction recovery deal. Open Cafe Soleil. Open.
- [35:25]
B
Yes.
- [35:25]
A
Purchased Cafe Soleil number two. And we're renovating it. Check.
- [35:30]
B
Yeah.
- [35:30]
A
Elizabeth Farms purchased, renovation going. And there's people living out there right now.
- [35:36]
B
True.
- [35:37]
A
Okay. It is. It is functioning. It is really cool. We had a pumpkin patch out there for the community. Okay. Providing places for women that are coming out of abusive situation. Check.
- [35:50]
B
Yeah.
- [35:51]
A
30 plus people went through the TBRA program off the street for housing, substance abuse. Check. Check. Doing these things.
- [36:03]
Doing these things. 2024 weren't occurring.
- [36:08]
B
Right.
- [36:09]
A
And that's nothing negative. Okay. So then we just had a revelation. Not really. Is this true understanding of there's so much more that goes into this world and truly trying to change it?
- [36:27]
B
Yeah.
- [36:28]
A
It is not solely enough. There's a group, there's a camp that would be. Oh, as long as I'm just nice, that's all my responsibility. What does nice mean? I gave him a bottle of water.
- [36:42]
That is nice. Okay. But nice is different than caring.
- [36:50]
I can be nice to somebody I don't really like. I sit at meetings and I'm like, I'm nice to them. I care about somebody. But by trying to help them do better for themselves.
- [37:04]
B
Yeah.
- [37:04]
A
That's care. Nice and care are two very different words. So we kind of came here to understanding. Came. We do provide a meal. That's not going to change. We do that every day. We had Thanksgiving here. Magnificent. Okay. All the. We have a laundry service here. That has not. Like, we do laundry for everybody. We have showers for men, we have showers for women. We have a place for women to go. The well is a center that's just for women. The locker room is just for men. We have a music recording studio. We have a hygiene room. Okay. We have an art class. Okay. We have a garden. We have micro industries. All of these things are to provide true care for people. Okay. Out of that, that's why you would want people to have housing, why you would want these things. Okay. So you look at all of these things for 2025, and we can do this because we don't know how this meeting is going to go or not go, because this is going to come out after the meeting.
- [38:05]
B
True.
- [38:06]
A
Okay, so what is occurring today?
- [38:09]
B
Today we have a public hearing for the conversion of the property at Little Flock, which is currently owned by the city of Temple, to be used to address homelessness in our community. So our goal is to develop that property into a transformational campus for people experiencing homelessness that would include permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, and maybe some shelter space. Kind of on the fence about that, depending on insurance, but it would have a variety of housing choices nonetheless.
- [38:44]
A
Okay, so in it, I will tell you this. So that is occurring today at 3. We don't know.
- [38:50]
B
Right.
- [38:50]
A
There's, there's. We would like to believe the discussion will go well and we're going to move forward. We're going to move forward with that, whether it's that project or not. We're hoping it is.
- [39:00]
B
Yeah.
- [39:01]
A
Okay. Transformational campus must occur. But we're hoping that. But like, as you're hearing this, you're going, holy moly. 2026. If we were looking back, you're going to go, what? You started this campus here. You did this. Wow. What in the world? Also in 2026, we can say this game doesn't matter where.
- [39:23]
B
Yeah.
- [39:23]
A
Okay. What else do we have going in 2026?
- [39:30]
B
We are going to purchase some additional housing for women aside from the farm. It's been a learning process. I think everything that we do. Another real testament to your leadership is that we're not afraid to take chances, but we also try to learn from those experiences as well. And one of the things that we've learned about the farm is that it's wonderful and. And great for some, but not all. It's quite a distance away from town, and some folks are just not comfortable with the distance it is from.
- [40:12]
A
It's crazy to me. Like, I don't get it. It's Just different. Okay. Being out in the country in the quiet and the stillness is absolutely too much.
- [40:24]
B
Yeah. It's jarring.
- [40:26]
A
It's jarring. If you've only known the chaos of a downtown city type deal, even temple, we don't have much chaos of downtown. We still got.
- [40:36]
B
Right.
- [40:36]
A
If you're used to that world and this chaos and you go to something that's just quiet and too much. Yeah.
- [40:44]
B
You just want to come out of your skin.
- [40:45]
A
Apparently, that's it. And so we're like, okay, I love it. I'd live there and be the happiest ever. But we go. Not for everybody.
- [40:54]
B
Right.
- [40:55]
A
Some need to be a safe spot within, you know, close proximity to this other stuff, but safe away from this stuff.
- [41:05]
B
Yeah. And I think variety is really the key for everything that we try to accomplish here. Because we've got such a variety of people, we can't have a one size fits all solution just across the board. We have to have options. A large number of our population are struggling with severe mental illness, and that has its own set of. Of issues that. That kind of comes along with it. And I think that having a group home setting is really something that we. We must have that. That's got to be one of the tools in the toolbox or we're going to miss a segment of that population. It's just going to be another gap in services that will leave some people unserved or underserved. And I think that the goal is to try to make sure that that does not happen.
- [42:06]
A
Agreed? Yeah. Okay. And so out of this, you'd look and you go, what in the world?
- [42:17]
There's a whole lot of stuff that is going on here, and it comes from one single place, which is we simply say that people matter.
- [42:29]
B
People matter.
- [42:30]
A
They matter. Okay. I can't make people's decisions for them, nor do I want to. I make plenty of bad enough ones about my own life. Why would I go about making everybody else decisions when I can't even make them for me? Yeah, Okay. I can fight. I don't understand this world. And it's a dumb world that the people that we work with don't have a whole lot of voice. But for some reason, as stupid as it is, okay, I don't get it. They'll listen to Nancy. The world will listen to her and listen to her advocating on their behalf. Jeff can have meetings that our people can't have, and I can advocate on their behalf. I can fight for them even though they can't fight for themselves. And that's the space that we have found ourselves in.
- [43:25]
B
Yeah.
- [43:25]
A
And you're going, okay. And then for y' all out there, see, you'd look and you go. All of this.
- [43:33]
Transformation, lack of a better term is we're. We're.
- [43:39]
Not redefining because we will never. Our definition is we treat people with dignity and respect because they matter. That's our why. That will never change. That is. Why did you buy a farm? People matter. And women needed a place to go. How are you going to afford it? I don't know. Why do you have a Cafe Soleil that people can come and eat on the finest china? I don't know. Because people matter. They deserve that terrible business model. Okay, great. Thank you. Yay. Great. Why do you always have your cafe open? How do people matter? Why do you have a place for them to come wash their clothes? They matter. Then out of that, if I say they matter, then let's help. Let's find housing for them. Let's find these options that are not there. And then what's cool. Nancy has to listen to it others is there's very few places that you could look at. And let's just duplicate exactly what they're doing.
- [44:36]
B
Right.
- [44:37]
A
Because nobody's trying to do what we're trying to do here.
- [44:41]
Okay. So then you're out of that. We had a discussion earlier today. Is going.
- [44:47]
Huh?
- [44:49]
Belief and doing something that you're just duplicating. That's not faith. That's just confidence. They did it. I can do it. Who doesn't have confidence? But a lot of people don't have confidence. But I believe that we can do these things. Okay. And so out of that faith is the believing in things that are unseen.
- [45:12]
I don't know why everybody else believes this is not possible. I know it is possible. That's faith. Not because I can do anything. Because God desires us to be.
- [45:22]
B
Yeah.
- [45:22]
A
And so here everything is that noon. It's decent. We kind of defined here of in 2025. A whole lot. And then here's the crazy thing is all of this occurs and it should not occur. Even in the nonprofit world. It shouldn't occur. Okay. Should not happen. All of this happens and occurs because individual people support what goes on here and they desire it to be so.
- [45:51]
B
Yeah.
- [45:52]
A
We don't have some big mothership that's funding everything. We don't have all these giant grant money doing all this stuff. Okay. We don't have debt. I also believe in being good stewards of stuff. Okay. Nancy's trying to take that out of the mix. But.
- [46:10]
No, that's a joke. But so all of these things occur because people here in this community say, you know what, I matter too. In part of the solution.
- [46:22]
B
Every donor matters, every single dollar, every prayer that we get. And you know, I encourage the folks that I talk to. Even if you can't give, pray for us. We have just this enormous need and without God's providence.
- [46:46]
We'Re just not going to be able to accomplish any of it.
- [46:50]
A
As dumb as it sounds like, we can have all the money in the world we want and we're sitting pretty on that. If we are not aligned with God's desire and plan for what he wants for this world, we got money.
- [47:01]
B
Exactly. And I know you say it often, but.
- [47:07]
God has heard the cry of his people and I feel like we can look back at 2025 and definitively see what his answer is and what, how he's moving in this organization. And it is absolutely awe inspiring. It's something that I personally am inspired by and I want to be a part of to the point where I'm going to be in 2026. Looking forward to that.
- [47:33]
A
That's right.
- [47:35]
B
But at the end of the day, I know too that he does hear their cry. I have a bracelet on right now that was a gift from yr, one of our special ones. And she's my reminder. She's one that.
- [47:57]
Has been crying and that God has heard and that God has told me.
- [48:05]
That'S the one that you've got to fight for. If you can fight for that one, if you can win that one, you can win bigger ones than that.
- [48:17]
A
More than that on that one. Because we know why our.
- [48:24]
What's the most difficult deal in that whole process? Like as we sit here today because you and I both know when you seen her last, haven't. No.
- [48:34]
In the last.
- [48:36]
Thanksgiving.
- [48:37]
B
Yeah.
- [48:38]
A
Okay. So the last three or four days.
- [48:42]
Okay. So much difficulty can't make her. We can't force her to make any. So tough. But still, even though she can't fight for herself so. Well right now. Okay. Whether she knows it or not doesn't matter. Nancy's fighting and advocating and trying to help her in ways she doesn't even know. Probably won't take advantage of them either. Okay.
- [49:16]
And like that, it's a bizarre. It's just an interesting look into this world. She's got a mother 20 miles away that won't interject in the story. So.
- [49:27]
B
But I think, I think it's important as, as someone that also donates and you know, not just my time and, and that sort of thing, but monetarily. We're not always going to be able to see the fruit of our, of our, our gift. But I can promise you that there is fruit.
- [49:47]
A
Yeah, agreed.
- [49:48]
B
There is, there is positivity that comes with that. And if it's someone like yr, we may not see the fruit of that ever with her, but it will be seen with those that come after her. If we build housing for her, it will be available for people that are way higher functioning than her.
- [50:14]
A
The next 50 yrs will have a place.
- [50:16]
B
Yes.
- [50:18]
A
And so like out of that.
- [50:22]
And the beauty of all of this stuff that we're trying to do is.
- [50:28]
When it's all said and done, if it is done right, nobody will know who the people that really were that supported all of this and gave the money. Nobody will even know who Jeff and Nancy were. At some point, nobody will know about young Rachel. They will just see this magnificent thing and all they'll be able to say is, holy moly, look at this thing that God did. Yeah.
- [50:51]
That's all the name that will be remembered. And look at the love. This place is just different, as dumb as it sounds. And so it's kind, you know, and you look. But all of you out there, all of this to say is we do everything. And then I would say you, if you serve here, if you're part of this, our mission here at Feed My Sheep is, is not just to people that are homeless. We serve those people that are hungry, physically, spiritually and emotionally. That is our donors. That is the people that serve here. That is the people that get served here. That is the people that work here. Okay, everybody, we have realized we have an obligation to feed others.
- [51:39]
B
Yeah.
- [51:42]
A
And it's just not poor people we feed. Yeah. And so you look at that and you look at what God is doing in 2025 and.
- [51:55]
Hopefully we'll continue in 2026 of looking at our responsibility of caring for people and acknowledging the sentence of they matter.
- [52:07]
B
Yes.
- [52:10]
A
They matter. They're not irrelevant, they're not fixtures. To be sleeping next to a dumpster. That is not life abundantly. So kind of gives you a definition. I encourage you, if you're ever over here in temple, you know, go to the website, look at what we're trying to do here. Different.
- [52:31]
B
Come have lunch with us.
- [52:32]
A
Come have lunch.
- [52:33]
B
Yeah.
- [52:34]
A
Come to Caf Easley. Come to the cafe at the front. We're going to start calling the table in 2026. We're going to have a meal delivery program in 2026 where we're going to serve all the people in the community. Okay. So a lot is going on even here as we sit. We're not even touched. And what all we're going to do, you know, in 2026. Really excited about some of that. Zero waste at the restaurant. Okay. No food's going to get thrown away anymore in temple. Crazy concept. Like we will make amazing things out of stuff that the world says is just junk.
- [53:14]
B
Yeah.
- [53:16]
A
We're going to do it. Okay. And we're going to do this thing out of a process that should not work.
- [53:27]
So enough of that. We're going to get on with this. Hopefully this will be good to go because I'm getting a text from the police department that.
- [53:39]
I need to be down here.
- [53:40]
B
Are you going to go make something amazing out of something not so amazing?
- [53:43]
A
Well, somebody's not going to think this is so amazing.
- [53:47]
For the record on that. So we do appreciate everybody out there and just know today, we know full well that none of this, none of this that occurs here at Feed My Sheep could occur without people that passionately cared about other people in our community. Like you. Can't happen. No matter how bad we want it to, no matter how bad we desire it to, no matter how bad it's needed. It is about individual people caring.
- [54:19]
That simple. It's that simple. And we get a little glimpse. It's kind of nice to look and go, holy guacamole, look what can happen if just a tiny little section cares about this? Can you imagine if we get even more that care about what's going on? Unbelievable. Unbelievable. And it's going to happen. So we appreciate it. If you're listening to this, understand this, that you matter and all this stuff that we're talking about, you matter in it.
- [54:54]
It's that simple. So hopefully this works. Hopefully Isaac gets onto his 3D printing class. Hopefully there's not a any issue. And you're listening to this tomorrow, wherever tomorrow is in your world. And I hope you have a great day.
- [55:22]
Sam.