Homeless Outreach Supplies Needed

Revolutionaries:

The Dirty Roots Revolution will spend this coming week playing host to a youth group from Columbia City, Indiana. They will stay in St. Louis and we will take them on a Homeless Outreach, hold various educational workshops in conjunction with several of our ‘partner’ organizations, and facilitate several service projects and awareness-raising activities for them.

In preparing for the Homeless Outreach we realized we have literally reached the end of our supply of toiletries and food.

We try not to publicly cry out for money or materials too frequently. We realize times are tight. But we are in need. More appropriately put, our homeless brothers and sisters in St. Louis are in need. And unfortunately, their numbers are on the rise once again. We are seeing larger groups, new faces, and for the first time since last fall, we’re seeing many, many, many homeless children once again.

This Thursday, July 8th, the youth group will join us in Greenville to finish up the renovation project at DRR HQ (615 East Oak St.).

We’d LOVE to take full advantage of all the energetic young hands we’ll have available to sort donations of Homeless Outreach supplies. Can you help us? A detailed list of needed items follows.

Items may be dropped off at 615 East Oak St. in Greenville, IL. Please place the items on the white shelf, located under the carport. To arrange for pick-up of items or for more information, contact us at info@dirtyrootsrevolution.com or call 618-267-5436.

Financial contributions are also accepted. (Please note financial contributions to the DRR are not yet recognized as tax-deductible gifts)

We need the following items:

TRAVEL SIZED TOILETRIES: Soap, disposable razors, shampoo/conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste/toothbrushes, lotion, and feminine hygiene products.

INDIVIDUALLY-WRAPPED, NON-PERISHABLE FOOD: Peanut butter or cheese crackers, beef jerky, raisins, tuna packets, tuna/chicken salad w/crackers, granola bars, etc.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS: Men’s and women’s socks, underwear, and T-shirts (Sizes L through 2XL)

WE DO NOT ACCEPT ANY MEDICATIONS, PERFUMES, OR MOUTH WASH. WE CANNOT HANDLE DONATIONS OF CLOTHING AT THIS TIME – PLEASE TAKE THOSE TO A THRIFT SHOP OR CHARITY OF YOUR CHOICE.

Here's to Another Year...

It was one year ago that I posted a note on Facebook announcing the official formation of the Dirty Roots Revolution.

At the time, a few folks were holding conversations about things we could do to make the world a better place. Three of us were taking occasional trips to St. Louis to hand out care packs to homeless people (8 was our record on a given trip). I had begun to speak about this “revolution” on my Dirty Roots Radio Show.

We had given it a name…the Dirty Roots Revolution, but it was more of a philosophy than a group.

And last July 3rd, I posted a note announcing that we were going to “get organized”.

We were going to do the Homeless Outreach every single Saturday. We were going to officially incorporate as a non-profit organization. We were going to make a difference.

I ended that note with these words: A revolution is coming. WE are the insurgents.

And one year later, not much has changed. But a lot has GROWN.

The Dirty Roots Revolution now serves about 120 homeless individuals in St. Louis every Saturday. We’ve been able to build relationships with many of these folks and are very proud to call them our friends.

We started the Generations Project, which brought several high school and college students into local nursing homes and retirement communities to visit with elderly residents there.

We’ve raised hundreds of dollars through our CHANGE the World program.

Thanks to the growth of the Dirty Roots Revolution and the magic of social networking, Dirty Roots Radio has people all over the world tuning in every Thursday night.

Social networking has also helped us spread our message, literally, across the globe. People in England; Brooklyn, New York; China; and many places in between have told us they believe in our cause and are taking similar actions in their communities.

We’ve been in touch with countless organizations in our region, our nation, and internationally who are taking small actions to change the world around them. We are truly part of a global movement of love.

With the help of a creative high school student we launched the 3.11 Project, a self-funding program where for every T-shirt someone buys, we donate an identical shirt to a homeless brother or sister.

We’ve been invited to share this message throughout our region and as far away as Kentucky, Ohio, and Minnesota.

College students in Iowa have asked us about starting a Dirty Roots Revolution chapter on their campus.

This week we move into the arena of planning weeklong mission trips for visiting youth groups.

This week we will also roll out our newest program: DRR for Kids.

One year ago we said a revolution was coming. Now, a revolution is HERE. And you made it happen. With your small and large contributions. With your gifts of encouragement and prayer. With your coins. With your crocheted hats we gave out in the winter. With your donations of toiletries and food. With the skills of your hands. With the food you made for our meetings. With the ideas you shared with us. With the greeting cards and pictures your children drew for homeless people. With the $1 proceeds your kids made at their lemonade stand. With the gift of an eye exam and glasses you gave to a homeless man with poor eyesight. With the funds you gave us to make sure a man on death’s door with diabetes could get a month’s worth of the medication he needed. With your regular visits to local nursing homes. Every time you paid for the meal of the man behind you in line in the drive through. With every smile, kind gesture, and warm greeting you gave someone.

There’s a revolution happening. You are making a difference. Small things DO matter.

We CAN change the world. Maybe thinking that way makes us crazy. We’re just crazy enough to try.

And so, on this one-year anniversary of the official launch of a new kind of revolution, I offer the following pledge on behalf of the Dirty Roots Revolution…our board of directors…our supporters…our sympathizers…and our fellow malcontents, co-conspirators, and insurgents:

This world is an imperfect and fallen place. And Heaven is our one true home. But we’re here on this earth for now. God created this earth and He said it was good. He made all people in His image. So, as long as our good Lord puts breath in our bodies and as long as He keeps this passion burning in our hearts, the Dirty Roots Revolution is and shall remain A THREAT TO APATHY EVERYWHERE.

Join the revolution.

REVOLUTION THROUGH COMMUNITY!

The Dirty Roots Revolution (DRR) will hold their second “Revolution through Community” gathering on Thursday evening, July 8th at 7 p.m. in the Family Life Center of the Greenville First Christian Church. The group hosts “Revolution through Community” events once per quarter, each in a different location.

“We at the DRR believe that being together, sharing together, learning together, creating together, is in and of itself a revolutionary act these days,” explained DRR Founder/Director Ryan Mifflin. “The point of this effort is to encourage community between churches and groups that may not otherwise gather together very often. We offer different activities at each gathering to encourage interaction and sharing. We also provide opportunities to learn about other organizations that are doing great work in this and other communities.”

The focus of Thursday’s event will be a highlight of a mission trip the DRR is facilitating this week (July 5-9) for a youth group from Columbia City, Indiana. “A mutual friend who follows the activity of the DRR on Facebook put them in contact with us,” said Mifflin. “They asked if we could facilitate a week-long mission trip for their group. We were thrilled to help them out. We are leading the group on one our Homeless Outreach trips and we have a variety of educational workshops scheduled, as well as various service projects. We are fortunate to be able to partner with International Crisis Aid, Project Restore, and Lots of Drops to make this event possible. These are like-minded organizations that we work with throughout the St. Louis area.

“At the event Thursday, we’ll share with the group some of what we did over the past week and we’ll invite some of the students to reflect on their experiences. We’re excited to hear how the week impacted them.”

The event is free to attend and everyone is encouraged to bring a dessert to share. Drinks are provided. Children and families are invited to create greeting cards, which will be used by the DRR on their weekly Homeless Outreach. Donations of snacks and toiletries to the Homeless Outreach can be made Thursday night, as well as contributions of coins to the group’s “CHANGE the World” project. Dirty Roots Revolution T-shirts and backpacks will be available for purchase.

“These meetings are always a good time,” said Mifflin. There’s music for everyone to enjoy, desserts to share, and lots of activities for everyone to do together. The kids love putting their coins in our “CHANGE the World” jug and families always have fun drawing the greeting cards. This really is just designed to be a fun time being together, to benefit a good cause.”

For information on Thursday night’s “Revolution through Community” event, contact Mifflin at info@dirtyrootsrevolution.com or 618.267.5436. For information on the Dirty Roots Revolution visit the group online at www.DirtyRootsRevolution.com or view their Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/DirtyRootsRevolution.

INFORMATION ON THE MISSION TRIP PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

International Crisis Aid (ICA) is a St. Louis based international relief and development non-profit established in 2000. ICA's programs have reached out to thousands of children and families in need around the world. They are best known for rescuing young girls from the international sex trafficking industry. According to ICA, 1.2 million children are trafficked every year and every two minutes a child is prepared for exploitation. The average age of a trafficked victim is 11 to 14 years. ICA will share information on the work they do during a workshop as part of the mission trip. For more information, visit www.CrisisAid.org.

Project Restore is a humanitarian development and relief agency that supports, rehabilitates and enhances the quality of life and well being of individuals and communities across the world. Their areas of focus include clean water, education, hunger, and healthcare. The students on the mission trip will be presented with information on Project Restore and their efforts and will spend a day sorting textbooks for overseas distribution by the organization. For information on Project Restore, visit www.Project-Restore.org.

Lots of Drops is an informational organization founded by Dirty Roots Revolution volunteer and recent Greenville College graduate Catherine Weyers. Weyers compiled the website www.LotsOfDrops.org as the culmination of her departmental honors research on the Church’s response to the international water crisis. She became interested in this topic when she heard the statistic that every 10-15 seconds, a child dies from a water-related illness. Weyers will present information on the global clean water crisis and lead the group on a “Water Walk”. As part of the water walk, the group will walk one to two miles to the Mississippi River, where everyone will fill two water jugs and carry them back another one or two miles. The average person who lacks clean water must walk four to six miles to access water. One gallon of water weighs eight pounds and the average trip involves carrying 30 to 40 pounds worth of water. Young girls are typically responsible for carrying the water for their family and are unable to attend school because of this responsibility.