Lakewood Ranch's Mission in Motion delivers the goods to local charities

For the past three and a half years, a group of six women — all drivers of SUVs — have come together to provide for local people in need.

They pack their vehicles full with donations that are made up of anything from clothing and diapers to toys and baby blankets. 

Mission in Motion is a subgroup within Tuesday Live, a Bible study group at Harvest United Methodist Church. They work to provide both monetary and physical items to local charities. Faith Michael is the Mission in Motion team leader. 

“It's amazing to see how loving and generous all these ladies are,” Michael said. “There are over 100 of us involved in Tuesday Live, and (the Mission in Motion six) are just kind of the collectors of everything. It's so heartwarming to see what happens when we communicate a need.” 

For the upcoming Christmas holiday season, Mission in Motion did a toy drive. They requested wishlists from different organizations and were going to hang them on an angel tree. Before they could even put them on the tree, Tuesday Live members already had taken them.

“It shocks me, but we have a whole garage full of toys that we're going to have to sort and label by age and what child requested it,” Michael said. 

Photo by Madison Bierl

Although the holiday season tends always to be busy, Mission in Motion works year round to provide what they can. The organizations they are currently serving include Casey Cares, Hope Family Services, the School District of Manatee County, Mothers Helping Mothers, Our Next Mission, Safe Children Coalition, Turning Points and United Methodist Committee on Relief. 

“Every week at least two of our (SUVs) are packed to the gills,” Michael said. “We separate, sort, and send them out where they need to go.

Michael said one of their main focuses is to emphasize the importance of personal involvement and volunteerism in addition to giving physical gifts.

Mission in Motion's Debbie Apple is the point person to Mothers Helping Mothers and she regularly volunteers with that group. She said she feels as though she has been placed there for a reason to build relationships and see the impact that volunteering as well as donations make firsthand. She said maternity clothes and coats specifically have made an impact. 

Rose Marie Hartley, the Mission in Motion point person for Turning Points and other organizations that help the homeless, was fortunate to grow up in a giving family that inspired her to follow in their footsteps. She does her best to inspire others as well and enjoys seeing how happy the women are when they come together to donate either time or donations. 

“When the (Tuesday Live members) come and bring something, they don't just throw it in the basket,” Hartley said. “There is joy and they want to know where it is going to go. There is a pleasantness about getting to bring something for somebody.”

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Michael said she didn’t grow up in a family that was very giving, but now that she is comfortable, she is happy to donate anything she can.

“I realize that all that I have is a gift from God, and God says we're not to hoard those gifts,” Michael said. “We're to share them with other people and that makes me happy.” 

Judy Kirkpatrick is the treasurer of Mission in Motion and the point person to the nonprofit Our Next Mission, which provides support and housing to veterans. 

“A lot of times you don't know what’s happening behind the scenes,” Kirkpatrick said. “(The veterans being served) are living paycheck to paycheck and all it takes is one illness or something like that. That's what we’ve got to stress, is the needs don't go away.”

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Kirkpatrick said she has a special place in her heart for anything related to foster kids, as her father Charlie Hines grew up in an orphanage and aged out of the system. They donate toys, cash and other gifts to the Safe Children Coalition. 

“I know it is so important to these children who have lost so much to be able to call something their own,” Kirkpatrick said. 

One of the organizations they have supported in the past is Selah Freedom, which provides support for human trafficking victims. They have collected various items for them including bedding, linens, household goods, clothing, bathing items and baby care. 

“People live in conditions that I've never experienced and can't even imagine,” Michael said. “These people are sometimes hidden in shelters away from their abusers, and they have to start over with absolutely nothing.” 

Ruth Barker, a member of the Mission in Motion team that focuses on schools, said they are following God’s path.

“We see the needs of people here and around the world, so we're stretching out as far as we can go to support them,” Barker said. “We have the love in us to do those things.”

“Mission in Motion is always in motion,” Hartley said. “Always.”