WEBVTT 00:00:08.720 --> 00:00:11.759 Hey guys Matt major with good news York. We are 00:00:11.759 --> 00:00:15.140 back again with another incredible episode We 00:00:15.140 --> 00:00:18.579 have been jam -packed with all kinds of crazy 00:00:18.579 --> 00:00:23.879 things the last couple of weeks if you saw any 00:00:23.879 --> 00:00:25.640 of our episodes last week, you might have seen 00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:28.399 that we were at the brand new Taco Bell Cantina 00:00:28.399 --> 00:00:31.920 in Manlius and Spoiler alert. We're going back 00:00:31.920 --> 00:00:34.799 for the actual grand opening. So keep an eye 00:00:34.799 --> 00:00:40.130 out for even more taco content coming up soon, 00:00:40.869 --> 00:00:42.770 because it's the most exciting thing happening 00:00:42.770 --> 00:00:46.170 around town here, at least this week. We've got 00:00:46.170 --> 00:00:48.229 all kinds of other incredible things. Mike's 00:00:48.229 --> 00:00:50.469 got some great interviews lined up, but he's 00:00:50.469 --> 00:00:53.310 been doing such a great job that I figured I'd 00:00:53.310 --> 00:00:55.810 let him take the morning off here and do one 00:00:55.810 --> 00:01:00.909 myself. Joining me is a gentleman that we almost 00:01:00.909 --> 00:01:05.510 got our start in the same spot temporarily. in 00:01:05.510 --> 00:01:09.310 a cool little space in downtown Syracuse. But 00:01:09.310 --> 00:01:12.069 let's jump to it, man. Go ahead and introduce 00:01:12.069 --> 00:01:14.049 yourself. Tell folks what you do. Yeah, sure. 00:01:14.329 --> 00:01:15.569 First and foremost, I just want to say thank 00:01:15.569 --> 00:01:17.390 you so much for having me here. Absolutely. We 00:01:17.390 --> 00:01:20.150 appreciate this. My name is Alame Muhammad. I'm 00:01:20.150 --> 00:01:23.030 the executive director of We Rise Above the Streets 00:01:23.030 --> 00:01:25.390 Recovery Outreach. We Rise Above the Streets 00:01:25.390 --> 00:01:27.670 Recovery Outreach is a nonprofit organization 00:01:27.670 --> 00:01:29.790 that goes out and feed the homeless and food 00:01:29.790 --> 00:01:32.790 and take care of family. Wow. That's incredible. 00:01:33.879 --> 00:01:36.939 We've been hearing a lot, obviously, lately about 00:01:36.939 --> 00:01:39.659 folks who are hungry and in need of all kinds 00:01:39.659 --> 00:01:41.900 of things. So, obviously, it's applicable, but 00:01:41.900 --> 00:01:44.439 I think we should back up a little bit because 00:01:44.439 --> 00:01:46.819 this isn't a new thing. You're not jumping in 00:01:46.819 --> 00:01:48.579 because of this current crisis, right? You've 00:01:48.579 --> 00:01:51.400 been in this work for quite a while, right? Yes, 00:01:51.400 --> 00:01:54.760 10 years now. Wow. As a matter of fact, our anniversary 00:01:54.760 --> 00:01:57.819 was two weeks ago. Wow. And we had it at Samuel 00:01:57.819 --> 00:01:59.859 Saturday. This is an event that we host every 00:01:59.859 --> 00:02:03.010 Saturday, every Saturday of the whole year. and 00:02:03.010 --> 00:02:05.989 we had a lot of people there came and congratulated 00:02:05.989 --> 00:02:10.469 us and gave a lot of gifts as well. We Rise above 00:02:10.469 --> 00:02:14.710 the Street has been running since 2014, the city 00:02:14.710 --> 00:02:18.750 of Syracuse. And since I've been in the city 00:02:18.750 --> 00:02:20.789 of Syracuse, we've served a lot of people. We've 00:02:20.789 --> 00:02:23.590 been passed out at least 50 ,000 sack lunches, 00:02:23.830 --> 00:02:27.389 90 ,000 men, women, and children, hats, gloves, 00:02:27.750 --> 00:02:32.020 and coats as well. Wow. Yes. What? What brought 00:02:32.020 --> 00:02:34.680 you here? How'd you get inspired to even do this 00:02:34.680 --> 00:02:37.020 sort of work? Yeah, sure, sure. So I was born 00:02:37.020 --> 00:02:40.219 and raised in Chicago, Illinois. My parents from 00:02:40.219 --> 00:02:43.439 Haiti, died in Haiti. So they came to America 00:02:43.439 --> 00:02:47.599 back in the 70s, and they moved to Chicago, and 00:02:47.599 --> 00:02:51.219 they had me, the first son, and they had my two 00:02:51.219 --> 00:02:54.500 sisters as well. So my parents was a great, great, 00:02:54.500 --> 00:02:56.979 great parent. All they do was want to work. They 00:02:56.979 --> 00:02:59.960 used to teach us to work hard, to always be kind. 00:03:00.189 --> 00:03:02.969 and go to school and pursue your education. So 00:03:02.969 --> 00:03:05.770 my father, he was a strong, strong, strong man. 00:03:06.270 --> 00:03:08.789 He used to take me like, I like basketball. He 00:03:08.789 --> 00:03:10.310 took me to a lot of basketball games. I used 00:03:10.310 --> 00:03:12.509 to go fishing with him, and he used to teach 00:03:12.509 --> 00:03:15.789 me the tradition of his country, and taught me 00:03:15.789 --> 00:03:18.069 the languages and everything else. My mom was 00:03:18.069 --> 00:03:21.409 like more comfort with me, you know, always sticking 00:03:21.409 --> 00:03:24.689 up for me, and always cooking for me, and teach 00:03:24.689 --> 00:03:26.550 me how to cook as well, because she always tell 00:03:26.550 --> 00:03:28.500 me that one day. You might not have no woman 00:03:28.500 --> 00:03:30.379 with you, so I'm going to teach you how to cook 00:03:30.379 --> 00:03:33.719 and clean and everything else. That's fair. So 00:03:33.719 --> 00:03:38.460 it was a moment I noticed my parents was having 00:03:38.460 --> 00:03:41.580 a like, difficult in their marriage. And I saw 00:03:41.580 --> 00:03:44.639 a lot of abuse in my household as well, and they 00:03:44.639 --> 00:03:47.599 got divorced. So what happened as I got older, 00:03:47.939 --> 00:03:52.060 I was so used to both love for both parents. 00:03:52.300 --> 00:03:54.300 And I'm going to highlight that because that's 00:03:54.300 --> 00:03:56.180 something that's very important that everybody 00:03:56.180 --> 00:03:58.360 need to hear because that's what's going on as 00:03:58.360 --> 00:04:00.340 we're speaking today with the youth in our community. 00:04:01.060 --> 00:04:06.479 So when they got divorced, my mom fled and left. 00:04:07.780 --> 00:04:11.240 And we moved to the North Side of Chicago. All 00:04:11.240 --> 00:04:13.599 this is placed in Chicago. So as we was in the 00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:16.620 North Side of Chicago, it felt kind of weird, 00:04:16.939 --> 00:04:20.360 strange, sad at once. Because I was so used to 00:04:20.360 --> 00:04:23.180 my father's love and my mother's love, not just 00:04:23.180 --> 00:04:26.660 one love. Sure. So what would happen, I was going 00:04:26.660 --> 00:04:29.000 to school. As I got older, I was going to school, 00:04:29.100 --> 00:04:31.620 going to high school. And I was searching for 00:04:31.620 --> 00:04:33.879 that same love. I was very, very desperate trying 00:04:33.879 --> 00:04:36.660 to find that love. And I actually found it. And 00:04:36.660 --> 00:04:39.420 I found it in a gang. And that's when I joined 00:04:39.420 --> 00:04:42.959 one of the biggest gangs in the city of Chicago, 00:04:43.139 --> 00:04:48.379 the Gangster Disciples. Wow. What? So... Clearly, 00:04:48.740 --> 00:04:50.839 you're not in Chicago, and I'm guessing you're 00:04:50.839 --> 00:04:54.399 not a member of the gang anymore. How did that 00:04:54.399 --> 00:04:56.480 come? Obviously, you found a home in that, which 00:04:56.480 --> 00:04:58.259 I think is a common story. I think it's probably 00:04:58.259 --> 00:05:00.939 why a lot of those gangs exist, right? Yes. A 00:05:00.939 --> 00:05:03.939 very similar story. But typically, you hear you 00:05:03.939 --> 00:05:07.000 don't get out of those things. How did you do 00:05:07.000 --> 00:05:10.980 that? So as I got older, and I was part of the 00:05:10.980 --> 00:05:14.800 Gangster Disciple, I started putting a mask on. 00:05:15.220 --> 00:05:17.850 I started being someone that I wasn't. I lost 00:05:17.850 --> 00:05:22.769 my identity. And I started selling drugs, going 00:05:22.769 --> 00:05:24.910 in and out of jail. And as I was going to jail, 00:05:25.050 --> 00:05:27.250 getting out, I felt I was getting more powerful. 00:05:27.870 --> 00:05:31.029 And I ended up becoming one of the biggest leaders 00:05:31.029 --> 00:05:32.670 in the city of Chicago. I can speak about that 00:05:32.670 --> 00:05:35.509 now because all the cases has been thrown away. 00:05:36.730 --> 00:05:42.490 So I was one of the biggest gang leaders in Chicago. 00:05:43.509 --> 00:05:46.259 I sold a lot of bricks of cocaine. you know, 00:05:47.220 --> 00:05:49.540 had millions and millions and thousands of dollars 00:05:49.540 --> 00:05:52.699 and dollars in the city of Chicago. Wow. And 00:05:52.699 --> 00:05:56.980 a lot of harmful words was coming towards me 00:05:56.980 --> 00:05:58.399 because when you're in the gang, you're a leader. 00:05:58.759 --> 00:06:01.160 A lot of people want to take your life, you know. 00:06:01.240 --> 00:06:05.740 Sure. So as I got real, real strong and against 00:06:05.740 --> 00:06:09.740 a disciple, I got shot the first time ever. And 00:06:09.740 --> 00:06:12.360 I was in a coma for about two months. And as 00:06:12.360 --> 00:06:15.019 I got out, Being shot and it's probably kind 00:06:15.019 --> 00:06:16.720 of sounds strange, but it's gonna make sense 00:06:16.720 --> 00:06:20.019 at the end of the story Yeah, I got more powerful 00:06:20.019 --> 00:06:22.480 like, you know got more recognition everything 00:06:22.480 --> 00:06:27.399 else. So um I was living in fear every day when 00:06:27.399 --> 00:06:30.060 I got out and I started making a lot of money 00:06:30.060 --> 00:06:33.040 and then there's one incident Happened again 00:06:33.040 --> 00:06:35.800 at a night like I shot the second time but this 00:06:35.800 --> 00:06:38.740 time I got shot like seven times Holy shit and 00:06:38.740 --> 00:06:42.000 lived through that as well That's incredible. 00:06:42.279 --> 00:06:47.730 Yes Is that, after that situation, is that what 00:06:47.730 --> 00:06:50.230 made you decide maybe this isn't the way to go? 00:06:50.290 --> 00:06:55.490 Is that what made you turn the page? So I got 00:06:55.490 --> 00:06:59.149 caught up, and I said I wanted to go to Atlanta. 00:07:00.089 --> 00:07:03.389 Went to Atlanta, and I was going to change my 00:07:03.389 --> 00:07:07.129 life, right? Because the last time I got locked 00:07:07.129 --> 00:07:09.790 up in Chicago, it was like going on back in the 00:07:09.790 --> 00:07:14.839 90s. and early 90s and probably 95, 96 when it 00:07:14.839 --> 00:07:16.339 got all this Rick Colossal coming out there. 00:07:16.360 --> 00:07:18.899 So I got out of jail and I told myself, I've 00:07:18.899 --> 00:07:21.500 been blessed. So I had a second chance. So I 00:07:21.500 --> 00:07:24.120 moved to Atlanta with a friend and my goal was 00:07:24.120 --> 00:07:27.939 to go get a job, live a productive life and try 00:07:27.939 --> 00:07:31.939 to like stay clean. But that didn't happen. So 00:07:31.939 --> 00:07:34.680 when I got to Atlanta, Atlanta was like the lime 00:07:34.680 --> 00:07:37.300 life. Started making money. A lot of people respected 00:07:37.300 --> 00:07:39.100 people in Chicago, especially the gang I was 00:07:39.100 --> 00:07:41.639 in. And guess what I did? I went right back and 00:07:41.639 --> 00:07:45.220 sold drugs again. Wow. So this time was really 00:07:45.220 --> 00:07:47.759 kind of horrifying because when it comes to the 00:07:47.759 --> 00:07:49.860 South, in cities like New York and Chicago, the 00:07:49.860 --> 00:07:52.240 laws are different. Sure. So when I started selling 00:07:52.240 --> 00:07:54.839 drugs out there, when I started recruiting people 00:07:54.839 --> 00:07:57.720 and everything else, I ended up getting locked 00:07:57.720 --> 00:08:01.540 up, got caught with more bricks of cocaine, and 00:08:01.540 --> 00:08:03.899 got incarcerated in DeKalb County in Atlanta, 00:08:03.899 --> 00:08:07.560 Georgia. Wow. So at that moment right then, I 00:08:07.560 --> 00:08:10.910 realized that I was sick and tired. It was a 00:08:10.910 --> 00:08:13.689 moment, it took me like 30 something years to 00:08:13.689 --> 00:08:17.790 be sick and tired. And I knew that I gave up. 00:08:17.930 --> 00:08:21.829 I was like, man, I'm just tired. So when I was 00:08:21.829 --> 00:08:26.149 locked up, I had a cellmate and he can't wake 00:08:26.149 --> 00:08:28.110 me up because when I first got there I kept sleeping 00:08:28.110 --> 00:08:30.389 and sleeping because I was not used to the system 00:08:30.389 --> 00:08:32.330 in the South because it was gotten horrible. 00:08:32.929 --> 00:08:36.590 It's different from cities because you got control 00:08:36.590 --> 00:08:40.490 in city jails in the South, the guards. have 00:08:40.490 --> 00:08:44.269 the control of the jail system. So when I was 00:08:44.269 --> 00:08:46.029 locked up, I kept sleeping, sleeping, sleeping. 00:08:46.769 --> 00:08:51.210 So my cellmate kept wondering if I was OK. And 00:08:51.210 --> 00:08:52.730 I kept cussing him out telling him, leave me 00:08:52.730 --> 00:08:55.529 alone. He was praying all the time, like praying 00:08:55.529 --> 00:08:56.889 all the time. I was wondering what he was doing. 00:08:56.929 --> 00:08:58.710 I was disrespecting him, telling him I don't 00:08:58.710 --> 00:09:01.490 want to hear that, and everything else. So I 00:09:01.490 --> 00:09:04.450 noticed something beautiful happen in the three 00:09:04.450 --> 00:09:07.529 weeks I was in there. I noticed that the mask 00:09:07.529 --> 00:09:11.509 was coming off my face slowly but surely. I started 00:09:11.509 --> 00:09:14.730 finding out the gifts about me. I just realized 00:09:14.730 --> 00:09:16.590 I got a good smile when I was in there. Because 00:09:16.590 --> 00:09:18.490 in Chicago, you don't smile. Everybody's miserable 00:09:18.490 --> 00:09:22.289 out there in Chicago. So I was looking at myself 00:09:22.289 --> 00:09:23.450 in the mirror. I said, well, I got a beautiful 00:09:23.450 --> 00:09:27.600 smile. Then I was working in a field. they was 00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:29.100 planting a lot of flowers. Can you believe that 00:09:29.100 --> 00:09:31.259 I was planting flowers? I teach people how to 00:09:31.259 --> 00:09:32.919 grow flowers. That's wild. Yeah, you know what 00:09:32.919 --> 00:09:34.980 I'm saying? You know, I'm a gangster teaching 00:09:34.980 --> 00:09:40.240 people how to plant flowers. You know, so as 00:09:40.240 --> 00:09:42.320 I was doing all that, I started finding a lot 00:09:42.320 --> 00:09:44.679 of gifts about me. And I started reading, started 00:09:44.679 --> 00:09:46.559 doing a lot of writing. And I forgot to mention 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:48.639 I was a ninth grade dropout, so I got my GED 00:09:48.639 --> 00:09:51.519 in prison and started doing a lot of learning 00:09:51.519 --> 00:09:55.080 about myself and getting into education and everything 00:09:55.080 --> 00:10:01.460 else. So, as I started communicating with my 00:10:01.460 --> 00:10:05.259 celly, he was so kind, you know, and very respectful 00:10:05.259 --> 00:10:08.779 to me. And I was very respectful to him. And 00:10:08.779 --> 00:10:13.440 he was telling me, he was telling me that, sorry 00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:19.559 about that. He was telling me. It's falling. 00:10:19.759 --> 00:10:21.320 Can you carry this in there? Yeah, yeah, you're 00:10:21.320 --> 00:10:24.700 good. Okay, okay. So he was telling me. He was 00:10:24.700 --> 00:10:28.460 telling me, Alameen, I see you be looking at 00:10:28.460 --> 00:10:30.820 pictures every time mail come, you get pictures 00:10:30.820 --> 00:10:33.600 coming in. And I was wondering, is that your 00:10:33.600 --> 00:10:35.340 daughters? I said, yes, my daughters. I said, 00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:37.740 why you ask? And he's like, I got something to 00:10:37.740 --> 00:10:40.460 ask you. And there's no disrespecting. He was 00:10:40.460 --> 00:10:42.600 like, what legacy would you leave if something 00:10:42.600 --> 00:10:44.659 happened in your day? What legacy you would leave 00:10:44.659 --> 00:10:47.340 for your kids? And that question really hit me 00:10:47.340 --> 00:10:49.960 hard, because I knew I had no legacy. No legacy 00:10:49.960 --> 00:10:52.580 at all. The only legacy I had was like committing 00:10:52.580 --> 00:10:58.029 crimes. hurting people, doing wrong. So I was 00:10:58.029 --> 00:11:01.950 getting interested in him and learned about him, 00:11:01.990 --> 00:11:04.970 and I found out that he was a part of Islam. 00:11:05.350 --> 00:11:08.009 He was Muslim. And I told myself that I want 00:11:08.009 --> 00:11:11.970 to learn a little more about it, because for 00:11:11.970 --> 00:11:14.549 a person like him to be so kind and so patient, 00:11:15.149 --> 00:11:17.990 I want to know what made him like that. And I 00:11:17.990 --> 00:11:21.669 ended up becoming Muslim in there. So when I 00:11:21.669 --> 00:11:25.509 became Muslim, I found out that that peace finally 00:11:25.509 --> 00:11:27.710 hit me. I finally knew the definition of peace. 00:11:28.289 --> 00:11:31.090 And I knew my court date was coming up, and I 00:11:31.090 --> 00:11:32.990 knew I was going to be faced like 20 plus years. 00:11:33.389 --> 00:11:37.149 But you know what? To be honest with you, and 00:11:37.149 --> 00:11:39.250 a lot of people can't say this, I was ready to 00:11:39.250 --> 00:11:41.769 get them years, because I was at peace. Whatever 00:11:41.769 --> 00:11:44.669 they gave me, I was just ready. So I went to 00:11:44.669 --> 00:11:47.169 court that morning, and I ended up finding out 00:11:47.169 --> 00:11:50.169 that my case got dropped. and they gave me 10 00:11:50.169 --> 00:11:53.009 years probation, I walked out the door. Ended 00:11:53.009 --> 00:11:54.789 up finding out, my lawyer told me that because 00:11:54.789 --> 00:11:57.049 the apartment was not under my name, it was under 00:11:57.049 --> 00:12:00.950 somebody else's name, and they got charged with 00:12:00.950 --> 00:12:06.389 it. So I had a second, matter of fact, probably 00:12:06.389 --> 00:12:09.610 25 chances now, my 35th chance to get out. So 00:12:09.610 --> 00:12:12.289 when I got out, when I got out, so excited when 00:12:12.289 --> 00:12:14.629 I got out, I'm about to get me a job this time, 00:12:14.649 --> 00:12:17.070 serious, and I knew this was going to work because 00:12:17.939 --> 00:12:20.139 Like I was telling you earlier, I found my identity, 00:12:20.179 --> 00:12:23.799 who I was. So I got out, but it didn't happen 00:12:23.799 --> 00:12:26.960 like that too quick. I became homeless. I became 00:12:26.960 --> 00:12:28.820 chronic homeless, started eating out of garbage 00:12:28.820 --> 00:12:31.419 cans, started sleeping on the park benches and 00:12:31.419 --> 00:12:33.899 abandoned buildings. They wanted to go back in 00:12:33.899 --> 00:12:36.059 the streets, trying to get services. It was hard 00:12:36.059 --> 00:12:38.919 to get services. I had to go to the shelters 00:12:38.919 --> 00:12:40.820 at a certain time. If I didn't make it at time, 00:12:40.840 --> 00:12:43.659 I was going to sleep outside. So for 10 years, 00:12:43.820 --> 00:12:46.000 it was like trying to get ID, trying to find 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:48.269 side jobs, trying to find food. trying to find 00:12:48.269 --> 00:12:50.750 clothes constantly, constantly over the 10 years. 00:12:51.590 --> 00:12:53.610 And then one day somebody told me about this 00:12:53.610 --> 00:12:57.210 self -sufficient class, where they find you jobs 00:12:57.210 --> 00:12:59.830 and housing, can get you clean and everything 00:12:59.830 --> 00:13:01.750 else. So I went up there and signed up and there 00:13:01.750 --> 00:13:04.269 was a guy named Mr. Santos. He was a caseworker 00:13:04.269 --> 00:13:06.809 slash social worker. And he was telling me, keep 00:13:06.809 --> 00:13:10.210 coming up there, because then a lot of homeless 00:13:10.210 --> 00:13:12.750 people didn't have phones. So we had to come 00:13:12.750 --> 00:13:15.029 up there and check out a name on the list. He 00:13:15.029 --> 00:13:18.179 was on the top five on the list. you could come 00:13:18.179 --> 00:13:21.440 in, into this program. So I kept coming, and 00:13:21.440 --> 00:13:23.519 coming, and coming, and coming, and my name was 00:13:23.519 --> 00:13:28.220 like 20, 19, it was going too slow. So one day, 00:13:29.320 --> 00:13:31.460 I was on my way up there, I was waiting for the 00:13:31.460 --> 00:13:37.279 bus, and some told me, and I'll be honest with 00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:39.759 you man, I never shared this, it's my second 00:13:39.759 --> 00:13:43.139 time sharing, I shared this in my book, that 00:13:43.139 --> 00:13:45.559 night I was going to commit suicide, I was tired. 00:13:46.259 --> 00:13:49.919 I was tired. I ain't done finding a weapon, right? 00:13:49.919 --> 00:13:51.639 I knew what I was going to do and I was walking 00:13:51.639 --> 00:13:54.620 to the location. And as I was walking to the 00:13:54.620 --> 00:13:58.480 location, a car pulled up. A car pulled up right 00:13:58.480 --> 00:14:00.659 in front of me. And guess who was in the car? 00:14:01.179 --> 00:14:04.460 It was Mr. Santos. Really? So I was telling myself, 00:14:04.519 --> 00:14:07.580 I was like, I'm in the big city of Atlanta, Georgia. 00:14:08.539 --> 00:14:12.799 And I was going to end my life. And coincidentally, 00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:15.340 I just ride up. and tell me, get in the car, 00:14:15.399 --> 00:14:17.539 because my name was on top of that list. Wow. 00:14:17.740 --> 00:14:19.559 So I got in the car with him. And it was kind 00:14:19.559 --> 00:14:21.340 of funny, because years went by when I got myself 00:14:21.340 --> 00:14:22.679 together. I told him, you know, I had a weapon 00:14:22.679 --> 00:14:27.259 in the car. He's like, what? I was like, yeah, 00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:28.500 you know, I got to tell him the whole story. 00:14:28.639 --> 00:14:33.059 You know what I'm saying? So we went to the Self 00:14:33.059 --> 00:14:35.720 -Sufficiency Program. And as we got in, he was 00:14:35.720 --> 00:14:37.779 telling me, Alameed, I'm going to talk to you 00:14:37.779 --> 00:14:42.759 Monday morning. And share with me, how can we 00:14:42.759 --> 00:14:46.360 help you? and tell me, um, sharing your story, 00:14:46.480 --> 00:14:47.860 and we can take it from there. But for right 00:14:47.860 --> 00:14:50.059 now, it was Memorial Weekend, and this is why 00:14:50.059 --> 00:14:52.240 Memorial Weekend is so important, uh, for this 00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:54.480 organization, because we have the biggest cookout 00:14:54.480 --> 00:14:57.240 in the Syracuse for the homeless and food insecure 00:14:57.240 --> 00:15:01.580 family, downtown Syracuse. So, um, so I'm at 00:15:01.580 --> 00:15:03.039 this shelter. I'm waiting until Monday morning. 00:15:03.580 --> 00:15:06.179 I'm taking a shower, and I finally ate out of 00:15:06.179 --> 00:15:08.600 a real plate, brother. You know, this is something 00:15:08.600 --> 00:15:11.240 that we not, we don't have gratitude. We don't 00:15:11.240 --> 00:15:13.080 pay attention to something like this. You know, 00:15:13.320 --> 00:15:15.159 eating out of my hands, eating out of styrofoam 00:15:15.159 --> 00:15:17.899 plates and paper plates. And I finally seen a 00:15:17.899 --> 00:15:19.980 plate and I stared at the plate for like, for 00:15:19.980 --> 00:15:22.779 like 10 seconds. Stared at the plate like for 00:15:22.779 --> 00:15:25.059 10 seconds, right, smiling. It was like, it was 00:15:25.059 --> 00:15:27.720 like a holiday. Somebody gave me a gift. I hold 00:15:27.720 --> 00:15:31.480 the spoon and seeing the spark of the spoon and 00:15:31.480 --> 00:15:33.980 the feeling of the spoon not touching something 00:15:33.980 --> 00:15:35.860 plastic, not eating out of my hand, it was one 00:15:35.860 --> 00:15:38.799 of the best moments of my life. Then I finally 00:15:38.799 --> 00:15:40.860 slept in the bed, but it was kind of difficult. 00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:42.580 for me to sleep in the bed, because it's something 00:15:42.580 --> 00:15:45.179 that a lot of homeless people go through when 00:15:45.179 --> 00:15:47.000 they overcome homelessness, when they sleep on 00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:49.399 the ground. So me sleeping on the ground, so 00:15:49.399 --> 00:15:52.139 that long, I was in fear to sleep in the bed. 00:15:52.759 --> 00:15:54.379 So it was another young lady who was working 00:15:54.379 --> 00:15:56.919 at the center. She kept guiding me to my bed 00:15:56.919 --> 00:15:59.980 every night to make sure I was okay. So Monday 00:15:59.980 --> 00:16:05.159 morning here, I go to Mrs. Santos' office. And 00:16:05.159 --> 00:16:08.600 Mrs. Santos told me to have a seat. And I shared 00:16:08.600 --> 00:16:11.350 my story with Mrs. Santos. Like I shared my story 00:16:11.350 --> 00:16:14.049 to you, my beautiful brother, and everybody that's 00:16:14.049 --> 00:16:18.970 watching. Mr. Santos looked at me, and he was 00:16:18.970 --> 00:16:21.889 like, Alameen, what you just shared to me was 00:16:21.889 --> 00:16:24.450 very horrifying. And I'm so sorry you had to 00:16:24.450 --> 00:16:26.889 go do this. And one day, you're going to help 00:16:26.889 --> 00:16:29.629 a lot of people. Never let no one tell you you 00:16:29.629 --> 00:16:32.090 can't cheat enough in their life. I see greatness 00:16:32.090 --> 00:16:35.330 in you. And one day, you're going to share your 00:16:35.330 --> 00:16:36.990 story, and you're going to help a lot of people 00:16:36.990 --> 00:16:39.669 around this world. So he came a little closer 00:16:39.669 --> 00:16:44.269 to me. And nobody had ever embraced me like that, 00:16:44.269 --> 00:16:46.809 because I left my father years ago. He came a 00:16:46.809 --> 00:16:48.370 little closer to me, he hugged me, kissed me 00:16:48.370 --> 00:16:50.809 in my cheek, and told me three words. And it's 00:16:50.809 --> 00:16:52.690 the three words that we need to hear right now 00:16:52.690 --> 00:16:54.929 at this moment what this world is going through. 00:16:55.549 --> 00:16:57.429 And people take these three words kind of lightly. 00:16:58.230 --> 00:17:01.230 And these three words change a young man who 00:17:01.230 --> 00:17:03.330 been through gang violence, who been in and out 00:17:03.330 --> 00:17:06.109 of prison, saw horrified things, who sold drugs, 00:17:06.450 --> 00:17:10.190 lived a gang life. Right? Fat lonely, about to 00:17:10.190 --> 00:17:13.109 commit suicide. And this man said three words 00:17:13.109 --> 00:17:15.970 that changed my life. You know what three words 00:17:15.970 --> 00:17:25.150 was? I love you. I love you. I love you. And 00:17:25.150 --> 00:17:28.190 gave me a hug. That's awesome. And I lift out 00:17:28.190 --> 00:17:31.769 that door, and that's what I did. I'm gonna strive 00:17:31.769 --> 00:17:39.180 for great. Wow. That's incredible. We don't need 00:17:39.180 --> 00:17:44.240 no tissue, dude. At least there's onions, something. 00:17:44.420 --> 00:17:47.779 I don't know what's happening here. That's crazy. 00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:55.099 Let me ask you this, and maybe it's not as dramatic. 00:17:55.180 --> 00:17:58.059 I don't know, but you're down in Atlanta. Now 00:17:58.059 --> 00:17:59.839 you're here in Syracuse with this awesome organization. 00:17:59.940 --> 00:18:02.099 How'd you find your way up north here? Yeah, 00:18:02.099 --> 00:18:05.319 sure. So as I was at the Self -Sufficient Program, 00:18:06.389 --> 00:18:09.869 Ms. Santos, she was my mentor. So I got my addiction 00:18:09.869 --> 00:18:12.450 counselor. I went back to school, went to Emory 00:18:12.450 --> 00:18:15.430 College. I got my associate degree. And I started 00:18:15.430 --> 00:18:19.049 meeting community leaders. Ed Lauren, if anybody 00:18:19.049 --> 00:18:20.950 get a chance, you can Google open door community. 00:18:21.609 --> 00:18:23.410 He used to be in Atlanta. He had Baltimore. He 00:18:23.410 --> 00:18:25.950 was one of the biggest activists in the city 00:18:25.950 --> 00:18:27.490 of Atlanta. He marched for Martin Luther King 00:18:27.490 --> 00:18:29.930 and everything else. But he was not an African 00:18:29.930 --> 00:18:32.930 American. He was white, but he was so strong 00:18:32.930 --> 00:18:35.359 about fighting for... hunger and everything else. 00:18:35.500 --> 00:18:37.319 Him and his wife. And his wife just passed away. 00:18:37.380 --> 00:18:39.440 That's what my book is dedicated to her because 00:18:39.440 --> 00:18:42.359 they both had a mentor in me. So I started meeting 00:18:42.359 --> 00:18:44.940 a lot of powerful people and Lauren taught me 00:18:44.940 --> 00:18:46.680 how to run a nonprofit and everything else. So 00:18:46.680 --> 00:18:49.619 one day I was on Facebook and I met a young lady 00:18:49.619 --> 00:18:53.019 on Facebook and then we hit it off and then we 00:18:53.019 --> 00:18:54.319 was going to meet up. She said she's staying 00:18:54.319 --> 00:18:56.359 in Syracuse. I was like, what is that? That's 00:18:56.359 --> 00:18:58.240 a high school. That's a college. I was like, 00:18:58.319 --> 00:18:59.779 come on Anthony. She said no, I was asking you 00:18:59.779 --> 00:19:01.900 to see it. I was like, you know come from Chicago. 00:19:02.430 --> 00:19:05.069 I'm like, Syracuse is a city? That's how it go. 00:19:05.329 --> 00:19:06.750 I'm looking at the computer. I was like, well, 00:19:06.750 --> 00:19:08.289 I didn't even know it was a city. I think it 00:19:08.289 --> 00:19:10.970 was Carmel Anthony, Syracuse University. So I 00:19:10.970 --> 00:19:15.190 went down here, flew to Syracuse, met her. We 00:19:15.190 --> 00:19:17.470 kicked it off, and we got married. But sadly, 00:19:17.609 --> 00:19:20.990 we're divorced now, but we're good friends. So 00:19:20.990 --> 00:19:23.589 while we was married, she knew my dreams. She 00:19:23.589 --> 00:19:25.670 knew everything I'd been through. She knew my 00:19:25.670 --> 00:19:29.170 goals. And I had a lot of connections in Atlanta 00:19:29.170 --> 00:19:32.259 and Chicago. to start my nonprofit. I started 00:19:32.259 --> 00:19:34.480 getting a lot of contracts, a lot of grocery 00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:37.579 stores, and a lot of businesses in Atlanta, you 00:19:37.579 --> 00:19:41.240 know, to donate to my organization. So we made 00:19:41.240 --> 00:19:44.539 a deal. She went to St. Joseph to become a nurse. 00:19:45.019 --> 00:19:46.980 And she's like, when I graduate, we gonna move 00:19:46.980 --> 00:19:48.500 back to Atlanta so you can pursue your dream. 00:19:48.599 --> 00:19:50.539 I said, okay, no problem. I'm just going to chill 00:19:50.539 --> 00:19:54.640 and relax here in Syracuse and just wait on you. 00:19:55.279 --> 00:19:57.140 So one day I was driving her to drop off the 00:19:57.140 --> 00:20:00.789 work and I was listening to NPR. I heard Syracuse 00:20:00.789 --> 00:20:02.809 is one of the poorest cities in the U .S., number 00:20:02.809 --> 00:20:05.849 three. And I was kind of confused with that. 00:20:05.849 --> 00:20:09.049 I'm like, this small city? It's past Chicago? 00:20:09.210 --> 00:20:11.670 I said, nah, I can't believe that. So I called 00:20:11.670 --> 00:20:13.650 NPR and I'm having a conversation with them. 00:20:14.049 --> 00:20:15.529 And he's like, yeah, you know, we'll send you 00:20:15.529 --> 00:20:17.589 the information and everything else. Wow. So 00:20:17.589 --> 00:20:19.190 they mailed me the information. I said, you know 00:20:19.190 --> 00:20:20.589 what, let me just go out here and use my skill 00:20:20.589 --> 00:20:23.470 to help people, like I learned in Atlanta. So 00:20:23.470 --> 00:20:26.190 my first day went out, me and my ex -wife, we 00:20:26.190 --> 00:20:28.569 made sandwiches and went out. and we started 00:20:28.569 --> 00:20:30.569 passing out sandwiches on the bridge downtown. 00:20:31.049 --> 00:20:33.829 And I kept doing it over and over and over and 00:20:33.829 --> 00:20:37.470 over, and not knowing that was my pursuit to 00:20:37.470 --> 00:20:39.410 greatness to start, it was starting something, 00:20:39.869 --> 00:20:43.730 you know. So as me making sandwiches, started 00:20:43.730 --> 00:20:46.430 getting the hot meals, and started recognizing 00:20:46.430 --> 00:20:51.589 a lot of people in the community, I started making 00:20:51.589 --> 00:20:54.130 Re -Rise by the Street on social media. And this 00:20:54.130 --> 00:20:55.769 is why a lot of people are kind of shocked that 00:20:55.769 --> 00:20:57.309 I went to school with social media, because I'm 00:20:57.309 --> 00:21:03.009 very good. I do all my social media. So I started 00:21:03.009 --> 00:21:05.630 promoting myself. Ended up a lot of people donating, 00:21:06.029 --> 00:21:08.029 sharing my stories, speaking to a lot of schools, 00:21:08.470 --> 00:21:10.650 speaking to a lot of corporate offices. So a 00:21:10.650 --> 00:21:13.029 lot of that was happening. I got my big break 00:21:13.029 --> 00:21:14.630 one day. I don't know if you heard about this, 00:21:15.369 --> 00:21:21.509 when a homeless man dunked inside Dunkin' Donuts 00:21:21.509 --> 00:21:23.480 in Salina. If you get a chance, you can Google 00:21:23.480 --> 00:21:25.240 that. It was something big here in Syracuse. 00:21:25.740 --> 00:21:29.380 And I was the guy that stuck up for him. Ended 00:21:29.380 --> 00:21:32.460 up, had a big protest in front of the Ducal Donors 00:21:32.460 --> 00:21:36.400 on Salina. And then it made national news. And 00:21:36.400 --> 00:21:40.279 that went big. That's when my name really got 00:21:40.279 --> 00:21:41.940 big in the city of Syracuse because of that. 00:21:43.140 --> 00:21:46.599 But the thing about it, though, it ended quick, 00:21:46.779 --> 00:21:48.660 like in a month. Because I ended up meeting the 00:21:48.660 --> 00:21:50.680 second director from Ducal Donor. They flew here. 00:21:50.890 --> 00:21:52.930 And I met him and his family and board members 00:21:52.930 --> 00:21:54.930 and met them. And I learned something from the 00:21:54.930 --> 00:21:59.309 incident that never blame a whole group of people 00:21:59.309 --> 00:22:01.609 because it's one person's mistake. Because when 00:22:01.609 --> 00:22:03.630 I met them, they was one of the most kindest 00:22:03.630 --> 00:22:07.150 people I've ever met in my life. And we made 00:22:07.150 --> 00:22:09.029 a couple of deals. And they was kind of nervous. 00:22:09.049 --> 00:22:10.990 They were stressed out because of the situation. 00:22:11.089 --> 00:22:14.609 Of course, they make national news. They're fractured 00:22:14.609 --> 00:22:16.670 by the shutdown because of what happened. So 00:22:16.670 --> 00:22:18.069 I told them, hey, no problem. Just come to our 00:22:18.069 --> 00:22:19.710 event. We take a couple of pictures. We hug. 00:22:19.930 --> 00:22:21.769 and you served coming through the community. 00:22:21.789 --> 00:22:23.609 It's going to be over Monday morning. And that's 00:22:23.609 --> 00:22:26.130 what happened. Wow. So I think that right there, 00:22:26.230 --> 00:22:29.269 Gabby Big, then Gayle King came to Syracuse and 00:22:29.269 --> 00:22:30.990 did an interview with me. You can look all that 00:22:30.990 --> 00:22:33.569 on YouTube. CBS this morning and noon came here 00:22:33.569 --> 00:22:37.849 and did an interview with me as well. And I want 00:22:37.849 --> 00:22:40.470 to be honest with you, my friend, after that 00:22:40.470 --> 00:22:42.289 happened, so much that happened over the years, 00:22:42.390 --> 00:22:45.250 especially during COVID, I was the only nonprofit 00:22:45.250 --> 00:22:46.910 out here in the streets helping people. It was 00:22:46.910 --> 00:22:49.789 not homeless people. It was everybody struggling, 00:22:49.849 --> 00:22:52.170 so I was out here helping people as well. And 00:22:52.170 --> 00:22:54.890 I'll be honest with you, our organization is 00:22:54.890 --> 00:22:56.410 totally different from other organizations, I'm 00:22:56.410 --> 00:22:58.849 gonna tell you why. If you follow us, if you 00:22:58.849 --> 00:23:00.910 ever been to Sam or Saturday, it's gonna be kind 00:23:00.910 --> 00:23:02.930 of strange to you. And I'm not saying the bad 00:23:02.930 --> 00:23:06.029 way, the good way, because you'll never see a 00:23:06.029 --> 00:23:07.950 group of people in one room from all walks of 00:23:07.950 --> 00:23:10.089 life. Different religion, different background, 00:23:10.250 --> 00:23:12.349 different race. You got rich, you got middle 00:23:12.349 --> 00:23:15.309 class. Everybody in one room. And this ain't 00:23:15.309 --> 00:23:16.529 coming out of my mouth, because I got a lot of 00:23:16.529 --> 00:23:18.789 people who follow me on TikTok. all around the 00:23:18.789 --> 00:23:21.269 world, they'll look at it like, you know, I never 00:23:21.269 --> 00:23:24.829 seen nothing like this. This is what peace in 00:23:24.829 --> 00:23:27.289 the world looks like. So a person like me, an 00:23:27.289 --> 00:23:29.609 African -American man like me had a background 00:23:29.609 --> 00:23:35.589 like me and bringing like corporate people to 00:23:35.589 --> 00:23:38.049 our events and supporting my events and bringing 00:23:38.049 --> 00:23:40.390 people from all walks of life. We had no connection, 00:23:40.670 --> 00:23:42.769 but we built a relationship with each other, 00:23:43.009 --> 00:23:45.450 being in one room. It's very amazing. That's 00:23:45.450 --> 00:23:48.650 incredible. It's very amazing. At this moment, 00:23:48.809 --> 00:23:52.170 every Saturday, we have over two, three hundred 00:23:52.170 --> 00:23:55.329 people every week, and we got children's love 00:23:55.329 --> 00:23:57.849 coming in. That's why a lot of parents come, 00:23:57.990 --> 00:24:00.190 too, because I speak to a lot of schools. I just 00:24:00.190 --> 00:24:03.150 don't speak in the private schools. I go to rich, 00:24:03.250 --> 00:24:05.390 wealthy schools, and actually that's my favorite 00:24:05.390 --> 00:24:07.750 one, because when they hear my story and I share 00:24:07.750 --> 00:24:10.609 what's going on, they ready to do something about 00:24:10.609 --> 00:24:13.710 it. They force their parents to do something 00:24:13.710 --> 00:24:17.150 about it, and come out here, come out here. After 00:24:17.150 --> 00:24:19.750 our organization, they see what's going on, and 00:24:19.750 --> 00:24:23.210 they want to help as well. So tell me a little 00:24:23.210 --> 00:24:25.329 bit about how this works, because this is incredible 00:24:25.329 --> 00:24:26.930 to me. You're feeding a couple hundred people 00:24:26.930 --> 00:24:30.529 on a Saturday. Sandwiches. Yes. That tells me 00:24:30.529 --> 00:24:32.089 somebody's got to make a couple hundred sandwiches, 00:24:32.210 --> 00:24:34.049 right? Yes. How does that whole operation work? 00:24:34.369 --> 00:24:37.910 So at Sandwich Saturday, first you get now, you 00:24:37.910 --> 00:24:39.809 got to register, because we've got so many people 00:24:39.809 --> 00:24:41.589 coming. So you go on our website, you register, 00:24:42.170 --> 00:24:44.130 and then as soon as you register, somebody reach 00:24:44.130 --> 00:24:46.960 out to you as quick as possible. and they'll 00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:48.680 give you the day where they meet. We meet at 00:24:48.680 --> 00:24:51.359 Lincoln Middle School, 1613 James Street. We 00:24:51.359 --> 00:24:55.160 meet at 10, you gotta be there at 930 at 10. 00:24:55.740 --> 00:24:57.759 And I just wanna shout out the City School District. 00:24:57.960 --> 00:25:01.339 They've been a thousand supporting me like crazy 00:25:01.339 --> 00:25:06.059 over these years. So you gotta be there by 10. 00:25:06.819 --> 00:25:09.359 I'm sorry, you gotta be there by 930, at least, 00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:11.299 because the events start at 10. So as soon as 00:25:11.299 --> 00:25:15.099 we start, I say... The lowest crowd we had was 00:25:15.099 --> 00:25:17.700 50, the highest, like 400 -something people there. 00:25:18.160 --> 00:25:20.440 You know, families, kids, sorority, schools, 00:25:21.039 --> 00:25:22.839 universities, everything. So we started making 00:25:22.839 --> 00:25:26.279 sandwiches, and then we have a table, inspirational 00:25:26.279 --> 00:25:28.140 table, kids make inspirational messages, and 00:25:28.140 --> 00:25:29.980 they put it in the bag, you know, little kids. 00:25:30.400 --> 00:25:32.500 And then families or kids, they make sandwiches. 00:25:32.680 --> 00:25:34.380 And we got one table there, packed the sandwiches 00:25:34.380 --> 00:25:38.019 in the bag, we go to all the bars, chips, fruits, 00:25:38.539 --> 00:25:40.539 and inspirational messages the kids made. and 00:25:40.539 --> 00:25:42.180 put them all in a bin. So as soon as we make 00:25:42.180 --> 00:25:45.140 about close to 300, 400 sandwiches, we stop. 00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:47.720 And as soon as we stop, I announce everybody 00:25:47.720 --> 00:25:50.779 to stop, we clean up, we circle up, and that's 00:25:50.779 --> 00:25:53.940 when I speak. And I just get everybody prepped 00:25:53.940 --> 00:25:56.660 before we go out, what to do before we go out 00:25:56.660 --> 00:25:58.720 there. Because I try to explain to everybody 00:25:58.720 --> 00:26:03.019 that this is different. A lot of you probably 00:26:03.019 --> 00:26:06.059 be volunteers everywhere else. No disrespect 00:26:06.059 --> 00:26:07.779 to y 'all, probably standing around, not doing 00:26:07.779 --> 00:26:09.990 nothing, not saying nothing, but here, I have 00:26:09.990 --> 00:26:12.269 to prep y 'all for you out there. And this is 00:26:12.269 --> 00:26:13.910 what you have to do. When you go out there, keep 00:26:13.910 --> 00:26:16.349 eye contact to the people you're serving. Smile. 00:26:16.690 --> 00:26:18.529 And I'm glad we got a name tag sitting under 00:26:18.529 --> 00:26:21.289 your name. Ask questions. What's your name? How 00:26:21.289 --> 00:26:23.869 can I help you? What size are you wearing? What 00:26:23.869 --> 00:26:26.309 size do you wear? Are you looking for something? 00:26:26.450 --> 00:26:27.849 Have a conversation with people you're serving 00:26:27.849 --> 00:26:30.130 that don't stand around. And then I share my 00:26:30.130 --> 00:26:34.009 story like I share with everyone that's watching 00:26:34.009 --> 00:26:37.019 and sharing you as well. and then share upcoming 00:26:37.019 --> 00:26:38.819 events, and then I'll tell the location where 00:26:38.819 --> 00:26:40.720 we're gonna be at. So we've been, so for the 00:26:40.720 --> 00:26:42.099 past 10 years, we've been in a lot of locations. 00:26:42.140 --> 00:26:45.240 We started under the bridge, downtown. We was 00:26:45.240 --> 00:26:47.059 at the Park Building Park, where they're fixing 00:26:47.059 --> 00:26:49.279 school now, right next to the hub station. It 00:26:49.279 --> 00:26:51.400 was there for a couple of years, and it was on 00:26:51.400 --> 00:26:54.220 the corner out of Daga, but now we're at 207 00:26:54.220 --> 00:26:57.140 Wyoming Street, White Cross Street from the WCNY 00:26:57.140 --> 00:26:59.279 building. And shout out to the mayor and Rob 00:26:59.279 --> 00:27:01.400 the man and our new deputy mayor, they always 00:27:01.400 --> 00:27:03.279 support me, give us a property when something 00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:08.710 happen. And as soon as we get to the property, 00:27:08.809 --> 00:27:11.150 I'll tell everybody the location, we leave, we 00:27:11.150 --> 00:27:13.829 get to the property. And a lot of people think 00:27:13.829 --> 00:27:15.509 it's just the sandwiches. I don't say nothing. 00:27:16.170 --> 00:27:17.789 They're new people, but everybody know where 00:27:17.789 --> 00:27:19.990 they follow us and see on social media know it's 00:27:19.990 --> 00:27:22.230 more than a sandwich. As soon as we get there, 00:27:22.809 --> 00:27:24.750 we're connected with 21 local restaurants that 00:27:24.750 --> 00:27:28.190 come cater for us. We got clothes, men, women, 00:27:28.269 --> 00:27:30.809 children clothes. We got hygiene products, we 00:27:30.809 --> 00:27:34.419 got women pads, we got brand new sneakers. We 00:27:34.419 --> 00:27:38.980 got desserts. Cathy Cookie was my greatest supporter. 00:27:39.220 --> 00:27:40.980 You know, she shut down now, but she still make 00:27:40.980 --> 00:27:44.359 cookies for us. Wow. You know, and we have household 00:27:44.359 --> 00:27:47.579 good. It's magic going to an event. It's like 00:27:47.579 --> 00:27:49.299 a flea market, but everything is free. Yeah. 00:27:49.440 --> 00:27:51.279 You know what I'm saying? Every day we got volunteers 00:27:51.279 --> 00:27:53.480 on the other side of the table, organizing everything. 00:27:54.019 --> 00:27:56.380 And so these are in different locations on the 00:27:56.380 --> 00:27:58.319 different Saturdays? No, same location. Oh, OK. 00:27:58.319 --> 00:28:00.420 Yeah, the reason I'm sharing different locations, 00:28:00.440 --> 00:28:02.849 we had to move. Just over the years. Yeah, over 00:28:02.849 --> 00:28:04.670 the years. Because something had came up. Yeah, 00:28:04.769 --> 00:28:05.829 yeah, of course. We had to move over the years. 00:28:06.309 --> 00:28:08.670 But every time we moved, we at least been at 00:28:08.670 --> 00:28:12.029 this area for about two, three years. Yeah. And 00:28:12.029 --> 00:28:15.049 then we set the tables up, the volunteers on 00:28:15.049 --> 00:28:17.049 the other side of the table, then everybody who's 00:28:17.049 --> 00:28:19.609 struggling through homelessness, food insecurity. 00:28:20.109 --> 00:28:22.130 You don't have to go through this. A lot of people 00:28:22.130 --> 00:28:25.069 got houses. or have homes, but they're struggling. 00:28:25.589 --> 00:28:28.430 They need interview clothes, they need food to 00:28:28.430 --> 00:28:30.589 feed their families, and they come there as well. 00:28:30.609 --> 00:28:33.990 So we feed close to 300 people every week. Because 00:28:33.990 --> 00:28:35.490 right now, we're right there in the heart of 00:28:35.490 --> 00:28:37.930 the property. We're on the west side. So we're 00:28:37.930 --> 00:28:40.289 right in the middle where the world knows where 00:28:40.289 --> 00:28:42.789 the property is happening. Everybody's happy 00:28:42.789 --> 00:28:44.609 that we're there, because we're getting a little 00:28:44.609 --> 00:28:50.930 closer. Last but not least, this Saturday is 00:28:50.930 --> 00:28:53.319 our 8th annual Thanksgiving dinner. We're having 00:28:53.319 --> 00:28:56.460 that St. Lucie's. That's probably one of the 00:28:56.460 --> 00:28:59.880 best events through the whole organization. Yeah. 00:29:01.099 --> 00:29:03.799 You cook a lot of turkeys? Yes. Yeah. So how 00:29:03.799 --> 00:29:07.920 we do it, we get volunteers. We tell the volunteers 00:29:07.920 --> 00:29:11.019 to make a meal. Oh, wow. So we have like 30 cooked 00:29:11.019 --> 00:29:14.640 turkeys. We have a lot of desserts. We have a 00:29:14.640 --> 00:29:17.539 lot of side dishes, drinks. We have DJ, haircuts, 00:29:17.819 --> 00:29:20.440 face painting. We have coats, women's trishaw 00:29:20.440 --> 00:29:24.569 coats, hats, gloves. It's a great event, but 00:29:24.569 --> 00:29:26.670 it's not like a soup kitchen. You stand in line. 00:29:27.490 --> 00:29:30.089 So the volunteers will walk our guests to the 00:29:30.089 --> 00:29:32.630 table, and other volunteers come and take their 00:29:32.630 --> 00:29:34.769 order. And they go prepare their food and bring 00:29:34.769 --> 00:29:36.670 it to the table. That's awesome. And while the 00:29:36.670 --> 00:29:39.309 kids wait, we got crayon, we got coloring books 00:29:39.309 --> 00:29:41.049 on the table. And as soon as they're done, they 00:29:41.049 --> 00:29:43.450 eat. They go pick what they want on the table 00:29:43.450 --> 00:29:45.369 with their coats and everything that's over there. 00:29:45.950 --> 00:29:47.269 And then they're lying. I'm being honest with 00:29:47.269 --> 00:29:50.390 you, brother. Over the years, if you open the 00:29:50.390 --> 00:29:52.869 door, It's about hundreds of people staring at 00:29:52.869 --> 00:29:55.170 the line trying to get in. But now, this is the 00:29:55.170 --> 00:29:57.589 first time I'm kind of nervous because what's 00:29:57.589 --> 00:30:00.269 going on with the snap, they know the crowd is 00:30:00.269 --> 00:30:02.869 going to be kind of, so I'm trying to volunteer 00:30:02.869 --> 00:30:04.869 to bring, the one turkey you bring, bring two 00:30:04.869 --> 00:30:08.349 turkeys. That's incredible, man. You know what 00:30:08.349 --> 00:30:10.470 really impresses me, and I'm kind of reading 00:30:10.470 --> 00:30:12.109 between the lines here, but you see a lot of 00:30:12.109 --> 00:30:13.789 charities and a lot of these big organizations. 00:30:14.319 --> 00:30:16.200 and they gotta go out and they gotta get millions 00:30:16.200 --> 00:30:18.039 of dollars of funding and they gotta hire 50 00:30:18.039 --> 00:30:20.299 people and they gotta get trucks and they gotta 00:30:20.299 --> 00:30:24.079 all this, you know, fancy stuff. You're feeding 00:30:24.079 --> 00:30:26.559 all these people and from what I can tell by 00:30:26.559 --> 00:30:29.900 efforts that you've kind of community sourced, 00:30:29.940 --> 00:30:31.920 for lack of a better term, right? You've gone 00:30:31.920 --> 00:30:35.299 out and found folks to make this happen. And 00:30:35.299 --> 00:30:38.279 I find that just incredibly, incredibly impressive. 00:30:40.039 --> 00:30:42.579 So along those lines, I guess... What are things 00:30:42.579 --> 00:30:45.339 that people can do to help and how can the community 00:30:45.339 --> 00:30:48.099 continue to support you and continue to make 00:30:48.099 --> 00:30:49.779 sure you can feed people? Yeah, so what people 00:30:49.779 --> 00:30:54.119 do is they contact us and if they want to drop 00:30:54.119 --> 00:30:55.940 off clothes, men, women, children, because right 00:30:55.940 --> 00:30:57.720 now with the winter season, we're looking for 00:30:57.720 --> 00:30:59.680 clothes or they want to donate for Samba Saturday. 00:31:00.900 --> 00:31:04.720 We're looking for cheese, turkey, individual 00:31:04.720 --> 00:31:07.759 chips, granola bars, and drinks. And then if 00:31:07.759 --> 00:31:09.160 they want to donate socks, that's one of the 00:31:09.160 --> 00:31:10.400 most important things. I forgot to mention that 00:31:10.400 --> 00:31:12.640 we do have socks out there too, Brandon Sock, 00:31:12.799 --> 00:31:14.680 and they're doing donate socks. Really, we take 00:31:14.680 --> 00:31:16.279 everything. But we want to make sure everything 00:31:16.279 --> 00:31:18.180 is new because we go out there, we want to make 00:31:18.180 --> 00:31:22.220 sure we treat people with dignity as well. Absolutely. 00:31:22.660 --> 00:31:25.099 And then if some people don't want to go to the 00:31:25.099 --> 00:31:28.140 store, they can go on our Venmo or PayPal or 00:31:28.140 --> 00:31:30.960 our website, and they can send money as well. 00:31:31.700 --> 00:31:34.019 That's phenomenal. Do you have any particular 00:31:34.019 --> 00:31:36.099 grocery stores you partner with at the moment? 00:31:36.269 --> 00:31:41.390 Yes, well, Wegman has been supporting me since 00:31:41.390 --> 00:31:45.049 2009. Since I got here, they saw me from the 00:31:45.049 --> 00:31:46.750 bottom, you know, grew up and everything. So 00:31:46.750 --> 00:31:51.490 they're like 100 % grocery store. We got King 00:31:51.490 --> 00:31:54.730 David. King David catered for us some weeks. 00:31:54.849 --> 00:31:58.650 We got Pyramid. It's on Lowlight. It's a Halal 00:31:58.650 --> 00:32:03.059 store as well. And I'm sorry I can't pronounce 00:32:03.059 --> 00:32:05.079 that piece. He's going to be mad at me. It's 00:32:05.079 --> 00:32:10.079 that piece of drawing over there in Fairville. 00:32:11.140 --> 00:32:14.039 I probably forgot the name of it. I'm sorry. 00:32:14.640 --> 00:32:16.019 I'll probably think about it after we're done. 00:32:16.279 --> 00:32:18.519 But they donate pieces to us as well. That's 00:32:18.519 --> 00:32:22.059 incredible. And last but not least, toss pieces. 00:32:22.240 --> 00:32:27.619 Toss. Toss. They donate as well. That's so incredible, 00:32:28.119 --> 00:32:31.700 man. I feel like we could talk for hours, but 00:32:31.700 --> 00:32:34.599 I also know we got to get you back to your mission 00:32:34.599 --> 00:32:38.880 here. This has been incredible. And what you've 00:32:38.880 --> 00:32:43.220 got going on is incredible. And I just think 00:32:43.220 --> 00:32:46.119 that it's something that people need to realize 00:32:46.119 --> 00:32:50.220 is people are in need. But the other side of 00:32:50.220 --> 00:32:52.759 it is like, look what it's done to this gentleman. 00:32:53.319 --> 00:32:56.559 And look at the smile on his face from helping 00:32:56.559 --> 00:33:02.019 people. You can be selfish. Yeah, because helping 00:33:02.019 --> 00:33:05.319 people make you feel so good and I love to see 00:33:05.319 --> 00:33:09.279 people doing that. So thank you With that one 00:33:09.279 --> 00:33:11.240 more time if you could website social media all 00:33:11.240 --> 00:33:12.819 those cool plugs We'll get them in there for 00:33:12.819 --> 00:33:15.160 you and then we'll send you on your way. What's 00:33:15.160 --> 00:33:19.099 what's the website for you, man? Ww -w -w -w 00:33:19.099 --> 00:33:19.579 -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w 00:33:19.579 --> 00:33:19.960 -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w 00:33:19.960 --> 00:33:19.960 -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w 00:33:19.960 --> 00:33:20.720 -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w 00:33:20.720 --> 00:33:27.839 -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w -w - I just 00:33:27.839 --> 00:33:33.519 want to lead something into everyone. Two things. 00:33:34.039 --> 00:33:36.599 This organization, we do pass food. We do pass 00:33:36.599 --> 00:33:38.700 a lot of items. But the number one blueprint 00:33:38.700 --> 00:33:41.440 of us is spread kindness and compassion. That's 00:33:41.440 --> 00:33:45.980 our number one. And then the number two, I just 00:33:45.980 --> 00:33:47.799 want to lead this where everybody. Today, smile. 00:33:48.200 --> 00:33:50.319 Be kind to one another. Meet a reason someone 00:33:50.319 --> 00:33:52.359 smiled today. Thank you for having me. I love 00:33:52.359 --> 00:33:56.059 that. What a great message. I don't have anything 00:33:56.059 --> 00:33:59.230 better to say. So with that, folks, this has 00:33:59.230 --> 00:34:02.130 been Good News York. Stick around for all kinds 00:34:02.130 --> 00:34:05.369 of incredible stuff we got going. I got nothing.