It’s no secret that homelessness is on the rise and is being escalated by with the pandemic and financial crisis that is upon us. The State of Homelessness 2020 report shows that at least 31,207 people in the metro area, including Denver, Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas, Boulder, Broomfield and Jefferson counties, accessed services or housing supports related to homelessness between July 2019 and June 2020.

While it is easy to see the people suffering on our streets, it’s not so easy to see the volunteers in our community who are trying to help them. Meet Mercy, a resident of South Metro Housing Options (SMHO) who is showing love to the homeless of Denver and Arapahoe County with a little help from her family and friends.

For almost a decade, Mercy has been cooking meals for the local homeless by herself, feeding approximately 150 people a month. The fully cooked meals, complete with protein and veggie, go to the homeless who visit Giving Hearts in Englewood, and another location in downtown Denver.

Mercy gets the ingredients to cook the meals from donations from her family, as well as donations from other SMHO residents, and community organizations. After that, she uses the little money she has to buy supplies if needed.

“It’s not that I have a lot of money, so I use donations when possible,” she said. Some SMHO properties have food donation tables where residents and community organizations leave food for anyone to use. “Sometimes they leave canned goods, like spaghetti sauce, vegetables, beans, and rice and other things I can use so it doesn’t always have to come out of my pocket,” Mercy shared. Her youngest son donates meat because it is so expensive. “Whenever he sees meat that is buy one get one free, he gets the extra one and gives it to me. Protein is so important for the homeless,” she said.

So why is Mercy doing all of this? “I come from a very big family, and my sisters and I are used to cooking for our family gatherings that can reach 200 people. But I hated cooking when I was growing up,” she chuckled. Until about 10 years ago.

“My [oldest] son Bobby loved to cook. He could throw anything together and make a wonderful meal,” she said. In 2012, Bobby passed away unexpectedly. “I wanted to do something to honor him. I wanted his legacy to live on. And I thought, well, he blessed a lot of people with his cooking, so I just started cooking more than before, which ultimately led me to this point. I never would have thought of doing this before.”

Mercy visits the homeless shelters from time to time to see the faces she feeds, which includes people of all ages and walks of life. And she finds her experiences there emotional and meaningful. While it can be tough to see people struggling, she says the amount of love there is overwhelming.

“I remember one time, a man came in looking rugged and laid on the floor. One of the cooks that day was a woman who looked like she had stepped right out of Hollywood. Her hair was all in place, nails done, and she was dressed really nice. She walked over to the man and said hi, what’s your name? And he replied, Billy. She said, come over and eat with us Billy. He replied in a grumble, so she gave him a big hug and said, I love you, come eat. And I thought to myself, now that is love, that is really love,” Mercy said with a tear in her eye. “I had never seen that before and it really touched me and reminded me how people can love.”

“I don’t react when I’m there,” Mercy shared. “I’m like a cool, calm snowman but then I come home and melt,” she said with a chuckle, “and it happens every time. It makes me feel so good that I can do something for somebody. And it has taught me a lesson because I thought, what am I here for?” Her answer… “To live is to give,” she concluded.

Mercy also has a creative side and does art projects as a way to splash up her home and clothing, as you can see below.

A special Thank You to Mercy for all she does to help our community’s homeless, and to her family, friends, and the other SMHO residents who donate items to this wonderful cause. We are inspired and humbled by your love and efforts!

We would love to hear your story too! Interested SMHO residents are welcome to contact Resident Services, or Kim in Communications directly at kdecero@smho.co.