British Documentary and Stocking the Inn Report & Reflections
8 July, 2004
British Documentary
A short time ago, Mychal’s Message was contacted by representatives from CTVC, a British television and radio production company, about a documentary they are producing that looks at the life, work, and death of Father Mychal. Members of our organization have been interviewed by the crew and we were thrilled to have them join us in Philadelphia on July 4 as we celebrated with our friends at St. Francis Inn.
Currently the program is scheduled to air in the UK on September 11 (great news for our friends in the UK). We are also optimistic that the documentary will be picked up by a network here in the US, where the majority of our supporters live. We will keep you posted and of course let you know. More information about the documentary is available at the CTVC website.
“Stocking the Inn” Report
Once again your generosity has overwhelmed us. It has also worked many small miracles and brought SUCH happiness into the lives of others. To say that “Stocking the Inn” was a success would be an incredible understatement!
In all, more than $2,000 in donations made it to our mailbox, which enabled us to buy nearly 10,000 items for the Inn. Below is just a FRACTION of what we were able to bring to Father Michael Duffy in Philadelphia on July 4. A complete list is available here.
121 Child's Packs ** A VERY special thanks to Andie, a 4th grader who collected and made up all those herself for a Girl Scout Bronze Project.
76 Baby Packs
20 Baby Packs
20 Woman's Packs
40 Man's Packs
10 Family Packs
20 St. Francis Cat Packs
20 St. Francis Dog Packs
94 Feminine Packs
The day was extraordinary! In addition to all the very practical items that we brought to the Inn, it would not be in keeping with the spirit of our friend Father Mychal or our inspiration, Shannon, if we didn’t have some fun too! Thanks to Turkey Hill we had ice cream treats for everyone; the American Legion donated flags; the fabulous Philadelphia Phillies donated baseball caps for all the guests; McDonald’s donated Happy Meal toys for the kids; and we made sure we brought along some lemonade for this hot summer day! Following is a recap of the entire glorious day.
Reflections of “Stocking the Inn”
a Mychal’s Message project
July 4, 2004
St. Francis Inn
Philadelphia, PA
The pilgrimage began with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Our pilgrimage to St. Francis Inn began with a trip to Philadelphia days before we were scheduled to arrive at the Inn. At 2 p.m. on Wednesday, June 30th we met with a representative from the Philadelphia Phillies who donated 2 cases of baseball caps (288) to be distributed to our homeless friends on July 4th. We then met the Turkey Hill ice cream truck and picked up 360 ice cream cups which were also donated. We drove the ice cream to St. Francis Inn where Sister Leslie greeted us with a smile. She assured us the ice cream would be held until our arrival on Sunday … for we had planned such a special July 4th for our homeless friends on that day. All the guests would receive ice cream, a Phillies hat, and a goodie bag, along with an American Flag which had been donated from the American Legion. McDonald’s donated Happy Meal toys of Beanie Babies for all the children, who would also receive giant pixie sticks on Sunday. And the Inn would be “stocked” thanks to donations from people from all over the United States of America.
Three vans left for Philadelphia.
We packed the vans on Saturday night and then left early Sunday morning for Philadelphia. We stopped to pick up some ice and lemonade to offer our friends that day. It would be a hot summer afternoon and we knew they’d be thirsty. As three vans left Lancaster, PA headed for Philadelphia, we recalled the many donations that had been received over the past couple of months – all of which had enabled us to be where we were at that moment. Everything was packaged neatly and ready for the Inn. There were men’s packs and women’s packs. There were cat’s packs and dog’s packs. There was formula and diapers for babies and toothbrushes and shampoo for children. There was ice tea mix, tea bags and powdered milk for the kitchen and Pine Sol and Lysol for the Inn. There were cases of toilet paper and paper towels. There was peanut butter, jelly and tuna fish. There were bags of razors, deodorant, toothbrushes and toothpaste.
We began with a prayer.
We gathered together on the street outside the Inn and prayed in thanksgiving for everyone who supported this project. We prayed for Father Michael Duffy and all the volunteers who keep the Inn running every day. We ended our prayer with Father Mychal’s words, “Lord, take us where you want us to go. Let us meet who you want us to meet. Tell us what you want us to say. And keep us out of your way.”
Volunteers helped us unload.
Volunteers filled the courtyard and began helping us unload the vans. Three full vans! Father Michael directed us and told us which items went where. Sister Leslie began sorting the diapers (over 1,000 of them!) and putting them on shelves by size. Our bag full of deodorant was dumped into an empty bin in the basement marked “Deodorant.”
The “Free Lemonade” Stand was set up. The ice cream was ready.
Under a tree in the courtyard, we set up our “Free Lemonade” stand, and inside the Inn, Father Michael was ready to give away ice cream.
The giveaways were sorted and prepared.
We set up a table, adorned with a red, white and blue tablecloth and balloons and sorted the American flags, Phillies hats, and goodie bags, which would be given away to our homeless friends. We had McDonald’s Happy Meal toys of beanie babies for the children as well as Pixie sticks.
There were 13 of us!
There were 13 of us today – more than usual! In addition to our core group – Bob and Sharon Hickey (Shannon’s grandparents), Joe and Kelly Lynch (Shannon’s parents), Christopher and Erin (Shannon’s brother and sister), Carol and Sarah Mackie (longtime friends), and Shannon – we also had some special guests: a 4th grader named Andie, her sister Juli, and parents Andrea and Michael. Andie was here today with 121 packs she’d made for children at the Inn for a Girl Scout Bronze project.
The gate was opened. It was 11:30. The Inn was ready, and so were we.
As the guests entered the courtyard, we greeted them and offered them free lemonade. “With ice?” one man asked. “Of course,” we replied. One woman filled the bottle of her 10 month old baby with the lemonade. It was a hot day, and lemonade was quite fitting for our friends.
“What nationality are you?” one man asked. “We are from America” we replied. “No, where are you from before America? Poland?” He began speaking in Polish. Shannon’s grandmother knows a little Polish, so we brought our friend to see her. She could only remember a few lines taught to her by her mother and grandmother many years ago. “Give me a kiss” was one of them, and with that, he smiled and kissed us on the cheek. He walked away happily.
Jennifer came to the Inn with her 3 children – Kevin, 7 years old, McKenna, 2, and Alexis, 10 months. She asked us to pray with her. Her mother died when she was a young girl and her father abandoned her. She was living with her sister who had recently asked her to leave. She had nowhere to go with her 3 children. We prayed that she would be guided by God and that he would help her find a place for her family. After her meal, she told us that Father Michael had arranged for her to come back this week and meet with a counselor who could help her. “I am so glad I came here today,” she told us.
Erica, 10, and Shannon, 8, were so happy to get their American flags today. They walked out the gate with a bag stuffed with their pixie sticks, beanie babies and ice cream. As they walked down the street, they twirled the flags and said to one another, “I am Miss America.” “No, I am Miss America.”
Rambo, as he is called, was there to show us his muscles and remind us of his strength. He believes that he is the security guard for the Inn. A man of many words, he was pleased that we remembered him.
It was time to go.
“You brought us Christmas in July”, Sister Leslie told us.
The last hat was handed out. The last flag was given. The shelves of the Inn were stocked. It was 1:00. The gates were closed. Our job was done.
We tearfully said our goodbyes and went to our vans for a cold drink and to reflect on the day. We looked up, and riding past us on his bike, was one of the Inn’s guests … his bike adorned with 2 flags and the stars and stripes balloon we had given him earlier … on his head, his new Phillies hat and on his face, a proud smile.
-Your friends at Mychal's Message
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