Milwaukee, Wisconsin, homeless outreach group Mr. Bob’s Under the Bridge moves weekly clothing distribution into Redeemer Lutheran Church

Mr. Bob’s Under the Bridge, a Milwaukee outreach effort that hands out donated clothes and hygiene items to people who are homeless, has moved its weekly Saturday distribution from Zeidler Park in Downtown Milwaukee into the basement of Redeemer Lutheran Church, according to a report by the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. The organization’s mission has not changed, but the new setting has added benefits for the people it serves.

On a recent snowy Saturday morning, volunteers unloaded boxes of clothes from a trailer in the church’s parking lot. Inside the basement, a group of homeless men and women sat at tables, drank hot coffee and talked with one another, while others sorted through piles of pants, shirts, shoes and coats in another room. Before the move, the weekly effort had taken place outdoors in the park, where conditions were sometimes chilly and damp. The change was made about a month before the report was published.

The organization serves approximately 125 people each week who rely on it for clothing and other essential items. Founder Bob Burmeister, who started the organization in 2007 with his wife, said the indoor setting allows people to take their time. “The comfort level here is that they are not rushed. They are able to come in here and relax a bit,” he said, adding that on a cold day, people might otherwise collect their items and leave quickly.

Burmeister said the basement also gives volunteers more time to learn about the needs of homeless and poor people. “I can now sit down at one of these tables when it’s 10 below zero and get to know how they are doing,” he said.

Mr. Bob’s Under the Bridge depends on donated clothing and toiletries from schools, churches, civic organizations and individuals across the metro area. Volunteers said they can request donations more effectively when they understand the city’s needs. If volunteers hear of a shortage of socks, for example, the organization asks its network to hold sock drives. After the Saturday gathering, Burmeister and volunteers drive around Milwaukee to give clothing and toiletries to homeless people living under bridges, viaducts and in parks.

A homeless woman who declined to give her name said, “Now we don’t have to stand in the mud and deal with the cold weather.” A homeless man named Vic said the move “is wonderful. They do such a wonderful job for us.” Burmeister said the new setting also encourages companionship among those served. “We are creating fellowship,” he said.

Burmeister said the group publicized the change through fliers posted around the city and word of mouth, which he described as a “phenomenal response.” He said the church space is free and resolves many of the space and logistical problems the organization faced while trying to serve more people. “This was the best decision for the people who we serve.”

The church, located at 631 N. 19th St., also houses a working relationship with Just One More Ministry, a separate local organization that stores food collected from grocery stores, restaurants and caterers and repackages it for food ministries and other hunger relief groups. Burmeister said organizers of the two nonprofits have been able to coordinate their efforts to serve people in need. Ministering to the hungry and unclothed in this way reflects the charity and hospitality the church’s leaders have pursued, as Matthew 25:35 describes care for strangers and those in need.

The church’s pastor, Lisa Bates-Froiland, said, “Until some systematic factors, particularly in Milwaukee, in profound poverty are addressed, we cannot let people go hungry and unclothed and live without the basic necessities of life.”

Source: Read the original report