Stan: “I Try To Help Wherever I Can”
Everyone who comes to Corner Shower and Laundry has their own unique story. Some come because they live on the streets and don't have another place to bathe or wash their clothes. Others live in homes or shelter, but come because they are on a tight budget and can't afford a laundromat. Others come when they have their water shut off and need some place to take care of basic needs. For many, though, whatever their reason, Corner Shower and Laundry provides more than just physical services -- it offers a community as well.
This is the case for Stan, who has been coming to Corner Shower and Laundry and Manna Meal Soup Kitchen for the last few years. He considers himself relatively well-off -- he lives with his niece and nephew and receives monthly social security payments and pension from his work with Ford. But he is a widow and his children don't live in town anymore, and he found himself desiring more community in his life.
So in his retirement, he has made a habit of visiting various churches around the city each morning, both to support his physical needs as well as social ones. He says, "I don’t come down here broke – I got money, not a lot of it, but I keep some money in my pocket, because I worked for Ford and I know how to balance my budget. But those that don’t have money, they my people. I’m no better than they are. I don’t try to act like I’m any better than they are. I try to help wherever I can. Anyone I see."
Although Stan considers himself fortunate now, he also knows that his life has been significantly shaped by conditions out of his control.
Stan smiles as he hangs out in the Corner Shower and Laundry waiting area.
He was laid off from Ford in the 80s as Detroit's auto industry began moving its production abroad. Stan remembers, "It was hard. There were a lot of people that still had their name on the rolls but all their benefits had been exhausted."
When his own benefits ran out, he was able to get odd jobs to get him through. But he was still witnessing widespread hardship around the city. "When I would see people in the streets that didn’t have any jobs, it would hurt my heart." He began organizing local churches to donate funds to support his fellow workers who had been laid off. This care for others has stayed with him throughout his life.
When asked about his commitment to support those in need, he said, "That was Jesus’s story! He didn’t go to the rich. The rich didn’t want to accept him. He went to the poor. He went to the needy. He went to those who had a vision of something greater. And the people that have money, they had their 'greater,' which they put in dollars and cents. But that’s not the greater… the greater is in your heart."
Stan shared thanks for all those who support Corner Shower and Laundry, where he sees people being helped every day. "They’re contributing to a greater cause than you, I, or anyone else. And that’s helping those in need.