ARMS OPEN WITH LOVE FOUNDATION

Hello Everyone, Nice to meet you all. My name is Sophia Whitehead and I am deeply passionate about helping others. Especially Homeless individuals. It truly breaks my heart just knowing that there are people that live out on the streets with no place to lay their heads, and no food to eat.

For those of you that know me personally, and that follow me on social media, you know that I truly love what I do, and that I am very passionate about the vision and the dreams, that I have in my heart for those that are homeless. My vision is to build and establish, and put programs in place to help those that are in need. My vision is to do something great with my life that will have a lasting impact on the lives of others. That's why I created The Arms Open With Love Foundation.

I established the "Arms Open With Love Foundation" in 2016. Arms Open With Love Foundation is a non-profit organization, under section 501c3, under the Internal Revenue Code. We provide hot fresh meals for homeless Men, Women and Children. We go above and beyond peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. For example, we serve things like Tacos, Chicken & Waffles, and Cornbeef sandwiches. We have outdoor barbeques, Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, and so much more.

We Also Adopt Families For Christmas. During the Fall season, we raise money and take donations to provide support to help children and families who are in need of clothing, food, and toys for the holidays.

We also work closely with Niesha Lee, who is the owner of INSPIRING HAIR. Arms open with love provides the food, and INSPIRING HAIR provides free Haircuts and free hairstyles for the homeless Men, Women and children that we serve. Our partnership with each other is very unique. Each individual is able to get a free meal and free hair services all in one setting.

We support as many individuals as we can. No one is left out. We are committed to feeding, and servicing everyone regardless of their circumstances, gender or race. Everyone is special. And we treat everyone with love. I love to hug each individual, and I allow them into my personal space because Jesus instructed us to take care of those that are in need.

My wonderful team and I have been providing these wonderful services for our Homeless Community since 2016. Even though we have done a lot of great things for our communities, my vision and my heart is really to build and establish some great programs in the city of Detroit Mi that will be a great blessing to the less vulnerable in our community.

When I say that I really love to feed the homeless, trust me when I say it. This is not just an understatement. I get so much fulfillment in doing what I do. The satisfaction of knowing that I have helped changed someone else's life is worth more than any materialist thing. So before I continue to talk to you about my vision, Please watch this highlight video of how my team and I have provided food for our homeless community. I want you to see my love and my heart, and how dedicated I am to this vision that is in my heart. Also, please feel free to follow us on YouTube, and watch more of our videos as well. Also please visit my website at www.Armsopenwithlove.com

 

I am so passionate about this assignment. And I wouldn't change it for anything. According to statistics, there are approximately 3,000 people that are experiencing homelessness in the City of Detroit. And there are many people that are way below the poverty line, that can't afford to put food in their refrigerators. There are people out here in the world that are struggling to make ends meet.   

Most of the time when people see homeless people out on the streets, most people would pass them up and would even say that they deserve it, for making bad decisions in life. As a society, I believe that we are wired to distrust homeless people. They are often portrayed as criminals and spreaders of diseases, which is not true! I've met some wonderful individuals. And when I listen to their stories I realize that most of them deal with mental illness

Everybody is somebody and I have learned not to Judge others. Sometimes you just don't know where people have been in their life and what they have experienced. My job as a Christian Woman is to do what God's word says, which is to take care of those in need, with no strings or questions attached. 

When I leave this earth one day, I know that I am going to have to stand before God. The only thing that is going to matter is who did I serve and how did I live my life. I serve Jesus by serving His people. I just wanna hear "well done my good and faithful servant." As long as I have the breath of life in my body, I am going to always serve others.

My desire is to do what God has purposed for me to do and to just simply do his will. The Bible tells us not to turn our hands away from those that are homeless and hungry. And to share our bread with the hungry. And when we see the naked, we should cover them. "Isaiah 58:7" So it doesn't matter to me if they can return a favor to me or not. I do it because I love Jesus, and I am His disciple. 

"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another" JOHN 13:35

When I birthed this vision in 2016, I had very little in my possession. Every weekend I would make turkey sandwiches, and I would pass them out to the homeless directly from the trunk of my vehicle. And because of the generous sacrifices that I was making for others, God began to open up doors on my behalf.

In 2018, I received my very first grant. I was awarded $6,000 from Marshalls & Homegoods store. I used the grant money to purchase this beautiful red food trailer, that is being used to help feed the homeless. We travel around the City of Detroit, and we will be serving Corn beef sandwiches to the homeless. 

Then God opened up another door on my behalf. A Nissan car dealership in New Jersey gave me my first company van. (A ford transit connect) When they delivered it to my home, the color of the van was white. I then got the car painted red, and I put my special touch to it and designed it to my desire. I use this van to drop off groceries to different families and homeless shelters across the City of Detroit. And I also use it to transport my food trailer back and forth.

I have also received grants from Krogers and Walmart!

And then on March 1st, 2021, I moved into a beautiful office space. This office space was very much needed. I spend my time writing monthly letters and building my partnership.

I'm sharing all of this with you, so you all can see that I am a Woman that is about her business. I believe in making things happen. I do what is right with everything that God blesses me with. Even though we travel around the city feeding the homeless, my vision is so much greater than that. I understand that this is just a start. This is only the beginning.

However, I am looking forward to expanding my vision to another dimension. My dream is to start a program for homeless women in the city of Detroit MI, and to also Establish a grocery delivery program for senior citizens.

GROCERIES ON US

"Groceries On Us" is a grocery delivery program that I created for Seniors. Grocery runs can be a hassle for senior citizens. Especially if they are disabled, can no longer drive, or carry heavy bags. That's why I created this special program which is designed to specifically meet their needs.

The good thing that makes this program stand out, is that all groceries are free of charge, and we deliver the groceries directly to their doorstep with a delivery fee of only $17.99. They will receive fresh produce, dairy products, meat, bread, can goods, dry goods, frozen food and so much more.

This program is sustained by local food pantries, Gleaners, Forgotten Harvest, and Kroger.

As this program continues to grow and unfold, pretty soon I want to move this program into a physical building. That's why I created this Gofundme account because I would love for you all to support me.

Here are some photos of the building that i am pursuing