Erica dives into a heartwarming chat with Charlotte Thomas, the mastermind behind God’s Grace Hot Meals. This beautiful journey started 15 years back with a random act of kindness on Thanksgiving, blossoming into a full-blown mission to support the homeless across Snohomish County and three cities in Grant County. From hot meals to warm clothes, tents, and even a listening ear, Charlotte’s volunteer squads are spreading not just food but loads of love and hope. It’s all about wrapping people in a cozy blanket of care and reminding them they’re not walking this road alone.
- Charlotte’s Contact Info: gods.grace.charlotte@gmail.com
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TRANSCRIPTION:
Erica:
If there is good going on in our community, I make you this promise… We’re going to do our best to find it and to put the spotlight on it. I’m Erica and I want to welcome Charlotte Thomas to SPIRIT 105.3. How are you dear?
Charlotte Thomas:
I am doing awesome. Thank you. How about yourself?
Erica:
Well, I’m awesome too because I have the opportunity to talk with you today and share the good work you’re doing in Snohomish County, Charlotte. How did God’s Grace hot Meals get going?
Charlotte Thomas:
So what happened many years ago, matter of fact, I’m in my 15th year now, but many years ago I had a huge Thanksgiving dinner that I cooked, and of course my children are all grown, and one by one I got phone calls that they couldn’t make it, no one could make it. So I turned around and after the last phone call and I said, what am I going to do with all of this food? And I go, oh my gosh. And I just said, okay. So I loaded up my car and by the way, all of this I felt like, I said, Lord, what am I going to do? I loaded up my car and got everything in there with plates and stuff, and I started driving around the street to see if anyone was walking around and I’d pull over, I’d ask if they were hungry and said, sure. So I’d feed them, we’d talk, we’d talked some fellowship. I prayed with them. I got to share God’s Word with them. And then I just kept going around. And from that day, it just continued on. More and more people have just been joining in. It was really fun.
Erica:
Wow. So when you look back on that first Thanksgiving, it probably was meant to be. Like, God uses everything. Right?
Charlotte Thomas:
Exactly. Exactly. That’s exactly what he did.
Erica:
I love how he works everything for good. And you’re not alone, like you were on that first Thanksgiving anymore. Charlotte, you’ve got a team of volunteers helping you, don’t you?
Charlotte Thomas:
I actually have several teams. We have a few teams that work together and they rotate so that they don’t get burned out. And Snohomish County, and I’ve also, just 2003, we started in Grant County serving three more cities, Soap Lake, Euphrada and Moses Lake.
So yeah, it kind of expanded, but I have a fantastic team over there, iin Snohomish County, that just work out diligently. We’re there just to let people know that they’re not invisible. It’s so important for the homeless population or just those who are out on their own to know that they care, that people care about them, they love God loves them, that they’re not alone. That we’re here to support them, to walk them through life if they need it. We’re not going to enable anyone, but we’re there to come alongside them and show God through our lives to them.
Erica:
This has become your life mission is what it sounds like, Charlotte.
Charlotte Thomas:
Well, I don’t know if it’s my life’s mission, but it’s all for God. If it wasn’t for God… That’s why the name, God’s Grace came from is by the grace of God that I’m able to do this, because it’s strictly from volunteers and donation and people on Facebook hear about it, and there’s a house over there that they can bring clothing and stuff and donate, because they supply actually, God supplies it, clothing and food and tents and sleeping bags, prayer, everything that a person may need. And I give them my phone number with my business card. It’s got the dates on the back for the whole year when we’re out and where we stop, and they can call me anytime day or night if they just need to talk. I have an ear, maybe if there’s some way I can give any other resources. And so we’re available 24/7,
Erica:
Charlotte. That is so beautiful and inspiring to me. What happens when you hand someone who’s homeless, who’s down on their luck, so to speak, a sleeping bag or you feed them a hot meal? What kind of response do you receive?
Charlotte Thomas:
So, may I just give you an example?
Erica:
Yeah!
Charlotte Thomas:
Okay. So a few years back, we were driving around. There was a couple of people in my truck with me, and I saw this gentleman walking among the little storm mall things in Lynnwood, and I pulled over, rolled my window down, and I asked him, I says, Are you hungry? Would you like a hot meal? He said, sure. So I says, okay, I’m going to park right here. So I parked and he came over. We were dishing him out food. I have an oven. Everything that I keep in my truck, we cook a free hot meal every time we go out. So it’s fresh. He started crying and I go, are you okay? Can we pray for you? He said, I just finished praying to God. I haven’t eaten for three days. And I said, Lord, I need something to eat. And then he heard me roll out my window and asking, if I would like something to eat. So we have a lot of stories like that.
Erica:
Charlotte, I’m hugging you through the phone right now.
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