MACOMB, Mich. – Many families across Metro Detroit live at or below the poverty line; many are homeless.
Thirty-four years ago Shelly Penzien saw firsthand the effect homelessness had on the children at the Macomb school where she worked.
"Kids (were) coming to school without the necessary things: shoes with holes in them, not adequate winter gear type of thing, no socks," said Penzien.
Penzien began helping one child at a time and soon her family members, friends and people from the community joined in.
Today Macomb Charitable Foundation aids children and their families by providing financial assistance for everyday needs.
The demand is so great that the foundation receives 17 requests a day from agencies and schools for assistance.
"We have a lot of kids that ask for toilet paper, diapers. Those are things that we take for granted and a lot of these kids don't have it," said Julie Standlick.
"Are almost all of your clients from homeless families?" asked Mitch Albom.
"Most of them are, yes. I would say 90 percent," said Penzien.
"And yet the kids are in school," Albom said.
"They absolutely are and the difference is they are changing clothes early morning having slept in their vehicle overnight," Penzien said.
Friends, neighbors, innercity or suburbs, homelessness can happen anywhere.
"'My mom couldn't pay the storage bill so we lost everything. We have spent the night in our car, showered in fast-food places, lakes and so forth,'" Penzien said reading a letter. "These are things that are happening right here in our community. It has become who I am, and it does define our lives and I don't know what we would do if we didn't do this."
Reaching out to children and families in need, Shelly Penzien and Macomb Charitable Foundation are providing the necessities of life in the heart of Detroit.
Heart of Detroit