How Mother Waddles devoted her life to helping those in need in Detroit

Reverend Charleszetta Waddles devoted her life to helping others

DETROIT – You may know the name Mother Waddles because you’ve heard of the charitable car donation program.

But, Mother Waddles is not just a name. She was a quiet hero in Detroit for more than 40 years. The Reverend Charleszetta Waddles devoted her life to providing food, hope and dignity to thousands of the city’s poorest citizens.

Now her grandson is on a mission to have the city of Detroit bestow long overdue honor for her years of work.

Douglas Lewis swells with pride when speaking of his grandmother. He keeps with him a box of news clippings saved from a fire that destroyed his home a few years ago. He said he knows she was watching over him from Heaven.

Lewis said he’d like to see a Detroit street named for his grandmother. He’s meeting with a city council member about honoring his grandmother.

Click here to visit the Mother Waddles website.

READ: More Women’s History Month coverage


About the Authors:

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.