Whatever It Takes Ministry sets up shop at the intersection of East 11th Street and Peeples Street in downtown Chattanooga on Saturdays.Twenty people who once walked the streets without direction and without a home now have hope thanks to the work of Whatever It Takes Ministry, of Ringgold.
WIT Ministry President Michael A. McClendon and fellow volunteers set up shop at the intersection of East 11th and Peeples streets in downtown Chattanooga on Saturdays to pass out hundreds of hot dogs, chili, toppings and soft drinks to the homeless who gather around.
The WIT Ministry assists the homeless and those with low income from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each week.
Feeding 200-300 homeless people on Saturdays is the norm, said McClendon. Then, the ministry’s volunteers fan out to offer hot dogs to hungry children in local housing projects and trek under bridges to pass out the remaining hot dogs in homeless camps.
McClendon has also brought his ministry home, opening his doors to allow one homeless man and several recovering addicts to live in a camper next to his house.
“We give them a place to live,” the U.S. Navy veteran said. “All the guys that live with me work at Pro-Tree Service. When I work, they work. When I go to church, they go to church. When we go to feed the homeless, they go with us. We have WIT volunteers that pick up the ball and run with it when I’m out of town.”
McClendon, who owns Pro-Tree Service, recently returned from a disaster relief trip with his crew. They traveled to Florida to cut up downed trees to help hurricane victims.
To McClendon, life is all about building relationships.
“You have to build relationships with them. They need someone to care. They need someone to say, ‘Danny, how ya been?'” he said of the homeless people he helps.
While many are young people on drugs, he said – a reality he used to live himself – he said he’s seen a lot more women and children lately than in the past.
He helps them all the same.
Email Katie Ward at kward@timesfreepress.com.