Jamie Gipson knows what it's like trying to sleep in a parked car, with nowhere else to go.
It happened more than once while Gipson was growing up. His parents faced eviction several times, forcing their six-member family to pack the goods they can carry and come up with a plan on how to do it until they find a solution to their problem.
It didn't help that Gipson started getting more and more injuries as he got older, which led to a diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a disorder that weakens the muscles that hold his body's joints together, making it easier for him to sustain serious injuries.
Kind Human 4 Human Kind Executive Director Jamie Gipson, left, and Board member Catherine “Kitty” Archmire drop off survival bags at the Blue Water Area Rescue Mission.
Gipson remembers sitting in the hospital one day wondering why his life was so painful when he saw two boys running down the hall even though they had no legs.
“I saw these little guys running around with no legs and I thought, 'What am I complaining about?'” Gipson said.
It was with such experiences in mind that Gipson changed his outlook on life and later wondered how he could help others who were also struggling to live.
Today, Gipson is the director of Kind Human 4 Human Kind, a charity based in the Blue Water Area that provides assistance to those in need, whether homeless, hungry or otherwise.
The organization's volunteers may prepare survival bags for the homeless, help those with children get school or baby supplies, or deliver furniture to someone who has recently been able to find a home.
Much of the organization's fundraising work is done online.
A group photo of all Kind Human 4 Human Kind volunteers at a recent Giving Day event handing out items to those in need.
The Kind Human 4 Human Kind Facebook page has become an important tool to allow people with specific needs to find those who are able to donate. Expectant parents who cannot afford baby supplies, for example, can get help from other families.
“They made a huge difference to me and my daughter both,” said Richard Alexander, a Port Huron resident who received help from Kind Human 4 Human Kind.
Alexander recently gained custody of his 4-year-old daughter Aleah, but was struggling to make a well-furnished home for both of them. A case worker at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reached Human Kind 4 Human Kind. The organization gave him a sofa, bed, clothes for his daughter and everything else to take care of his needs. Donations make the difference between coming home full and empty.
“I was very surprised that there is help for single fathers like this,” Alexander.
The charity also provides survival kits to homeless people and families containing items they may not have access to, including hygiene items, first aid, and winter clothing.
“All this work is unpaid. We do it on our own time,” Gipson said.
Gipson and his family have made philanthropy a philanthropic endeavor for more than 10 years. It started when her daughter, when asked what she wanted for her upcoming birthday, suggested that they should use the money to buy gifts to help others.
Kind Human 4 Human Kind became an official charity in 2023. In part, it was out of necessity. Gipson's husband said she spent about $50,000 on gas driving to pick up and deliver donations, expenses that could be tax-deductible if they were recognized as a nonprofit.
Soon after, other organizations such as local churches and law enforcement began reaching out asking to work with them. Every three months volunteers help assemble the nonprofit's survival kits, with approximately 3,800 items given to those in need.
Group photo of Kind Human 4 Human Kind distributors, before they started handing out survival bags to homeless people.
The next big event for the non-profit organization is The Spirit of Giving Day, which they will be hosting with Grace Episcopal Church at 1213 Sixth St. in Port Huron from noon to 5 pm on Dec. 7.
The event will offer free gifts, including toys, clothing, shoes, housewares and holiday decorations.
The names of those receiving aid are rarely disclosed. Gipson said many are ashamed of their circumstances. Some donors, he said, suspect that people exaggerate their needs in order to find goods they can afford, but in Gipson's experience the opposite is true.
Gipson remembers helping a man who had found a place to rent after struggling for a long time. Kind Human 4 Human Kind offered or arranged donations to fully furnish the home, but while they were unloading supplies, he realized he was working remotely.
It was as if, he said, the man did not believe that his contributions were free, and expected to find that they caught him, only to learn too late that he had been defrauded of their debt.
“They're scared, they don't trust the world and they think it's a scam,” Gipson said. “Some people are worried that homeless people will use the help, but the truth is that it is not easy for the recipients to ask.”
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In Gipson's experience, when people see the difference even a small donation can make to someone, they become less concerned about their use and more focused on how they can help in some other way.
In October, volunteers arrived at the Mid City Nutrition soup kitchen when several people asked them to deliver messages to their sponsors.
“Please tell everyone that none of us wants to be homeless?” asked a woman. “I'm working. I don't use drugs. I just can't find affordable housing.”
Another woman, who cannot walk, added: “I never thought this could happen to me. I have worked all my life. But then I got sick. Then I lost my legs. Now I'm asking for a blanket from a stranger.”
Homelessness is a growing problem in Port Huron, with charities like Kind Human 4 Human Kind reporting that they have seen an increase in homelessness since the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation, especially among the elderly.
In January 2023, St. Clair County Community Services Coordinating Body, an organization that helps inform 75 charities in the county to reduce ineffective efforts and collect data, counted 133 homeless people in Port Huron, including 92 adults and 41 children. In July, that number reached 184 people.
That increase came entirely from adults, who rose to include 150 homeless people, while the number of homeless children dropped to 34. The facility has no beds in the men's shelter until it reopens in December 2023. Gipson said he doesn't know of any shelters in Port Huron for families.
“No one seems to have enough money to live on right now,” Gipson said. “Whatever food stamps don't buy, they outsource.”
Gipson says his family is struggling to make ends meet as inflation has pushed up prices in their area. During the interview his arm was in a sling, the result of an injury related to his Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. It didn't change the fact that he was going to help move furniture and other heavy items to a private property.
Gipson learned a long time ago, he said, it's so easy to feel sorry for yourself when the key to feeling better is often to help others.
“As a society we must decide that these people have an advantage,” he said.
Citizens can make donations and request help at http://kindhuman4humankind.org/.
Contact Johnathan Hogan at jhogan@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared in the Port Huron Times Herald: Kind Human 4 Human Kind brings help to those in need in Port Huron.
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