Today we’d like to introduce you to Todd Feske.
Hi Todd, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
In November of 2014, I saw a posting on Facebook by Aaron Gall, from Let’s Warm the Cities, suggesting people purchase items for the homeless on Black Friday. Donations could be dropped off to be distributed to the shelters or you could hand them out directly to the homeless.
I wanted to hand out what I had collected directly to the people and thought I would meet up with other people that had gone to the homeless camps before to distribute donations.
The response I received from Aaron was, “Great, you’ve done the hardest part and made the decision to do something. Now go do it!”
He gave me some advice on how to approach the camps and to remember that it’s their home.
On December 2nd I went to an area where I had seen people camping while I was hiking along the Mississippi River that summer.
I found two camps but nobody was home, so I left a few items and decided to try another area the next day.
The following day I came across a couple of homeless men and offered what I had and their response surprised me and changed my life.
One of the gentlemen said, “Yeah, it’s Christmas time. Everybody thinks about us at Christmas and then forgets about us the rest of the year!”
I immediately thought I was not going to be like everybody else and asked them what else they needed and where can I find them.
I have been visiting homeless camps every week since and Walking With A Purpose MN became a 501-c nonprofit in June 2015.
We slowly grew by word of mouth and, over the last 8 years, have gone from one person with a van and two bins of clothes, to 2 converted shuttle buses loaded with supplies and dozens of dedicated volunteers and donors!
We give a one-on-one service with every person receiving a personalized experience inside our buses.
We feed, cloth and offer comfort to each individual.
We partnered with Settled, a non-profit dedicated to developing tiny home villages for the homeless, about 6 years ago, and we just opened the first one in Minnesota!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Lol! There were, and still are, a few!
I didn’t know what I was getting into!
I was just looking to meet some people and do something worthwhile!
First, I had to figure out how to find the people I wanted to help, the chronically unsheltered homeless.
Then I had to gain their trust, as the only people that came to their camps were with a government agency or law enforcement.
We worked out of an unheated garage for the first four years and struggled to get the donations to meet their basic needs.
Financially, it’s always a struggle, as we rely completely on private donations to serve from 50 to over 100 people, depending on the time of year, a week.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Right now, I’m supposed to be semi-retired but that didn’t seem to work out! I’ve spent most of my time in sales.
My family was one of the first to get into the video business, starting in 1976 in Moorhead, MN.
I was managing a shoe and clothing store in St Paul until I moved to Moorhead in 1983 to join the business.
We grew the business to 6 locations and were the first to place video rentals in grocery stores, convenience stores, and other retail stores with over 40 locations in 4 states.
After the decline of the video business, I had success in selling advertising and marketing information.
Contact Info:
- Website: walkingwithapurpose.org
- Facebook: Walking With A Purpose Minnesota
