IT’S MORE THAN JUST A MEAL
Over the years, Hope’s Corner has become more than just a place where Mikey Garden could get a shower and a hot meal.
The 52-year-old has been chronically homeless for four decades now, moving from one foster home to the next as a young child. He first came to Hope’s Corner seven-and-a-half years ago when a friend invited him to breakfast.
But in the last few years, Garden, who is known at Hope’s Corner for his “heart of gold” has not only been a regular for Saturday morning breakfast, but a frequent volunteer — often helping out with mopping floors or setting up and taking down tables.
He says it’s “good will” that has kept him coming back all these years to help other homeless individuals like himself.
“(They) were giving me something to eat,” he said. “If a guy drops his tray, common sense would be to help him pick it up. That’s what I did.”
If it wasn’t for Hope’s Corner, Garden says he’s not sure what he’d be doing with his time.
“I’m grateful to have those people on my side after all these years,” he said. “They’ve helped me in a lot of ways.”
One of those ways was volunteers helping him reunite with his mother after 39 years of separation.
Located at the corner of Hope and Mercy streets in downtown Mountain View at Trinity United Methodist Church, board member Mike Hacker calls Hope’s Corner the “Little Engine that Could” of nonprofits.
“As a small nonprofit, we’ve managed to do a lot and even expand our services — even when new challenges seem to make success questionable — thanks to our volunteers,” Hacker said of the nickname, which is based on the 1930 children’s book of the same name.