Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bill And Michelle White. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Bill and Michelle, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
5Loaves2FishNMI is an outreach group that promotes compassion by providing nourishing meals, infused with love, to those experiencing food insecurity and homelessness. We feed people.
Every week volunteers come together to create delicious meals with love! It is our hope that each meal will nourish families and communities not only in body, but in spirit too.
Love is the message. Food is the vehicle!
We find our purpose by feeding people. It is a right not a privilege to eat good healthy food. Not only do we find purpose in feeding people we also have strong connections with many of our guests. Volunteers too, we come together dedicated to make a difference in the lives of others and ourselves.
Dignity matters to all people, we do our best to provide dignity and love to all our guests. Co-founder Bill White is known as the hugger. So many guests will say things like “thank you, I have not been touched in 5 years” or “Thank you so much for caring”. Those are just a few of many great examples of comments made by our guests.
We meet people where they are at!
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Bill White:
Born and raised in Leland, MI, 5Loaves2Fish co-founder Bill has spent his life in service to others. You might say, he has the “chops” for such work.
Bill worked as a certified meat cutter for eight years, while later engaged in law enforcement. He is a Certified Social Worker, spending 42 years in work supporting child welfare, along with his private practice. His work has been recognized in many areas, notably the Sara Hardy Humanitarian Award, with wife, Michelle, and homeless advocate Ryan Hannon.
A Consecrated Home Missioner (Leland Community United Methodist Church), Bill has published many articles related to child welfare and independent living, along with a volume of poetry.
His inspiration (Matthew 22:36-40. NIV): “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Michelle White:
Michelle grew up in Leland MI and spent most of her early years in the restaurant business. With the soul of an artist, and a passion for social justice, she has spent the past 20-plus years as an entrepreneur. Always in pursuit of making the world a better place.
She founded Michelle’s Miracle, a pioneering effort to make cherry concentrate available for its health benefits. Her book, “On a Pit and a Prayer,” is a lesson on the ups and downs of starting that business.
Her work as an artist has touched many, as have her endeavors in family life education. She is a Consecrated and Commissioned Deaconess through the United Methodist Church. She has been recognized for her work, including the Sara Hardy Humanitarian Award (with husband Bill).
Michelle believes all these life elements became the catalyst for co-founding 5Loaves2Fish, a culmination of her work as a “lifelong social justice seeker”.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Bill: Passion, belief, compassion for others. Passion will keep you focused on the task at hand, give you confidence, and keep you going during the hard times. Believing in what you are doing and the positive benefits it offers others strengthens your motivation. Compassion enables you to continue your journey during the good and difficult times.
Michelle: Vision, grit and compassion. When you have a vision, wait to share it until you are ready. Many times friends, relatives and associates may not see your vision as clearly as you do and can talk you out of it before you even finish sharing the whole idea. It takes a level of grit to sustain naysayers and obstacles. There is a saying “if it were that easy, everyone would be doing it” Whatever that “it” is. And lastly compassion. Not only compassion for others but for yourself. Passion is exciting but it is also draining. Stay true to you and your vision.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
Bill: when you focus on your talents and abilities, your confidence and passion are at its best. You are also open to seeing those areas you are not strong in, and are better able to seek out others that have those strengths, thus expanding your group and strengthening your focus and service delivery. No one is good at everything, and enlisting others in your vision expands the group, brings talent, and strengthens the service you offer. This has enabled 5L2F to grow and provide a quality outreach. Plus, the people involved talk to others, which brings more talent and other support.
Michelle: I feel it is better to do what you do best and keep doing that. Find others to do the tasks you are not strong in. Each one of us has talents that compliment each other. By finding people to work with that do their best at what they do is how to create a great team. I have learned this the hard way. I once started a company, it was on it’s way to success. I needed investors. That came with a price. The most costly price was allowing others who knew nothing about the industry tell me to be all things within the company. I was completely drained, I ended up having a breakdown and resigning from my own company.
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: @5loaves2fishnmi
- Facebook: 5loaves2fish
Image Credits
Gary Howe
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