To our online family, friends, viewers, and supporters welcome to our newsletter #11. In this newsletter, we aim to bring you some news and tips on how you can help our extended family on the streets.

Friday 6/12/2020 was a very special day for FDDR.

The video of that day had 117.4K total views and also 2,119 viewers during the live video!

FDDR You, our extended family made it possible to break records and showing the world that exceptional things happen when we work together!
Thank you very much! We can not do it without all of you.

Ziggy, our bus, helped us a lot handing out meals to our extended family on the streets of Detroit, he had a big part in the growing of FDDR! But sadly he needed more and more TLC to do his daily rounds and we decided it was a good idea to retire him, no he will not be forgotten.

We searched and found a 2015 Ford F450, yes a little bigger and we are all so excited with ZIGGY-2 becoming a big part of FDDR.

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Our original plan was to have most of the adapting to our needs done by July 19, (the day we became a nonprofit 501(c)3 community/group) but with the fantastic help from a few very good friends, it went faster then we planned. See the video at the end of this post.

The adaption is not completely done yet, we do need more shelves, lighting, and more. But Ziggy-2 is already in use on the streets and we will do more upgrades and adapting in the coming weeks. It is always appreciated if you would like to donate towards Ziggy-2!

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While the pandemic is still going on we are being very careful with having riders on the bus, but slowly we are going to invite them to ride with us. Ziggy-2 has a lift and more seats available for riders.

You can put your name(s) on the list by filling out this form: www.fddr.org/ride-ziggy For riders we try to invite them on days that Rose does not work. Yes, she still has a fulltime job in the hospital at night. 

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For all the new subscribers and viewers FDDR Feeding Detroit is a Private Non-Profit 501(c)3 organization that provides everyday meals, clothing, and more at no cost to our less fortunate in the community and it is sustained by committed and compassionate volunteers as well as generous contributions of donors.

We do not receive any funding from the county, state, or federal governments. We are 100% funded by your donations.

Our mission is simple: to feed and help people in need on the streets of greater Detroit regardless of their circumstances.

FDDR keeps helping and serving even in these challenging times. Yes, we are making sure our staff is safe and healthy during this challenging time. Any gift to this campaign will allow us to continue to serve the homeless and hungry. We are committed absolutely to keep serving those who turn to us for help, and who have no one else to care for them in this time of need.

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Moderator Corner

Welcome to the POD from the MOD!

Here we will discuss all things having to do with the FDDR video feed.  We encourage you to submit any questions you may have.

What we would like our FDDR family to know about being a moderator and efforts to keep the peace.

Being a moderator can be the best way to communicate with others. My favorite thing is to say hello and meet new people. Saying a quick hi or a welcome can really brighten someone’s day. We are a great big family with people from all over the world. So acknowledging others to welcome in our FDDR family is a priority for us!!

Our main goal is for everyone to be nice, show love, and be respectful.
Nice comments & positive vibes are always welcome.

With our numbers growing and so many comments coming through promoting Liz as full moderator and adding moderators in training really helps. There are usually a few of us on to moderate the feed and yes It can be challenging at times.

When some questions or comments arise, usually from new viewers then we attempt to keep certain

things in line, We will start by telling them a little bit about the situation at hand. If things turn ugly with negativity we will try to change the conversation with something more positive. Asking about the weather in a different state, what is everyone having for dinner?  or making a comment about how that person at the window said thank you 😊!

When a comment comes through negative or just rude we will hide that comment. Hoping to stop the negative impact it will start. As you can imagine many different opinions or judgments can be taken the wrong way, so hiding a comment can be the best solution at that moment. We take notes with certain people and watch that person’s comments for a few days. If they make a repetitive comment we then ask them to stay positive and watch the wonderful smiles at the window.

A conversation can go bad real fast and it takes away from the purpose of going live! So by hiding a comment quickly it can keep our feed nice and positive.

We try very hard to keep our feed peaceful and loving. Our regular viewers do the same, they help tremendously to keep our feed nice and changing up the conversation. We have so much respect for our regulars as they also will help to maintain a positive loving feed!

Hats off to each and every one of you!!!


Your loving FDDR Family member, Secretary & Chief Moderator Dina ♥️

Letters from our viewers

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I've been following you for the last couple of years, we watch almost every day. Watching what you do has changed my family and how we view the homeless and it has encouraged us to make a difference in our area (west of Grand Rapids, Allendale Mi).

My kids came up with an idea to have a fundraiser to raise money to provide bottled water for you guys to pass out for 2 days, we want to buy 300 bottles and Koolaid packs, and we are hoping to be able to deliver a truck bed full of goodies to you guys later this summer.

I am so proud that my kids want to make a difference and it is because of you two and Ziggy!

Tomorrow is our day! We are selling pop and snacks at neighborhood garage sales.

Thank you for what you do and how it changed my family.

Kristi and Justin Terrell
Mason age 13
Maya age 10
Josie age 10
Easton age 7
Allendale Mi

PS One more thing... the whole idea was my almost 13 year old sons idea. It bothers him that people don't always have fresh water to drink!

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Often we receive the questions

- How can we help FDDR?

- Where can I find help for me and my family?

Here are several websites/places where you will find help with food, housing, and much more. Most services are Michigan related but many are also available in other regions of the USA.

We also include how you can help and or support FDDR.

• For emergency food assistance, call 2-1-1. If you are unable to reach Michigan 2-1-1 by dialing directly, call the statewide toll-free number: 1-844-875-9211
• www.foodpantries.org and www.pantrynet.org are 2 countrywide websites to find a food pantry and or soup kitchens near you.
• www.homelessshelterdirectory.org The Homeless Shelter Directory provides Homeless Shelters and Homeless Service Organizations. This includes all resources necessary to help the needy.
• www.bridgemi.com/michigan-health-watch/ — Here is a list of Michigan statewide resources to help you and your loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Help FDDR to keep feeding the hungry!
  At this moment we see and help more hungry people, and being able to feed them is our number one priority!

• Cook/sponsor a meal: www.tinyurl.com/FDDRcook

• Make a monetary donation via check, gift-card, Cash.me/HelpFDDR or www.venmo.com/Help-FDDR to sponsor a meal or operating costs or use any Credit/Debit-card at www.FDDR.org or www.paypal.me/HelpFDDR

• Choose and order much-needed items from our ALL NEW Wishlist
  https://smile.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3JGX6DJNV8KVH

• We do NOT accept women's or kid's clothing, only men's. Make sure to check all clothing, if items need to be washed or cleaned we cannot accept them.

• Mailing/Drop-off: FDDR 2130 4th Street, Trenton, MI 48183
  We have many drop-off locations, message us HERE

• After a family or business gathering, party or such and there is food left? Do not let it go to waste, donate it to FDDR to help the homeless and hungry. Send a private message: HERE and we can set up a drop-off or pick up.

• LIKE and FOLLOW our page, Watch the VIDEOS www.tinyurl.com/FDDR-fb-LIVE

• Visit our store NOW on www.FDDR.org/online-store to donate towards Pizza/Fastfood-Day (1 pizza feeds 4 people), a meal, water or towards gas for ZIGGY,

• You even can buy FDDR swag to support FDDR at Get-FDDR-Swag

• Share content from FDDR’S timeline on your timeline. Every day, there is content posted on the FDDR timeline that you can share on your timeline to educate friends and family about FDDR. You will find information about the meals served, the plight of the hungry and homeless, and statistics regarding the hungry and homeless. Just pick the post you want to share and click on the share button. Use the area at the top to personalize your post with a message letting your family and friends know you are part of the FDDR family.

• It’s your birthday so consider having a fundraiser for FDDR. Facebook has an option for you to have a fundraiser for your favorite charity in lieu of gifts.  If you would like to take advantage of this option, look for the post from Facebook  (usually a few days before your birthday) that will have all of the details about starting your fundraiser. Make certain to use this time to educate your family and friends about FDDR and how they can help. Use this link to create a fundraiser www.facebook.com/fund/feedingDetroitanddownriver/

• Together we make it happen EVERY DAY, pay it forward.
  Thank you very much for your continuous support!