Coffee shop experience inspires Miss UM to start homeless ministry

Coffee shop experience inspires Miss UM to start homeless ministry

The barista stands smiling behind the counter while preparing drinks. Meanwhile, an unkempt, older man walks in — dirty blue jeans, a shirt several sizes too large, his face unshaven and burned from the sun.

“Hey there, Chelsey,” he calls to the barista.

“Hey, Mr. Jimmy,” she returns, coming from behind the counter to reach out for a hug, still smiling.

This barista is Chelsey Sayasane, currently Miss University of Mobile 2017. The man is Mr. Jimmy, a homeless man and a frequenter of Moka’s Coffee Company in Saraland where Sayasane has served as a barista for several years.

Their friendship sparked an idea that became a ministry to provide winter, rain and business coats to the homeless and create relationships with them.

Sayasane started Coats of Many Colors in 2016 as a college student at UM, which is in one of the rainiest cities in the nation. It became part of her platform in the Miss University of Mobile pageant, which she won in February.

Slingshot Inc., a national company based in Mobile and led by a UM graduate, liked the idea and promoted it nationwide through their business. Sayasane is continuing to share the ministry as she competes in the Miss Alabama pageant June 7–10.

Sayasane said God used Mr. Jimmy to open her heart to loving people in ways she hadn’t before.

“He would come into Moka’s every week and ask if he could pick up the trash in the parking lot,” Sayasane said. “He just wanted to help out. When I would see him, I would talk to him like I would to a friend. We talked about his family, what led him to become homeless and why he thought it was so hard to overcome. I saw him as a human being, not just a homeless man.”

Sayasane eventually asked Mr. Jimmy what the homeless community needed most from their neighbors throughout Mobile County.

Meeting needs

“He told me that they needed emotional care (and) to know they aren’t forgotten, but physically they needed coats,” Sayasane said.

This conversation prompted her to pray for what God was calling her to do: to actively work with the homeless community in Mobile. And soon, she went to work.

“I started to strategize. I made a goal to do one coat drop-off a month and collect coats throughout the month,” she explained.

Sayasane collects coats from all over Saraland just north of Mobile — Saraland High School, Bridgeway Academy and Merle Norman. She picks up the coats from each location and partners with local organization One Meal to distribute coats one Sunday a month. The coats are distributed directly to homeless men and women in downtown Mobile.

During Sayasane’s first coat delivery a local news anchor was running in Bienville Square, a public park in downtown Mobile. The anchor grew curious about what was going on, so she stopped running to ask. After hearing Sayasane’s story, she conducted a brief Facebook Live interview with Sayasane.

“That interview opened so many doors,” Sayasane said.

To date Sayasane has collected more than 1,000 coats and they just keep coming. Despite the influx of donations, there are still needs to fill.

“Right now there are so many more women’s coats than men’s but there are more homeless men in Mobile than there are homeless women,” Sayasane said.

But she remains patient as she considers ways to remedy the shortage of men’s coats, keeping her focus on a more important issue: spreading the gospel.

In addition to collecting and giving away coats, Sayasane has prayed with more than 80 homeless men and women.

“It’s much more than giving away free coats,” she continued. “I want those who are homeless to know they are not forgotten, that we see them in their struggle. This is about building relationships in our community.

“Jesus is so faithful. When I was praying about this, I asked the Lord to take control. I wanted Him to use me in whatever I did,” she said. “When I began serving others, I always expected to make an impact but this has changed me and my heart.” (UM)

For more information, visit giving.umobile.edu.

The Miss Alabama Pageant will take place at Samford University on June 7–10. For details, visit www.missalabama.com.