Our story
Growing up in the Dallas area there was never a shortage of people in need. As a young girl, Shawanee’ Patrick, the founder, was able to volunteer at a local homeless shelter. It was during this time that she realized that any person could be homeless. They weren’t just lazy people who wouldn’t get a job, as she heard them so often told. They were people with families, and lives, who fell on hard times. She knew that every person was worthy and deserving of love, however she saw those in the unsheltered population treated with much less humanity than others.
Shawanee’ has always had a heart to help others, but at the time, didn’t have the resources to do so. She waited for the right moment, and the right time to make an impact for several years. In November 2016, she decide to stop waiting and solicited the help of her friends, church, and family to help the homeless community around Christmas time. She chose the Christmas season because everyone wants to give and receive gifts, however for people who are homeless, purchasing and receiving gifts may not be a possibility. However, she wanted to make sure they received some type of gift and had the opportunity to spend time with people who genuinely cared for them.
Shawanee’s goal was to fill just 20 bags with food, hygiene products, and a Christmas card with a handwritten message that each of them were valuable and loved. Through the overwhelming support of those around her she was able to fill 30 bags. In the winter of 2017, her project garnered even more support and was able to fill and distribute 36 bags. In these two years she and her small team of volunteers were able to talk to many people in the unsheltered homeless community, hear their stories, encourage them, pray for them, and find out their needs. In 2018, Shawanee’ decided to found Bags Full of Love as a non-profit organization, to make a larger impact that would fill more bags and more hearts with love.
