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Our Mission
Seeking to be God’s hands and feet extended, Sheltering the Unsheltered, Incorporated provides our unsheltered population, who live on the streets, with food and daily necessities to improve their well-being and restore dignity.
Our Vision
In addition to providing food and daily necessities, STU is committed to partnering with agencies who can provide showers services, laundry services, wellness care, job training, and financial training to rehabilitate our unsheltered neighbors with the goal of getting them off the streets and into temporary and permanent housing.
Our Story
How We Got Started
By: Willa Peterson
Founder, Sheltering the Unsheltered, Incorporated
What began as a birthday celebration quickly became a calling.
Birthdays are special to me. In August 2021, I was looking forward to celebrating a milestone birthday with family and friends. One problem…COVID19!
The dastard virus usurped any public celebration. Still waiting to celebrate this milestone birthday, God brought to my attention that there was a “public” out there, who were not family or friends, a “public”, whom I did not know, the homeless.
So, with excitement, a friend and I prepared and set out to celebrate my birthday with them by making lunch bags which were filled with a sandwich, chips, a piece of fruit, a bottle of water, and of course, a slice of birthday cake! Included in the bag were toiletries: body washcloths, hand sanitizer, a packet of Kleenex, toothbrush, and toothpaste. Each bag was adorned with a label which read “Celebrating You Today!”
The people, whom I refer to as our “unsheltered” neighbors were so enamored to receive this unexpected gift.
As we drove away, I made a commitment by God’s grace to provide a lunch and toiletries to them regularly. Every other week for over two years now, I have been blessed along with my supporters to provide food, toiletries, clothing, and during the colder months, blankets, sleeping bags, hats, and gloves to our unsheltered neighbors. A few of them have been living on the street for the two years we have been serving them; many are transient. Some have shared their stories with me because of the rapport that has been established. I leave them desiring to help in other ways that are more sustainable but for now, I am thankful that my supporters and I have been blessed to meet some of their basic needs. We invite you to join us in our quest to provide much needed supplies for our unsheltered neighbors. Your support is greatly appreciated!
Our Story
How We Got Started
By: Willa Peterson
Founder, Sheltering the Unsheltered, Incorporated
What began as a birthday celebration quickly became a calling.
In August 2021, I was looking forward to celebrating a milestone birthday with family and friends. Like so many plans during the pandemic, COVID-19 brought those celebrations to a halt. While I was disappointed, God used that moment to redirect my heart toward a different kind of celebration.
Instead of gathering with loved ones, a friend and I prepared homemade lunch bags and set out to celebrate with our unsheltered neighbors throughout downtown Tampa. Each bag included a fresh sandwich, chips, fruit, water, a slice of birthday cake, and essential hygiene items like a toothbrush, toothpaste, hand sanitizer, tissues, and a washcloth. Every bag carried a simple message:
"Celebrating You Today."
The gratitude, smiles, and conversations we experienced that day were unforgettable. What I expected to be a one-time act of kindness became the beginning of something much greater.
As we drove home, I felt a clear conviction that this work shouldn’t end with my birthday. By God’s grace, I committed to returning regularly to serve our unsheltered neighbors.
Since then, Sheltering the Unsheltered has grown into a community of compassionate volunteers and supporters who come together every other week to provide food, hygiene supplies, clothing, blankets, sleeping bags, hats, gloves, and other essentials to those living without stable shelter.
Over time, we’ve built meaningful relationships with many of the individuals we serve. Some have shared their stories, struggles, hopes, and dreams. While we recognize that a meal or a blanket cannot solve homelessness, we believe every act of compassion reminds someone that they are seen, valued, and never forgotten.
Our mission is simple: to meet immediate needs while treating every person with dignity, respect, and genuine care.
We invite you to join us. Whether through volunteering, donating, or simply sharing our mission, your support helps us continue serving our unsheltered neighbors with hope, compassion, and love.
Together, we can make a meaningful difference, one person, one meal, and one act of kindness at a time.