Mona and Tom Thiel are the founders of Heart of Saginaw. Their mission is to provide hope for a bright future, with a hug and an encouraging word while they distribute brown bag lunches to the inner city children of Saginaw, MI.

 

Heart of Saginaw began when Mona was awakened by a vivid dream given to her by God . She wrote down every detail from the dream which looked more like a shopping list. While in prayer the following day, God spoke to her and told her to get dressed and go to the East Side. She followed God's directions which led her to the Morrow Center Thrift Store, part of the Fritz's Emmaus House ministry, where she began feeding the children out of the back of her truck.

 

Twice a week, rain or shine, Mona, Tom and their volunteers faithfully distribute 100-200 sack lunches to the children on the East side of Saginaw after school.  They also host summer festivals, baskeball training and seasonal giveaways which include Thanksgiving mealboxes, backpacks filled with school supplies, hats/gloves, blankets/pillows/sheets and candy/treats. Not only are they filling their stomachs but they are filling the hearts of the children with lots of love.

 

In 2015, Tom and Mona were chosen as Saginawians of the Year. You can read more about them and their ministry here.