Our History

Highways to Hedges Community Outreach was founded in 2022. Prior to the organization being founded, Kenneth and Michele Willis felt compelled to go out into the community to help those in need after repeatedly witnessing many people sleeping on the streets and standing on the street corners in various cities and communities. As someone who experienced homelessness herself at one time, Michele wanted to pay it forward and make a real difference and be an advocate in the lives of those in need. 

As a team, both Kenneth and Michele worked diligently to create a street outreach training module that would aid in educating and empowering volunteers in how to serve the community effectively in community street outreach. 

Kenneth and Michele conducted multiple training sessions in Flint MI, Saginaw, MI and Pontiac, MI throughout 2022 and in 2023.  Following the initial training sessions, in September 2022 a group of 10 volunteers went out and set up a distribution site right in the heart of the homeless (unhoused) community near several overnight shelters and provided them with meals, bottled water, clean weather appropriate clothing, shoes, winter coats, hats, gloves, blankets and hygiene products. 

Since then, Highways to Hedges Community Outreach has served many of our unhoused neighbors and continued to train volunteers and set up distribution sites in various communities and cities during the winter, spring, summer and fall months. In addition, Highways to Hedges Community Outreach is committed to connecting those we serve with likeminded organizations and community resource programs, in effort to foster change, assist in breaking the cycle of homelessness and make a difference in the community one life at a time.