It was a bright, sunny summer day, and neighbors were starting to line up outside Crossroads Bible Church. This was a typical Tuesday around here, but it was new to me.
From an onlooker’s perspective, it might have looked like a gathering for a free meal—and, if you noticed the Mel Trotter shower truck outside, a shower too. But it quickly became clear that, while the meal was important, it was not the sole reason people were there.
What felt different at Crossroads was the opportunity to connect: with resources, with caring people, and with neighbors who knew where to turn next.
John, One Starfish’s Community Outreach Director, showed me around. Once inside, it felt like a lunchroom full of people who knew one another and knew how the day worked. Around the outside of the room, community partners created a network of support. Organizations and neighbors were there to offer their expertise, time, and care, including AYA Youth Collective, the HOPE Team, Network180, 61st District Court Legal Services, online social-service, health-insurance support, and Mel Trotter Ministries.
A podiatrist had set up a foot-washing station, which I found especially remarkable. The hairstylists’ area was bustling with activity, fresh cuts, and full of laughter. This felt like community.
Guests moved from table to table, greeted familiar faces, asked questions, and found the support they needed. There was an energy of purpose in the room. People seemed to know where to go—and when they did not, they knew exactly who to ask.
That was where the One Starfish team stood: right in the middle of it all. No table. No sign. No name tags. Yet it seemed to me that everyone already knew who they were and what they did.
Marney stood with a coffee in one hand and bus tickets in the other, casually chatting with her neighbors. Someone needed transportation to a job interview. Someone else needed a bus ticket for a doctor’s appointment. Like a seasoned pro, she handed out bus tickets and vetted the need for further support with a genuine smile on her face.
Another person needed help navigating the next practical step toward stability. This was where John stepped in.
With nearly three decades of experience in law enforcement, crisis response, and mental-health support, John brought compassion and calm to every conversation. He worked with an individual who needed to return home a few states away, where family support and a stronger opportunity to rebuild were waiting.
A bus ticket may seem like a small thing from the outside. But in that moment, it represented a path forward: a way to reconnect with family, regain stability, and begin again with support nearby.
I watched the team work. I watched them connect the dots. And I watched them make room for a few laughs along the way.
The One Starfish team reminded me of a Swiss Army knife—full of practical tools, ready to adapt, and always finding a way to meet the need in front of them. Some moments called for a bus ticket, others for a phone call, a referral, directions, or simply someone willing to listen.
That is what One Starfish does so remarkably well. The team shows up day after day, gets to know people by name, listens to their needs, and helps make difficult logistics possible. They make phone calls, build relationships, share information, provide transportation support, and help people take the next step—whether that step is getting to work, attending an appointment, reconnecting with loved ones, or finding the right service provider.
On my drive home, I felt inspired by the work of our neighbors and our One Starfish team. Tuesdays at Crossroads are a place where people are welcomed as neighbors. They are offered a meal, practical help, respect, conversation, and community.
At Crossroads Church, community looks like a meal shared around a table. It looks like a haircut, a shower, legal guidance, mental-health support, and help accessing health insurance. It looks like a bus ticket to a job interview—or a ticket home to the family waiting a few states away.
And in the middle of it all, it looks like the One Starfish team: walking the walk, building trust, and connecting people to resources and relationships that can help change what comes next.
