OKLAHOMA CITY – Before dawn, a line begins to grow outside Sister BJ’s Pantry in downtown Oklahoma City.
If you were to drive-by in those early morning hours, you’d see the silhouettes of the homeless as they wait for the door to open.
The pantry was founded by Sister Barbara Joseph as part of her mission to those who sleep on the streets and in secluded camps.
“I really had a fear of the homeless at first,” Sister Barbara Joseph says. “Sometimes God puts your fear right in front of you. And I think that’s happened. And I just got to know them.”
She and her volunteers serve between 100-150 people on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings.
“I just wanted them to have a place where they could come away from the city streets and just sit down and have a cup of coffee,” she says.
But her dream grew from there.
She provides clothing as well as food to those in need.
Sister Barbara Joseph received our special $1,000 holiday Pay It 4ward.
She now has a new goal: to collect 1,000 pair of new or used jeans for the homeless by January 1.
Sister Barbara Joseph said jeans are the single most requested item at her clothes closet.
If you have a spare pair, check out her website or drop off your donations in the box in KFOR’s lobby, located at 444 East Britton Road, Oklahoma City, OK 73114.
The jeans most needed are sizes 32, 34, and 36.
As you’ll see in the video, she has a special place in her heart for those without a place to call home.
Click here to nominate someone for Pay It 4ward.
