Pa. family brings Christmas celebration to the homeless, others in need
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Christmas has never been the same for Michael Cunningham Jr. since losing his grandparents in 2017.
"I just wasn't looking forward to that Christmas," he said. "And I wanted to do something that reminded me of my grandmother giving back, my church family that was always there for me."
Cunningham and his wife founded Kingdom Keepers Outreach Ministries, which started as a small family effort to provide hot meals to the homeless and hungry. Over the years, it evolved to include clothing, hygiene products, backpacks, and more. And now, they set up shop at Logan Square every second and fourth Saturday of the month.
But the crown jewel of Kingdom Keepers is the Christmas celebration, now in its 5th year and 6th iteration. Family, friends, and the community surrounding Love Kingdom Fellowship Church in Logan Township, New Jersey, helped to raise $25,000 to fund it. There are also a long list of corporate sponsors in addition to adjacent organizations such as Share the Warmth Foundation and Heaven Bound that help out.
Recipients like Dominic Petty from Southwest Philadelphia are feeling grateful.
"Wash rags, sneakers, long johns, that's what I really want," he said. "Sometimes, we don't have money to buy these things. These people come out and look out for us."
To learn more about Kingdom Keepers Outreach Ministries and how to get involved, visit their website.
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