Sharing & Caring Hands — Attraction in Minneapolis

I think Mary Jo Copeland the founder of Caring and Sharing Hands in Minneapolis Minnesota is trying to reach sainthood. Which I pray she will never even be thought of to get after the way she treated my sister and her 21 month old daughter. My sister and her daughter had traveled all the wayto Minnesota from Arizona for a funeral. On the way here they had gotten a flat which they were able to get the tire plugged so they could finish their trip here to Minneapolis. Well needless to say after the funeral and they were getting ready to go home, we checked the tires and seen that they needed to be replaced as the would have blown on her way home, and no one here was with much money to help her, so she used her gas money to get back home to get new tires on the car. With her having no money to get back home to Arizona we were told to go to Caring and Sharing Hands by someone who was recently helped with travel expenses of $150. She said, they would help with travel expenses for her to get back home especially since they were in town for a funeral. We were told to look up the website so we could see first hand that she assists with travel expenses. We looked it up and thought this is wonderful, thank goodness there is someone who can help.

I went to caring and Sharing Hands with my sister and when she got up to talk with Mary Jo, Mary Jo was rude... telling her "Tell me what you want? What are you asking for?" When my sister started to reply Mary Jo stopped her and said "We dont do that here."handing her a piece of paper which she tehn ripped out of my sisters hands. My sister tried to explain to her that she had a 21 month old with her and they drove up here and all Mary Jo kept saying to her was "We dont do that here." and told her she could leave.

She was willing to leave my sister stranded here in Minnesota when she needed to get back home to get back to her life and take care of things, like finish packing for a move. We had to ask around and try to find people who had some spare money to borrow just so we could make sure that my sister and her daughter got back home.

I will never tell someone to go to Caring and Sharing Hands for help, after I seen first hand how my sister was treatedand how rude Mary Jo was to her. From this experience and I have heard it from other people Mary Jo Copeland is a fake and only wants people to see the good thinsg she does, but I know quite a few people who have not so good experiences with her. Its too bad that there are so many people who need help and they are willing to let this person belittle them to get any kind of help. I will tell people of other places to go for assistance as I find them cause after this experience I have made it my goal to find better help for people than someone who acts fake with her help. Mary Jo Copeland is not acting as a woman of god, she is doing things to make...

I went to drop clothes off there a whole truckload of clothes and they said the clothes was not good enough for them because a couple cloths had cat hair. Before I brought the cloths there I wash them all the majority of the clothes we are new or like-new. Most of them name brand business suits and business casual wear.

Some of them were used. But was able to still wear. 100 pairs of dress shoes that are brand new.

The service was very rude to say the least. On the cell phone while I'm tried to ask him questions. And rudely kept arguing with me. threw all the stuff back to me that he did not want none of and did not make much of an effort to really look at all the clothes to see really if they're good or I repeatedly told him the stuff was like new. I would not bring faulty stuff to give away that somebody couldn't rewear.

This was my first time ever going to Mary Joe's. And I'm very aware it is a homeless shelter and to help people in the urban community off the streets. We would figure if that was the case they would not pick and choose on what has been given or donated to them four people in that community to prosper from and wear. this is just another example of not taking advantage of opportunities and letting opportunities pass by by being too lazy to look through the clothes to see which ones are good or not. This isn't going to stop me from helping people that are less fortunate in the future. But I sure won't bring anything here no more. I came here on Friday to drop off these clothes which it was closed at that time went across the street to Mary's place. They came out to my truck looked at the stuff I confirmed that they took this type of stuff. so I wouldn't waste a trip coming back. They said the clothes was all right in to bring them back either Saturday morning Sunday morning or Monday today is Monday and wasted trip. The only reason I brought these clothes to Mary Jo's is because I wanted to donateto what I felt somebody that could use them for free. I guess I was I chalk it up as a missed opportunity for low income families. And not to mention unappreciative. If someone gives you something take advantage of that opportunity, and if you really don't want it or like it pass it on to somebody that will.

We as black people should take advantage of every opportunity that we have put in front of us. Is one reason we are in the state of we are in right it is so much the lack of resources and. It is the lack of motivation and care to not taken care of them opportunities.

I hope when someone reads this they listen and take advantage of all your resources and opportunities you never know what diamond you will find in the rough.

I guess that's as my contribution to Mary's. Thank you Mary Jo and staff for helping the...

Sharing and Caring , locals refer to it as Mary Jo's get there early the posted times have changed its officially ten am every day of the week except Friday they are closed . If you have ever been to a concert and participated in a mosh pit or witnessed one that will help you tremendously no joke . Ok the front door up the ramp doesn't usually open tell 9 am except in really cold weather. There are 2 distinctive lines that form the line to your left is for the main eating area and social services like getting vouchers for pay and stay, seeing Mary Jo personally, beds, shoes, you can even ask Mary for a small amount of cash ten dollars is the limit and it better be important and be completely honest with Mary she has been helping people for longer then most of you have been alive and her ability to filter out B. S is beyond the your hustling ability. Most request will probably be referred to services they already have that do not require cash hand outs so do not be disappointed if your request is declined. A bus tokens or 2 is available from The Token guy is a mirror of what caring and sharing is all about just a genuine great person and quite the dresser do not forget the staff have been trained extremely well and most have been on the job for multiple years and have exceptional street smarts make sure you give them the credit they deserve. The right line is for the free clothing and household items anything new or sot after is pretty much gone in the first few minutes that they open the clothing closet doors the best strategy for successfully traversing the basement area is to first get there early as far as the cutting in line I mentioned it to the biggest baddest staffer there once and he said"why did you let them in front of you? To call out the cutters and put them on front street does a lot to make them aware that type of behavior will not be tolerated. My rule of thumb is when the 3rd person cuts in front of me I follow them up front completely serious it's not fair for the people that got there there earlier then them. Forget the time consuming task of placing each item you picked each item in the bag you brought (BIG YOUR OWN BAG DRAW STRING GARBAGE BAGS ARE ONLY ALOUD )drape items over your over your arm and shoulder or you will miss out on the most popular items . Staff is...