Just two days before Christmas Day, at Ashbury United Methodist Church, friends of Flint Police Chief Terrance Green gifted three families from four different sides of Flint with $500 in utilities fees and $250 in gift certificates. Green himself could not be there for the giveaway and another family to be gifted was not there.
Johnny Morse and his family were one of the families who received the gifts and were very grateful to get help for them to have a much merrier Christmas than they would have without it.
Morse, who lives on Burns Street on the east side of Flint, lives in a household of nine including himself, his wife, son, grandson, daughter and granddaughters, and has been trying to make ends meet and put food on the table while he and his wife have both been on disability.
His wife has hidradenitis suppurativa (HS); a condition that causes painful bumps under the skin in the hair roots near some of the sweat glands. Morse has two hernias, two herniated disks and had blockage in his heart. Despite this, Morse has been helping out at Ashbury United Methodist Church by passing out water and food every Tuesday.
Morse said the gifts were a blessing.
“We would have had our lights turned off,” Morse said. “We’re behind on the land bank. This is going to help us so we don’t lose our place.”
According to Morse, the money was used to both pay bills and buy gifts.
“My grandson wants a Power Wheels motorcycle, and with the gift card I’ll be able to buy it,” Morse said.
On Christmas Eve, Morse went to give 200 bags with gifts to children living at motels. Morse said it was important to him to help children who don’t have anything and will not be able to be snuggled up in their own beds for the holiday.
“Everybody just needs to have peace amongst each other and just take a deep breath and know that everything’s going to be alright,” he said.
Dixie Jackson is currently living on Cedar Street on the west side of the city with her two year old boy and two 15 year old twins. Her income had dropped, she got evicted and had to go to a shelter. She is not currently working due to the fact she has a bad back. Without the gifts, she said she would have a hard time having her Consumer’s Energy bill paid. The gift card was used to buy gifts for her kids for Christmas including clothing, a video game and toys for the youngest child.
On Christmas Eve Jackson participated in a get-together at the shelter. She has two older kids that are not in the shelter. So she decided to see them on Christmas day. Jackson also said she believes in “paying it forward” by doing something kind when something kind is done for her.
“I’m just thankful for the help,” Jackson said.
Jason Hazlett Sr. lives on Maryland Avenue on the East Side of Flint with his wife and a 16 and 13 year old son. Hazlett has lacked hours at his job at DM Burr Security due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and his wife is unemployed and fighting to get paid a disability check after being in a car wreck. If they had not gotten the gift, Hazlett said his lights would probably be turned off. Hazlett had to work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. He said he didn’t know what he would be doing for the New Year. He said his kids are not greedy and anything was better than nothing. Because he was helped, he said he will be happy to give anything he has to anyone less fortunate than himself.
Terence Greene is a close friend of Flint Police Chief Terrance Green that has known him over 40 years.
“It’s just some gentlemen’s getting together that grew up together that (have) already done a lot of things in the city to help with the pandemic and Christmas and make things a little brighter,” Greene said of the gifting efforts held at the church.
“We got together on Sunday and said ‘let’s do something’” Greene added. “I said let’s do something. He said let’s do something. Chief said let’s do some more. It’s just trying time. So, it’s just three childhood friends coming together and trying to do a good deed in the city.”
Leonard Fox is also a friend of Chief Green. Fox worked for Lear Corporation as vice president of operations. Fox said the real foundation of the project is giving back to the city that raised them.
“We had some trying times as kids and Christmas and with the pandemic God has blessed us with the ability to give,” Fox said. “We believe we should be giving back to the community that actually made us the great men that we are.”
Green used to have a program called Shopping with the Chief. Before becoming the Flint Police Chief, Green was the first Black police chief in Mt. Morris Township, where the program was featured. Through it, Green would take families to buy them things they needed. Like the recent giveaway, this was not highly publicized.
“We do this to take care of the community,” Fox said. “We do this to make sure others are blessed like we’ve been blessed.”
Greene said the reason the gifts were spread throughout the city because everyone was equal as one.
“It’s not Black, white, whatever race you are,” he said. “We’re all one in this city and that’s the way we were raised.”
Greene said he and his friends were trying to replicate some of the positive things the Mott Foundation has done for the community, and Ashbury United Methodist also does a lot for the residents of Flint. He also said the plan was for the giveaway to become an annual event.
“To come here in the center of town and bring everybody from different sides of town, that’s what makes it special,” Greene said.
