Empowering Communities with Margaux Murphy, Founder of The Sunday Love Project

In this episode of Be A Voice, we sit down with Margaux Murphy, the visionary founder of The Sunday Love Project, a nonprofit dedicated to providing food for vulnerable Philadelphians. For over eight years, Margaux has been serving her community, offering hundreds of thousands of sit-down meals and launching the Greater Goods Grocery Store to further her mission. Before her work with The Sunday Love Project, Margaux spent two decades running a successful house cleaning service. Her dedication to uplifting others earned her the prestigious 2021 Philadelphia Award and a generous donation of $250,000 from Tyler Perry. Join us as Margaux shares her journey of service, community building, and the power of giving back.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Welcome to be a voice. I'm Brick Carpenter and the
SOCIALI media. Thanks for joining me today today as we
continue our talk on switching gears. I have a good
friend of mine and a large community leader here in
the Kensington area and the city of Philadelphia. I have
Margot Murphy. Hey, Margo, I'm well. I could have really
had a real good, extensive lead in for you and

(00:44):
said so many things, but it's like that would have
just been like, you know, just putting some fluff there
because there's so much we're going to talk about. But
thank you so much coming in today.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
It's a crappy day out there. It's shitty weather. It is,
it is, and it doesn't really help the mind frame
when it's not in a good space to begin with.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
True.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
Yeah, some rough weeks out there lately, Huh, it.

Speaker 2 (01:06):
Has been very rough.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
I think just the world in general right now is
not in a great space.

Speaker 1 (01:10):
Yeah, everything, life in general, people in general. I mean,
it's a little fucked up out there right now. It is.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
I'm not really enjoying it.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
No, But you've been sticking it out for quite some time.
I mean, I know you, Margo I know who you are.
I've known you for years. I know what you do,
but those who are tuning in they may not. So
just tell us a little the cliff note version and
we'll peel some layers back. Who is Marga Murphy? What
do you do?

Speaker 2 (01:36):
Who is Margot Murphy?

Speaker 3 (01:39):
I think that I am probably what I do, So
just start with that. I am the director of the
Sunday Love Project, and we are a nonprofit that focuses
on food and security in Kensington, and we have a
little brick and mortar storefront at Kensington and Alleghany that

(02:01):
serves food to the community.

Speaker 1 (02:02):
You need, I just you make that so humble. That
would such a humble lead in there. So the Sunny
Love Project, that is your nonprofit. Yes, and you've started
that when.

Speaker 2 (02:12):
I started Christmas of twenty fourteen.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
Christmas at twenty fourteen, Yes, specifically on Christmas you started
it was, yes, because.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
I screwed up.

Speaker 3 (02:19):
I was supposed to go to serve at a community
service event and I overslept, so I woke up and
felt like a terrible human. So I went to Boston
Market and bought a dozen meals and gave them out
to people in Kensington and Center City and then quickly
realized that a dozen meals was not going to cut it.

(02:41):
It was really cold that day, so there weren't a
ton of people out, but more people came out than
I had food for and that was like the worst
feeling ever. So I sort of made it my life's
mission to fix that so.

Speaker 1 (02:51):
Little almost eleven years ago. Ten years ago, yep, ten
years ago you started this. Yeah, you just felt crappy about.

Speaker 3 (03:01):
Oversleeping, for I'm somebody who really likes to keep my commitments,
so I you know, I said I was going to
do something and I screwed it up, and I wanted
to make it right. So I didn't anticipate it was
going to be the next decade of my life.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
I just thought it was going to be like something
I did that day.

Speaker 3 (03:17):
But because I was so moved by it, I jumped
on Facebook when I got home and just asked the community.

Speaker 2 (03:25):
To sort of help me.

Speaker 3 (03:26):
I was I've had a cleaning service for the last
twenty years and I had one day off and it
was on Sundays. So I told my boyfriend at the time, like,
this is so cool, so now we can like do
this on Sunday, and he was just like very serious
because you know, he had been waiting for me to
take time off, and I was like adding to my schedule.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
So a lot of people wanted to help.

Speaker 3 (03:48):
And so I went out the next Sunday to like
the Central Library downtown and served like forty meals and
then you know eighty after that Swan fountain in front
of the Central Library. So yeah, and then we moved
over to Love Park when we got kind of pushed
out of there, so we kept getting kind of moved
around because various reasons.

Speaker 1 (04:09):
So it was on a Sunday because of your day off,
so hence the name Sunday Love Project. Yes, all right,
that's interesting because I never really thought why.

Speaker 2 (04:16):
Yeah, which is really funny now because you know.

Speaker 1 (04:19):
Day's your only day off. Now.

Speaker 3 (04:21):
Yeah, I mean our stores open seven days, so we're
open for the actual food part Monday through Friday, and
then on Saturday we do kids events for kids in
the community, and then on Sunday we do crochet. But
I don't technically have to be there on Sunday, but
there's always like deliveries coming in, so I'm kind of
there like.

Speaker 2 (04:36):
Some day's a week.

Speaker 1 (04:38):
It became your life.

Speaker 2 (04:39):
It is my life.

Speaker 1 (04:40):
Yeah, here's your life. You st your cleaning business. You're
still clean.

Speaker 3 (04:43):
I clean one day a week because I need a break,
and that's my break.

Speaker 1 (04:47):
Take my self care.

Speaker 2 (04:48):
That's my self care.

Speaker 1 (04:50):
So bad, Margo. I'm sorry, I'm gonna call you out.
That's a shitty self care. But it's good because it's
a different It is a break because I know what
it's like to be on those streets. I know what
it's like be in the community. I know it's like
to be bell to bell and then like not sleep
and then wake up and did I do this? Did
I do that? And what can I do here? And
you're like to be your brain doesn't shut down. You
are going all over the place. But you didn't just

(05:12):
take it as like a Sunday thing and we're gonna
do this every Sunday like some organizations do, and we're
gonna hand you a container of food and patch you
on the back. And you definitely didn't pray with them.
I know that.

Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (05:27):
I know everyone likes to say I'm doing God's work,
But you know, it's really funny to me because people
always come into the store and they're like.

Speaker 2 (05:35):
Thank God for this, and you know, God.

Speaker 3 (05:37):
Is good, and I'm like, where you could just thank
me because I'm the one shopping every day for this work.

Speaker 1 (05:41):
You know. People always tell me I'm doing God's work
and I'm like, well, if that's the case, I hope
he starts paying me, because jeez, he owes me some money. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (05:50):
I mean, whatever makes people feel better. And I never
like shut it and I'm just like okay, but.

Speaker 1 (05:55):
I don't say anything to people too. I had any
gentleman that I toured recently because he was very interested
about what was going on in Kensington, and he was
just for some reason assumed that there was Christian and
I let it go and I let him have that
and hold on to that. But in a deep inside,
I'm like, you're talking to the wrong person, you know.

Speaker 3 (06:13):
I think that with me, people are confused because I'm
not religious, nor am I in recovery, so they're just
kind of like, why are you doing this? And there
were so many people over the years on the street
that are like, yeah, you're not in recovery, okay.

Speaker 1 (06:27):
Whatever, so what's wrong with you? Then?

Speaker 3 (06:29):
Yeah, they just they just thought I was lying, you know,
and they just were like Yeah, sure, you know.

Speaker 1 (06:33):
Which is interesting because I'm going to tell you I
think that most of the organizations nowadays, they're not led
by people in recovery.

Speaker 2 (06:41):
I don't even know.

Speaker 1 (06:42):
I don't see that the way I used to, Like
when you started, I started a year and a half
or so later, and I started because of recovery. That
was the reason I started. It was wait for me
to stay alive, yeah, you know, and then to get back.
But like I you know, I see that. I think
people assume that because of where you're at, and you
know Kensington, you're you're a you're a resident of the area,

(07:03):
you know that community, You've seen the community change. So
you went from Center City from Love Park and you
got ingrained into Kensington. How'd that happen? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (07:14):
I think it was just most.

Speaker 1 (07:15):
People leave Kensington, you went to it.

Speaker 2 (07:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (07:18):
I have a friend who's a journalist who's like, you're
the only person I know that sees the fire and
runs directly into it without water, right. I think I
was going out of my way to go downtown, and
you know, it just sort of was what everyone knew
in terms of Philadelphia is like that there's a homeless
problem downtown you know, Kensington wasn't getting the kind of

(07:39):
like airtime that it is now, so I think, you know,
starting there, and it was very easy to get volunteers
to come there because it's you know, considered safer and
you know, and then I ended up getting like an
indoor space at a church and I was able to
serve you know, meals like three times a week inside
and do you like clothing and in Center City, yeah,

(08:03):
we had like a job o reentry program and we
did a lot of cool stuff. But I also like
live in Port Richmond, a mile from Kensington, so I
you know, driving home, I'm like, maybe I'm not in
the right spot. So I just would bring like the
extra food if we had any to the last stop
when it was at twenty four forty, and I just
saw like how much of a need there was there.

(08:24):
And it took me probably almost a year to cross
over Lehigh because it's like a totally different world or
was back then.

Speaker 2 (08:34):
So I would stick.

Speaker 3 (08:35):
Around like Huntingdon and like, you know, around where the
last stop was. But it took a long time for
me to like, you know, I'm.

Speaker 1 (08:42):
I think the same with me like when I did
I when I I mean, first of all, ran the
streets to Kensington when I was buying and using and
all that. But when I went into recovery, I started
in center City because it was easy to get volunteers
go there with you, and I felt safer if I
was by myself, right because I'm not going to be
used or I'm not going to get whatever. And then
I started Huntingdon. Huntingdon station was crazy back in that day. Yeah,

(09:05):
that was actually one of the like K and A
wasn't that big of the way it is now. It
was big, but I didn't.

Speaker 3 (09:13):
Even know if I have anything to base it on,
so I, you know, it was like around Huntington, and
then I moved to like Somerset when Eddie Z moved there,
and then I just kind of stayed there and then
it just like gradually it was like these baby steps,
you know, and I'd go a little further every time,
and then you know, finally like I got comfortable at
KNA and I was just like these are my people,
Like they were really great people there.

Speaker 1 (09:34):
So you were out serving, you did food, Yeah, whatever
resources you could get for them, whatever advocacy you could
do for them, you were doing and you did that
for how many years before all of a sudden, you
all of a sudden started to switch gears and what
you wanted to do?

Speaker 2 (09:48):
It did it for eight years.

Speaker 3 (09:49):
So we had yeah, and we had our former chef
was from Vege Restaurant and so yeah, so she was
rock star. She was putting out like five thousand meals
a week and we were working with like World Central
Kitchen and we had a lot of support and so
I was just the inconvenient part was that we were

(10:10):
based out of Writtenhouse, so I would have to like
load up my little cube before I had a van
or you know, a bigger vehicle, and I would go
back and forth from Written House to Kensington, often like
three times a day, especially during the pandemic, because there
weren't a lot of people serving and people were still hungry.

Speaker 1 (10:26):
So were you still in Written House from the pandemic?

Speaker 2 (10:29):
I left? Yeah, I was still there. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (10:32):
Yeah, that's because I started a broad and Jerrar and
I had to go back and forth. Yeah. I was
over there in twenty nineteen. Okay, so right before Yeah,
I saw that all. Okay, interesting, I.

Speaker 2 (10:42):
Think we left there in twenty twenty one at the end.

Speaker 1 (10:45):
Okay, one. Yeah, so you were based out of that
church up until twenty twenty one.

Speaker 2 (10:49):
For four years.

Speaker 1 (10:50):
Yeah, you were mobile. Yeah, you didn't have a brick
and mortar. You didn't have a base of operation. He did.

Speaker 3 (10:55):
We were serving out of the church after So I
was in operations for about two years and then I
applied for a grant with the city saying that I
had a space and I didn't, but I figured if
I got it, I would figure something out. So I
got it and just it just so happened at the
pastor of that church. I'd come out and saw what
we were doing, and sadly the church had to go

(11:16):
outside of its own community to find someone to do
service work in their church. So I'm probably the most
non religious person, but I needed a space and I
didn't care, you know, where it was. I just wanted
to be able to serve people. So there was no
praying over meals. There was none of that. I mean,
there was definitely like them trying to get me to do.

Speaker 2 (11:35):
That kind of stuff.

Speaker 3 (11:35):
But I also had talked to so many people in
Kensington that said that they don't really want like, you know.

Speaker 2 (11:43):
They didn't want to pray for their food.

Speaker 3 (11:44):
You know, Like I mean, it's just some people just
want to eat and you know, they don't want to
feel like they have to earn it. You know.

Speaker 1 (11:50):
Oh, I know because when we used to go out
and we would stand on the steps, there'd be a
faith group to the one side then us, and they'd
always say to us, we know you don't want to pray,
would you want to pray with us? Well, if you know,
we don't know. We just want to make the connections
and you can do that with that. And you know, listen,
I give them all the credit in the world. They're
out there, they're doing the work, they're putting it in.

(12:12):
But you're right, it's not for everybody. Not everybody wants that.
There is a very faith based group of people that
are on the streets though, because that's all they have
to cling onto.

Speaker 3 (12:24):
Sometimes I think that's probably true. I mean, to me,
it doesn't matter why you're doing it. But I think
like having to let people know that, that's why it
takes away from the bigger picture. And like, I don't know,
I mean, this is why I love Shane from Raw
Tools so much. Do you know Shane, He's lovely and
I would not know he was a pastor unless he
told me because he does not have to bring it up.

Speaker 1 (12:46):
He doesn't come out.

Speaker 2 (12:47):
He just does the work and like doesn't have to
you know. Let you know.

Speaker 1 (12:52):
So you went from Center City, which is a different
demographic of unsheltered, food, insecurity, all different demographics of individuals,
compared to four miles to the north side of to Kensington,
which is a huge demographic, which is mainly a demographic
of people that back then the opioid epidemic, you know,

(13:13):
because it filtered. And that's one of the reason I
was drawn there because I'm recovering. But was there a
connection for you for that to go there?

Speaker 2 (13:22):
Like why did I go there?

Speaker 1 (13:23):
Like did you somebody was or was there somebody in
your life that you know suffered from opioid?

Speaker 2 (13:29):
Yeah, this is always a question that gets me.

Speaker 3 (13:30):
So I'm just like if if I ever asked somebody,
you know, do you know someone removed by and your
answer is no, Like, consider yourself so blessed that like
that has not touched you or anything in your world,
because I feel like, of course it's affected.

Speaker 2 (13:44):
Me, you know. I mean, like.

Speaker 3 (13:48):
I don't know, my upbringing was a little touch and
go that stuff and I have only ever been in
relationships with people that are in addiction for some reason,
which is I don't seek that out, but it seems
to fall into my lap. So now I'm just not
dating for the last five years because I'm just scared
of like what's going to come next.

Speaker 1 (14:06):
So I'm just cool he want to break that type mold.
I just.

Speaker 2 (14:11):
I think, you know, probably.

Speaker 3 (14:15):
A long time ago, I thought maybe I could fix someone,
and then I realized that that's just not a thing.

Speaker 1 (14:20):
So I was gonna say, savior mode. There's that savior
mode because we tend to like gravitate, and I'm the
same way. You always want to get that person that's
like sort of almost like borderline loss. Pause, But I
can fix that person.

Speaker 2 (14:34):
Yeah, I think it's just my father.

Speaker 3 (14:38):
Terrible story, but he killed his girlfriend and then killed
himself when I was like three weeks away from graduating
from college, so I was like twenty one, and I
ended up moving back to Philly after college and I
met someone who was seventeen years older than me, and
like within a couple of years we got married. And
I think it was just he also had addiction issues,

(15:01):
but which my dad did as well. But I think
I was like looking for a mentor, and then I
was like, oh, maybe like this, you know, it might
be different, or maybe I can like show him that,
you know, you don't need these things, you know, And
it was just I was very young, and you know,
I mean, we're still really good friends.

Speaker 2 (15:19):
The marriage obviously did not work out, but he's lovely, but.

Speaker 1 (15:21):
You're still friends.

Speaker 2 (15:22):
Yeah, he's great.

Speaker 1 (15:23):
That's cool. Yeah, you don't hear that often.

Speaker 3 (15:25):
Sometimes I bars fifty dollars every week for we call
it the ex hubby fee, and then he pays it
back right away.

Speaker 1 (15:30):
And oh he pays it back.

Speaker 3 (15:32):
He pays it back every time he lives in Costa Rica.
I don't really know what you know, he does. I
know what he tells me, and that's you know.

Speaker 2 (15:38):
That's enough.

Speaker 1 (15:43):
I'm not going to touch really leave it there. That's good.
You have a good relationship. That's awesome. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (15:48):
I think I.

Speaker 3 (15:49):
Think it's very important to have good relationships with people
from your past because they know all your secrets.

Speaker 1 (15:54):
Absolutely. I really think that's one of the best. That's
really good advice. Yeah, that's really good advice. I like that,
you know, it's a good way to look at things. Yeah,
I'm going to note that down. I'm gonna forget that
shit because the Lord does. Yeah, but you've sort of
enthralled now yourself into the Kensington community. You are a
known name in Kensington. You know, if it's not Margaret Murphy,

(16:16):
it's Sunday Love Project, or it is now your new
venture or program that really has changed Gears for the
way you were doing work and the way you were
doing your distro and outreach and your mission to now
you have this brick and mortar grocery store called Greater Goods.
First of all, tell me about that, tell me the why,

(16:38):
the how, everything, because I've been there and I love it.
But yeah, so.

Speaker 2 (16:43):
Greater Goods is my baby.

Speaker 3 (16:44):
So I when I was working out of that church
in Rittenhouse, I had convinced them to let me do
sort of a you know, a little grocery store in
the basement of the church on Sunday mornings before we
served meals later in the day.

Speaker 2 (17:00):
And it was awesome.

Speaker 3 (17:01):
We just set up a bunch of tables and people
came in and they just took, you know, like one
thing from each table, and you know, it still was
a choice and whatever. But we had things that could
cater to people on the street with like pull top
cans or you know, things that if people had some
place to go, they were you know, able to use that.
And the pivotal moment for me there was the church

(17:22):
came to me and said they don't want to see
homeless people lining up outside of the church on Sunday
morning when they're walking in to serve us. And so
that was sort of when I started thinking that I
need to leave. So I was crushed by that because
I think that they forgot why they're walking into church
in the first place, such.

Speaker 1 (17:39):
Good, good God, you know, worshiping people. Yeah, so different conversation,
go for it.

Speaker 2 (17:45):
So I never let go of that.

Speaker 3 (17:47):
And my vision was always to have a grocery store.
But because when we left the church, we were already
in the pandemic, so there was like nowhere I could
rent a space. You know, nobody was looking and like
there were just no buildings that you know, you're going
to walk into and get. So I waited and waited,
and you know, I wanted this spot at K and
A and it was you know, the whole building was

(18:08):
being redone and then my real older called and was
just like we can go check it out. And and
I got it, and I was like.

Speaker 2 (18:15):
Over the moon. I was actually in tears.

Speaker 3 (18:17):
And they gave me a key because I couldn't believe
that somebody actually believed that I was going to be
able to pull this off. So because there were just
a lot of people that told me it wasn't going
to work, you know, and I was pretty determined. So
so now we have six thousand customers. We are open
Monday through Friday for three hours a day. We have

(18:38):
really wonderful volunteers, we have staff. I've hired staff from
some people that I knew that were living on the
street when I was serving out there, that are sober.
Now that was really important to me to like, you know,
on the other side.

Speaker 2 (18:52):
Yeah. Also, and that's a lot of the stuff you're
doing right like, I mean.

Speaker 1 (18:55):
Yeah, I mean, you're giving people a chance, You're giving
people that that hope, you're showing people that you care.
I mean, six thousand customers, six thousand right now, you
are basically you're on the Avenue, but your only steps
from K and A. You know, you're located there. Your
building's very unassuming, Yeah, totally unassuming. If you drove by

(19:15):
it and it wasn't open. You wouldn't know.

Speaker 2 (19:18):
It's funny.

Speaker 3 (19:18):
We had six police officers come in today. I think
there was just some activity in the area and they
were just like, what is this place? And then one
of my employees was like, well, why don't you come
in and check it out? And they got like a
full education. They were just like, we had no idea
this was here. And I was like, but you're on
the ab every day, so you know. So I think
people don't know what it is unless there's a need
for them to know.

Speaker 1 (19:39):
But and I say grocery store, and of course, you know,
one would assume then you go there and you're going
to pay for your groceries.

Speaker 2 (19:46):
No, everything is free, so I mean.

Speaker 1 (19:47):
Okay, so it's not a paid thing.

Speaker 3 (19:49):
Yeah, we call it a grocery store because I cringe
at the word pantry because all people think of is
like can goods. And I actually, uh, sort of went
to a pantry myself the other day to see one
of our clients had said that she was mistreated. So
I went to the pantry that she went to just
to kind of see what that situation was. And they

(20:10):
treated me fine. But what I walked away with was
really disappointing. You know, it's a frozen pizza, two cans
of apple sauce, and like some turkey stock and mac
and cheese. And I was like, okay, now I don't have,
you know, assuming I have nothing, Like now I don't
have milk or butter, Like I can't make the mac
and she you know what I mean. And I was
just thinking, like this is not like a very dignified

(20:31):
way to treat people. It's like, oh well, here, be
happy with what you get, you know. So like we
are the opposite of that where we purchase stuff for
the store. So like I buy milk every week, I
buy butter, I buy rice and beans, you know, like sugar.
Like I make sure that we have things that the
community is asking for, and because it's largely Hispanic, we
make sure that, you know, we have things that are
culturally appropriate. So the way it works is you get

(20:55):
twenty poker chips. That's our currency, and it's just so
they have something tangible to see.

Speaker 1 (20:59):
Are you a poker player? I'm not, okay, but.

Speaker 3 (21:02):
I just the pomper chips were suggested to me from
a friend because we're like, how are we going to
keep track and the color it's just you know, it's
just something tangible. So when they see something's two points,
we take two points out, you know, and then they say,
you know, grab some meat.

Speaker 2 (21:13):
It's four points to take that out. And so when
they see they're all gone, they're done, and you know
they can come back.

Speaker 1 (21:18):
How do I get those chips?

Speaker 2 (21:19):
You walk in the door with the ID?

Speaker 1 (21:22):
And how many days a week can I come to
your store?

Speaker 2 (21:24):
You can only come once every other week.

Speaker 3 (21:26):
Now we changed it in January, so it used to
be once a week. And what we were seeing is
that my plan was backfiring. And I created that store
as an emergency situation for like in between stop benefits
or just like if you're really down and out, not
for it to be your regular shopping experience every week.
And that's what it was turning into. And so we

(21:46):
had all these people who would wait in line and
not be able to get in because the people who
line up at seven am every morning, you know, we're
getting in like on a regular basis, and nobody else was,
you know, being able to benefit from that.

Speaker 1 (21:58):
So it's still even every other week and still six thousand, six.

Speaker 3 (22:02):
Thousand, is a base we have, so we see about
six to seven hundred a week, so it's a lot
of people in a short period of time.

Speaker 1 (22:09):
And you're open Monday through Friday for.

Speaker 2 (22:11):
One time nine to eleven forty five.

Speaker 1 (22:13):
So nine to eleven forty five, so you're talking like
less than three hours time you see that. Yeah, So
if I can I just walk in if I don't
live in Kensington, yes I can. Yeah, no questions asked.

Speaker 2 (22:25):
No, we just need a picture dy and I'll take
jail idea. I'll say.

Speaker 3 (22:27):
My favorite story is my friend Sean, who unfortunately passed away,
but I knew him for years on the street and
he came in one day He's like, hey, Margot, what
do I need to shop here? And I was like,
I do any kind of you know, picturety of any kind?
And he came back with an ID. It was not
his ID, but he was like.

Speaker 2 (22:43):
You did not specify. It's like, oh touche. So I
took it. And you know, when you come in, your
name is now this, and.

Speaker 1 (22:50):
That's resourceful and that's what you get out there.

Speaker 2 (22:52):
And I'm totally fine with that.

Speaker 1 (22:53):
That's all.

Speaker 2 (22:54):
He actually took the time to, you know, make an
effort to try to catch.

Speaker 1 (22:57):
So you know, you're not looking at background of I.

Speaker 2 (23:00):
Think it's really gross to have to prove that you're poor.

Speaker 3 (23:03):
And I've been to other pantries where you need like
an excessive amount of documentation, and I just think it's
really embarrassing and not very dignified. The flip side of
that is, I'm sure some people take advantage of us.
I'm okay with that because that's not a reflection of us.

Speaker 1 (23:18):
That's our reflection in the I also think there's a
lot to be said for people who do work and
they're working too through jobs and they still can't make
ends to meet. Yes, there's that as well. So there's that,
you know, and I know I've been there. I've been
there in my life many times, especially as a recovering
you know, a heroin addict and every everything else. You know,
I've been there. I get that. So that right there
is admirable and respectable. And you know, it is a

(23:39):
producting for some people, but also for some people that
could take advantage of it. But once again, how do
you balance that?

Speaker 2 (23:46):
Yeah, I don't.

Speaker 3 (23:47):
This always used to happen in rittenhouse, Like you know,
we would give away really nice clothing and stuff just
because we were in rittenhouse. You know, I'm sure you
have a lot of the same situations, but you know,
people would give us like brand new Nikes, and I
had customers who didn't want to them because if they
were panhandling, they wouldn't get any money. Because people make
these assumptions, right, like because.

Speaker 1 (24:04):
The shoes you got always.

Speaker 3 (24:07):
Yeah, So like people will still come in our line
and they'll I mean they'll be pretty decked out.

Speaker 2 (24:12):
I'm just like, okay.

Speaker 3 (24:12):
But also, you know, a big part of unfortunately, I
learned this when I had set up a pantry at
Frankford High School a couple of years.

Speaker 2 (24:19):
Ago, and.

Speaker 3 (24:22):
It was brought to my attention that the football players
were not eating. And there was an article that was
very upsetting. It was about a football player who was
walking to Frankfort High School.

Speaker 2 (24:35):
Well, he's walking, he's going.

Speaker 3 (24:36):
To school on Monday, and he picked up a used
piece of gum off the ground and ate it because
he had eat since Friday at school. And I was
not okay with that. So I put a pantry in
the school and we were great about refill like, and
we were there several times a week and the football
players would not take the food because it was more
like do I look like I need that? Like it

(24:57):
was but you know, they'd have the three hundred dollars
shoes on, and you know, and so I just got
to the point where I was just like, you know, what,
could you like maybe take it for your neighbor or something,
because like it helps me out, because you know, I'm
just it's it's more food I have to take back,
and then it's like a hassle to get rid of.
And you know, I just made it so that like
they were helping me. And then it was like.

Speaker 1 (25:17):
It's we see that too on the streets pride. Yeah,
you know, I see that. I mean now when I
do distro, when I do my boots on the ground
and I'm out there, there are certain people that are like,
I don't need that. I have a home. So does
that make you any different Just because you have a home,
you may be in need, if not more, because we
don't know, you may be one step closer to being
un sheltered. So this this this little piece of resource

(25:40):
that we're giving you can help you take it.

Speaker 3 (25:42):
Yeah, I think it's just it's shame, you know, And people,
and especially with kids, like they don't want to admit
and it's really it's just a tipping point. So it
takes that one cool kid to take it and then
everybody else is like fine.

Speaker 1 (25:53):
With this because kids are nasty, Yes, kids are mean, absolutely,
you know, So that just starts, you know, a chain reaction.
And speaking of like you one of the things that
you are very good at, Margo, and that I admire
about you and I've always been like, I can't wait
to meet this Margot Murphy, which has been a few
years now, so it's not like I'm fanboying for the
first time. You're really good at community relationships and making

(26:18):
those connections and making the right connections. But also because
you appeal to people. You know, what we do is
a very emotional thing and you appeal to people like that.
But you've had really great support over the years to
be able to do this, and you know, one of
them has been from the Sixers. Yeah, and that one
of your buddies is who and Matisse was very moved

(26:42):
by what you do.

Speaker 3 (26:43):
It was that gum story. I'm telling you that Frankfurt
he called me. I was sitting in a parking lot
of restaurants depot and he called through what he got
connected to me through his agent, and he was in
tears and he was just like, I don't need to
talk to anybody else, like I'm gonna work with you.
So he was just very unassuming. So like he I mean,

(27:04):
he was just great. You know, everybody thinks he gave
us tons tons of money, which he didn't. I mean,
like he did help me out, but what he does
is like, you know, he'll give me like ten thousand
dollars a year and like Nike money, you know, because
that's like monopoly money to him, and I'm able to
use that where I see fits, so like I'll hop
out the soccer like Kensing Soccer club or you know,
a school or whatever.

Speaker 1 (27:24):
And that's what I was saying about that. I think
it's important that people know that just because they have
a status, they're not giving money all the time. They're
giving resources. Yeah, and the sneakers is that That was
really what I was getting at, because that sneaker thing
was is amazing, you know, for him to be able
to do that then incredible.

Speaker 3 (27:41):
Yeah, and creeabing like nothing for him because you know,
it's just you know, I mean, he's happy to do it,
but it doesn't put him out in any way. And
it's still like he feels like he's still a part
of the community.

Speaker 2 (27:50):
Like he loves Philly.

Speaker 3 (27:51):
Like I mean, this is really The Sixers was his
first job. I mean, he's a baby. I taught him
how to write his first check. Like he you know,
was like twenty when I met him. Like, I mean,
he's just this was where he kind of grew up.
So he's sad he's not here, but yeah, I think
like it was more important. Like he's been to Kensington
a bunch of times to start with me, and you know,

(28:12):
I been mistaken for Ben Simmons and people are like.

Speaker 2 (28:16):
Ben Simmons is over there, and he's like, oh my god,
wow feel it.

Speaker 3 (28:20):
But I think it was like at a time where
you know, I don't know how many people on the
street are really paying attention to you.

Speaker 1 (28:27):
Know, and that's okay too. It was reason and that.

Speaker 3 (28:31):
Was even better because like people didn't He didn't want
any of that, so it was just you know, when
he came to the church the first time to volunteer
with me, and the pastor was just like, so, MATISZ,
what do you do for a living and he was like,
I play ball and like didn't even say he was
on the six ers.

Speaker 2 (28:46):
And the pastor was like, oh, are you making a
living doing that? Or is it okay? Is it? You know?
And it was kind of funny, but he was just like, yeah,
it's going on right.

Speaker 1 (28:52):
Humble is that humble out? And that's we find a
lot of that in the service industry and the service
what we do in our in our worlds and our organizations.
In the industry, there's people that do it because they
want to do that. They you know, there are some
people do it for ops, you know, photo ops and
look at me, but that's not it, you know, and
that's definitely not it, you know. But and also recently
you I mean, what we do requires money, requires funding,

(29:16):
and if that funding doesn't come in, then you're going
to be cleaning more than one day a week because
it's coming out of your pocket. And how many walking
dogs more than a few days a week is going
to come in my pocket. So we really are very
grateful and thankful. We work hard to form those relationships.
The money that we get as far as grants and
donations and sponsorship that comes because it is worked hard for. Yeah,

(29:38):
nobody just gives us the money. Nobody's like I'm just
going to give you a check. Yeah, they'll hand it
to you, but it's for a purpose. And recently you
were because Greater Goods is blowing up, it's getting larger,
it's getting bigger, and it's hard to You were really
on a lot, like on a fence there because you
didn't know what direction to go. But you've really got
some good news recently, didn't you.

Speaker 2 (29:58):
We did.

Speaker 3 (30:00):
And before I say that, I just want to preface
it with the reason that I want a bigger space
is because if everything that's happening in the world right now,
and you know, we have a fair amount of undocumented
folks coming in and I don't want them on display,
standing outside where it's like one scoop and they can
all you know, gone. So that's the reason I want

(30:20):
a bigger space. It's not because like you know, I
think we're so fancy. Well.

Speaker 1 (30:23):
I think it's also important people to know that Sunday
Alot Project or Greater Goods is a very safe space.
It's a sanctuary space. Yeah, just like Philly Unknown. Whenever
you come into our realm, into our space. It's a
sanctuary space and people need to know that. So no
matter who you are, where you come from, or what
your background is, it's a safe.

Speaker 3 (30:42):
Space, absolutely, And like we we just worked with Usperanza to.

Speaker 2 (30:47):
They gave us a space across the.

Speaker 3 (30:48):
Street for people to wait in in the event that
they felt uncomfortable waiting outside because I was having moms
calling me saying, we don't have any food, but you know,
like my kids are really hungry, but like I'm scared
to wait in line, so you know, then I'm doing
home drop offs and you but I can't start doing
that because we have too many customers. So this way
they can at least wait inside and then we can
just run over and grab not just that.

Speaker 1 (31:06):
When you get a bigger space, you're able to serve more.
And if there's a need, then it's necessary.

Speaker 2 (31:11):
Yeah, there's definitely a need.

Speaker 3 (31:12):
And with what's going on now, and like the cost
of food, it's going to continue to increase, I think.
So so, yeah, I got this weird call and this
woman asked to do a zoom with me. She was
from the Sherry Show. I don't watch television, so I
had no idea who that was. Sherry Shepherd, who now
I do know who she is, and she's lovely, but
I just.

Speaker 1 (31:31):
Remember her from the Everybody Loves Raymond show. She was
the cop, was the brother, she was the brother's partner.

Speaker 2 (31:37):
I did not even put that.

Speaker 1 (31:39):
And she was in Friends. She was the one that
she said like at the she was like Ross is
like at the table. Yeah, in the museums. That's all
I know her from. I know she has a show,
but I don't know anything about it.

Speaker 3 (31:50):
So she is comedian and she's been in a bunch
of movies with Tyler Perry and a bunch of people
like that. So you know, I had this initial zoom
call and it was like her assistant or whatever, and
she was just like, well, what do you really need?
And I just you know, threw it out there that
we needed a bigger building because I was like, this
is not going to turn out to be anything, you know,

(32:12):
and and most of these shows it's like, you know,
you walk away with something, but it's usually ten thousand
dollars something, which is like not bad, but.

Speaker 2 (32:22):
Yeah, so I mean I was.

Speaker 3 (32:23):
Just like, whatever, I might as well just like throw
it out there and see. And then they came to
the store to film me and you know, just had
a conversation with producer and it was very comfortable, and
I was really grateful that it was in our own
space because I don't I do not like being the
center of attention, and so I've had done Rachel Ray

(32:43):
like years before, and I was a nervous wreck because
I had to go there and stay in front of
the live studio audio and this is just very uncomfortable
for me, and I didn't like it. So they came
to us, and then they scheduled a second time to
come back, and then like they dropped this two hundred
and fifty thousand dollars check on me from Tyler Perry,
which was crazy. But Tyler Perry used to be homeless

(33:06):
and living out his car, so I think he was
just really moved by how far this has come. And
also the guy is just like a saint. Like I
don't know how much you know about him, but like
I really dug in he fixed up like his hometown
area and like gave everybody jobs, and like he doesn't
work for anyone.

Speaker 2 (33:22):
He everything he does is you know, of his own doing, and.

Speaker 3 (33:24):
Like he's just he's the wealthiest actor in the world.
I did not know that billionaire one point four yes, yeah, he's.

Speaker 1 (33:31):
Yeah, and two hundred fifty thousand dollars a quarter of
a million dollars just sort of just here you go.

Speaker 2 (33:38):
It was weird.

Speaker 1 (33:39):
Well, so when they did that, like you had no
idea what was going through, Like, all right, ten thousand,
I would think ten thousand, and that's where like the base,
and that's for organizations when they call us somewhere and
they're like, and here's ten thousand dollars from Polaroid or whatever.
So I had.

Speaker 2 (33:56):
Expressed to the producer.

Speaker 3 (33:59):
And the guy who's filming a couple of times that
I was very nervous about doing any kind of thing
like this because typically our line gets longer and we
don't get the money to sustain it, you know, so
it's like more people find out about it, but there's
no money coming in. And so that's always my fear,
because it has happened a couple of times now.

Speaker 2 (34:17):
And he just kept like, you know.

Speaker 3 (34:20):
Don't worry about it. We got you, you know, like
you never know. Tiev's magical, you know, And I was
just like, okay, you know. But then after he came
to film the second time, I was like, Okay, this
is taking up a significant amount of time, you know,
but yes, seeh I was not prepared for that at all.
I don't even think I thought about a dollar amount.
I think I was just so caught up and like

(34:43):
there was so much activity, you know, they were just
they wanted us to have volunteers there. They were waiting
around for two hours because like the airtime was running behind,
and it just was like, you know, I was starting
to feel bad. I made everybody wait and then you know,
it just kind of all came together in the end.
But I'm not like a money person, so.

Speaker 2 (35:01):
It was really cool.

Speaker 3 (35:02):
But I think I don't, like, that's more money than
I can even wrap my head around, and for other
organizations that's like nothing. But I think because you know,
I remember getting that like first thousand dollars donation when
we were on Rachel Ray and I almost died because
I was just like someone's giving us one thousand dollars,
you know, and now just like that's like it's crazy.

(35:25):
So I think that we just have like a phenomenal
amount of support and there's so many good people in
the world, and I think that you just have to
present an opportunity and then they're willing to get on board.
I don't think that everyone is a leader. I think
that you know people and that's fine. You know our
first cook at you know, the one who gave me

(35:46):
the thousand dollars donation, who ended up being my first
cook at the church, I mean she has a millionaire,
very unsuspecting, you never know it, but.

Speaker 2 (35:55):
She was just like, I don't want to be in
charge of anything. Just tell me what to do. Do it.

Speaker 3 (36:00):
You want me to make a hundred meals and make
hundred meals, but like I don't, you know.

Speaker 1 (36:04):
And that's people's way of giving back is to people
don't know how to sometimes if it's not in their wheelhouse.
Yeah really, you know that's weird. Well well, you know
they they don't know what to do, but when they
have something like yourself, who it's so unassuming. You are
a leader. I mean you are very you know what
you want, You're very compliance driven, you're very you know,

(36:27):
you're determined, and you're focused. But yet you're in compassion
and you don't act like that. You don't have that
air about you like this is my show, Like you're
not that.

Speaker 2 (36:34):
Person, not my show I mean exactly, You're.

Speaker 1 (36:36):
Not that person. No, I wouldn't, but yet you will
take these people and be able to like show them
the way. And that's important.

Speaker 3 (36:45):
I think that for people to find purpose and what
we're doing is so important. And that's always what Meredith,
who is the woman I was talking about it, that's
always what she said, is that I gave her a purpose.
You know, she's sixty five, she just lost her husband
many many years. She had just moved into the city
after living in the burbs and didn't know what to
do with herself, you know, and that could have really

(37:06):
been a sad situation, but she ended up like meeting
us and then like it just gave her like a
reason to keep going. And you know, she felt great
about what she was doing, and she was able to
give back in a way that was more interactive than
just writing checks.

Speaker 1 (37:19):
You know. And I think it's important to know that. Yeah,
twenty fifty thousand dollars, it's a lot of money, and
it's life changing and it's gonna change a lot of
lives and it's gonna do a lot of good. But
any amount, you know, when people give any amount, I'm honored,
even if it's five or ten dollars because you don't
know what they have. Yeah, I don't know if somebody's
got left, right, And sometimes people will give you sometimes

(37:41):
all they have left, because that's all they know how
to do.

Speaker 3 (37:44):
People that don't have money typically are the ones who
go out of their way to give them money.

Speaker 1 (37:50):
Best owners ever.

Speaker 3 (37:51):
Yeah, and that's years ago, I think, like I think
it's been like six either six or seven years. I
had a guy on the street that I wanted to
get sober, and he was ready and we couldn't get
him in anywhere, and I had called the mayor's office,
my favorite. The mayor called me back three months later,

(38:12):
which was not helpful. But I sent him to Texas
and I paid for that out of my own pocket
before Sunny Love had any money, and it was a chunk.
And his grandmam wrote me a twenty dollars check every
month for the longest time. And he has seven years
sober now, so it's like it was worth every penny
that I spent.

Speaker 2 (38:32):
And it was so cool that she would, you know.

Speaker 3 (38:35):
It was like you know when your grandmam gives you
like ten dollars when you were a kid and it's
like the most exciting thing.

Speaker 2 (38:40):
Like that's how I felt.

Speaker 3 (38:40):
I was like, that's so awesome that, like, you know,
I didn't care about the dollar amount. I cared, you know,
it was just so cool that like she made an
effort to acknowledge that those.

Speaker 1 (38:48):
Are the victories. Oh my gosh, those are the victories
we look for. You know, they're not little winds either.
Those are huge wins. When you get something like that,
you know, they're huge, they really are. And you know,
because of what you've done, because of the fact that
right now you have this, you're gonna be able to
get a larger location, You're gonna be able to really
provide for the community. You've been able to connect with
the community on different levels, whether it's sheltered, whether it's

(39:09):
you know, non addiction side. But you're also very involved
and you meet a lot of your friends. When we
say friends, they become friends. They're our network on the streets.
Who are you know, going through something, whether it's you know,
through you know, opia, whether it's domestic violence, whatever the
case may be. You made those connections. And because of
those connections, because you're a connector, you are now an author. Yeah,

(39:35):
the hell is that again? You know what? For you, Margot,
I'm gonna tell you something like, you're very You're an
outspoken person, which I love. You'll let people know what's
going on. You always fight for the underdog, and you'll
you know, your writings are great. I read them all
just so you know, because I hope that people would
read mine too. But you kept that really cute te there.

(39:56):
How the hell did you pull that off?

Speaker 3 (39:57):
But you know, I went to school for writing and
that's what my degree is in, and I never I mean,
I taught for a little while, but then Columbine happened
and I was in Colorado at the time, teaching and
I got a little turned off from that, even though
I came back to Philly and I taught for a
little while at school for the Deaf, and I was
just like, Okay, at some point I should like use
my degree, But then I never did. And so for

(40:20):
the last ten years I just was kind of taking notes.
And I had a lot of really awesome relationships with people,
and a lot of them didn't make it, and this
was like such a beautiful way to be able to
honor them and tell their story.

Speaker 1 (40:35):
So tell me the name of your book.

Speaker 2 (40:37):
I am loved.

Speaker 1 (40:38):
I Am Love.

Speaker 2 (40:39):
The Eternal quick Stop is the subtitle.

Speaker 1 (40:42):
I Love that the Eternal quick Yeah. So, so how
many stories do you have in the book.

Speaker 3 (40:47):
I think there's thirty characters, but some are more in
depth than others. You know. The beautiful thing about technology
is that I had so much stuff in writing from
like text messages and messenger, all this stuff from all
these people that you know, I had these friendships with,
and so even if they're not here anymore, I'm still
able to, you know, tell their story. And and some

(41:10):
people made it and some people have, you know, years
and years of the very first person that you know
that one day that I went out on Christmas in
twenty fourteen.

Speaker 2 (41:18):
It's cool story.

Speaker 3 (41:19):
But this woman kept coming to the church in rittenhouse
because she would set up for a meetings while I
was cleaning the kitchen, and she was just like, you
look so familiar. And I was like, yeah, I get
that a lot, because I really do get that a lot.
And so I was just like, yeah, maybe it's just crossed.
It's a small city, you know. So then one day
she is, you drive that boxy little car and I

(41:42):
had a Nissan Cube and I was like, yeah, and
she was like, you gave me a meal that Christmas
that and and this.

Speaker 1 (41:51):
Was like.

Speaker 2 (41:53):
God, five years later probably.

Speaker 3 (41:59):
And she now, I think she has seven years sober
next month, so it wasn't And she she has a
character in my book and I told her story. But
and she will say, you know, Margo did not change
my life. It just so happened that I remembered that,
and it maybe planted a seed, you know. I didn't
run out and get sober after that, you know, like
it took years, but she had been out there forever

(42:21):
and now she is married with a child, bought a house,
you know, and is living her best life.

Speaker 2 (42:26):
So I think that's pretty cool.

Speaker 1 (42:28):
So I'm so glad you said that, because there are
there are so many success stories that we don't hear about. Yes,
you know, the media has you know, propagandized overdose deaths,
and you know the word, you know, a accidental overdose.
I really don't think anybody ever goes into it thinking
they're going to overdose. So I hate that to begin with.

(42:50):
I'm really not sure what that means, you know, but
you know, and that and that really demonizes the work
that we do and people really condemn us and criticize
us for the work we do because they call us
those words like enablers. And out of everybody out there
on the streets, you and I are definitely not enablers.

(43:12):
We will give to the community and do our mission
and service that we're there to do, but we do
not enable. But out of those stories, there are so
many success stories. There are so many people that come
back and those connections are important and you're able to
tell them, so to share that with people is amazing.
Has the book hit yet?

Speaker 3 (43:30):
It will be out in like three to four weeks,
So yeah, we're just doing like little final Edits a
couple of little pictures and it's.

Speaker 2 (43:39):
Good to go.

Speaker 3 (43:39):
I'm excited. It's not long, it's you know, like one
hundred and thirty pages. I think it long long, most
long enough. I want people who are not big readers
to read it because it's important to me that, you know,
Like my friend Ryan was reading this book. He came
over last night and was on the couch reading it

(44:00):
and he's like, take a picture because it's the first
first time you're seeing somebody read your book. And I
was like, this first time i've seen you read a book.
So like the fact that he was actually engaged enough.
I mean he's not in it, so, I mean he's
not there were There are a couple of people in
my life that were just too big of a story to.

Speaker 2 (44:21):
Condense into this book.

Speaker 3 (44:22):
So people like Ryan and my friend Courtly will have
their own books because their stories were just over many years.

Speaker 1 (44:31):
And plus those stories aren't over yet with you, right,
a lot of them. And they're not over with you
some of them, but they're not forefront with you. The
ones in the book. Those are some are not here
anymore at all. Some of you said they moved on
to better lives, right, some they we don't know where
some people get to. So it's like those people that
are in the forefront right now, are those stories that

(44:52):
continue to be told because they continue to get get
told because we're forming them.

Speaker 3 (44:57):
Yeah, and these are definitely like I mean, the point
of the book is to show that people are loved
and and that they're they're more than their addiction, you know.
I feel like people just get summed up as like, oh,
they're an addict, you know, and that's like that's their.

Speaker 2 (45:11):
Whole being, you know. And I'm like this there's so much.

Speaker 3 (45:16):
People are really complex and just because you have an
addiction doesn't make you less complex.

Speaker 2 (45:21):
I mean you're you know, it's.

Speaker 1 (45:22):
Only a part of who you are. Yeah, I mean,
it's not to some of your whole parts.

Speaker 2 (45:27):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (45:27):
I mean like I can be a bitch sometimes that
doesn't mean that's who I am, you know. I mean,
like it's everybody has multiple you know. I mean, it's
I don't know. I just thought it was really important too.
And there are a lot of a lot of people
in the book that have turned their lives around, and
there's and I think it's just important for people to

(45:48):
see where they started and how far they've come. And
some of these people when I interviewed them, you know,
it was like maybe four or five years ago, and
now they're married with kids. So I had to go
back and like, is it okay to share your story?
And like, no one has really changed their mind about
anything now, they're just like I want to be honest
with my kids. You know.

Speaker 1 (46:05):
That's so important because our stories make us who we are,
and you never know who it's going to impact. And
there's such impact in the stories out there. I mean,
your story, yourself, I mean your history of you know,
even with your father, to relationships to where you are now.
Those stories are so helpful to others. People cling onto

(46:27):
that because you give them hope. I know that word
is so played out sometimes, but guess what we really do.
It's something that you really provide for people by opening
those doors every you know. It's some people have, you know,
get out of bed in the morning. They don't want
to go to work, they don't want to do anything.
People don't want to go out of bed. Sometimes to
save their lives. You get out of bed every day
to go and help others and provide for others. So

(46:51):
there's something to be set. What's that do you Yeah?
And I'm also one of those persons that lays there
some mornings like why am I getting out of bed?
I don't want to do this, you know. And it's
not like do what I'm doing? I just want to
do this life, you know, it's just yeah, you know
I I but yeah, I think you know, And that's
you know that that takes a special person. It really does.

(47:14):
And it's okay to be a bit then it really
is because you earn that.

Speaker 3 (47:18):
I mean, I think sometimes people think, like you know,
I had one my friend Kate. She passed away, but
she was just like, why are you always nice?

Speaker 2 (47:25):
And I was like, oh my god, you're hilarious. Like,
ask any of my friends if I'm always nice?

Speaker 1 (47:31):
Yeah, oh you're always smiling. I'm like, really.

Speaker 3 (47:34):
Yeah, And I think like you know, and also like
a lot of these people think like, oh, you had
such a perfect life and that's why you know, and
I'm just like wow, like I don't need to get
into all of that if we're not going to do that.
But that's not obviously, it would not be drawn to
this if I didn't have some part of me, like.

Speaker 1 (47:50):
You know, for ten years going on eleven, you've devoted
your life, you devoted your time, you devoted all your
energy to community, community, better man, to people, betterment. What
do you do for Margo betterment?

Speaker 2 (48:03):
Oh my god, it's so fearful that you would ask.

Speaker 1 (48:05):
You knew this was coming. It was no way you
were avoiding that, Margo, And we got this on tape.
Now does it work?

Speaker 2 (48:11):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (48:13):
Really?

Speaker 3 (48:14):
I mean most of my joy is reading and writing.
I mean I do go out with friends and do
social things, but I am a person who likes to
be home and just like kind of in a quiet space.

Speaker 2 (48:28):
I don't I'm like a really simple person. I don't
need much.

Speaker 3 (48:31):
I mean, we're about to close the store for two
weeks for vacation because I just did an employee handbook
and I realized that you can't work people to death
like you work yourself to death. So I was like,
oh my gosh, I'm supposed to give you guys break.
So so we're going to take two weeks to close
down and and kind of reboot.

Speaker 2 (48:48):
But you know, everyone's like, what are you gonna do?
And I'm like, you know what.

Speaker 3 (48:55):
My house is going to be paid off in August
and after twenty years, so I'm very excited about that.
So now I'm starting to get to the point where
I'm like, I want to fix this place up because
there's so much I haven't been able to do because
it's like hard to.

Speaker 1 (49:05):
Pay a mortgage to fix house.

Speaker 3 (49:07):
Yeah, and just you know, yeah, and like, you know,
nobody that's running nonprofit is like, you know, if you're
doing it properly, you're not banking, you know, like you're
you're getting by, then.

Speaker 1 (49:17):
I must be doing it like better than anybody.

Speaker 3 (49:19):
So no, But I mean, like that's why it's you know,
still helpful clean houses too, you know, because it's a
little extra cash. And but I think just getting to
a point, I've had so many people.

Speaker 2 (49:33):
From the street like living.

Speaker 3 (49:35):
In my house over the last million years, and everybody
was like, you have terrible boundaries, and you know, I
take people in and they don't have anywhere to go.
And I don't know that I will continue to do that,
you know, because I had some things hot like you know,
I mean, no one really steals from me, but I
did have somebody overdose in my house, like on my

(49:55):
kitchen floor, and had I not come home early that day,
he would be dead, you know. And I don't know
that I need to bring that into my home anymore.
But I did always kind of feel like I was
people's last stop for Like, there are some people I

(50:18):
knew just weren't going to make it, and I just
wanted to give them the opportunity to try.

Speaker 2 (50:21):
And after they had expressed that.

Speaker 3 (50:24):
You know, so you know, another one of my friends
said he just needed four walls, you know, So I
let him stay in my place for a couple of weeks.
My niece was living with me at the time. The
two of them were great friends. And I literally was
locking him in my house like I because he was like,
do not let me out. So I would set the
alarm when I left, and I'm like, if you leave,

(50:45):
the alarm's going to go off, the police will be here,
and you have Lawrence, and he was just like, oh
my god. So he just stayed and he did detox
and I thought he was going to make it, and
you know, he ended up leaving and he died not
too long after, which sucked, but I know that there
was there was a respect, right, So I said, like,
if you decide you're going to relapse, leave the key

(51:06):
and lock the door on your way out, Like, let's
not do a big dramatic you know, like that's your choice.

Speaker 1 (51:12):
You're doing, go do it.

Speaker 3 (51:13):
Yeah, like that, you know I can't stop you from
doing that, and I don't want to turn my life
upside down. So like that's just where you know, we
don't have to part ways, but like you know at
that point you're not staying here anymore.

Speaker 1 (51:23):
Yeah, it's part those ways. Yeah, I'll still be your friend,
I'll still absolutely care for you, but you know there's
there's stipulations with that. Yeah, and that's good. The other
those are boundaries and people need to know that. And
you don't need anybody's permission to do what you need
to do in your own home. And I know people
look at things differently. I mean I personally like I
am the opposite of you. I go home, I have
my dogs. I want to be home alone. Yeah you

(51:43):
know what I mean. I'm around them in a different
sense every day, and you know, so I'll try to
find them a place to go, so not just send your.

Speaker 2 (51:53):
Oh yeah, no, my house is definitely not the first opportunity.
That's not the first thing I suggest.

Speaker 3 (51:58):
And I don't think it'll happen anymore, but I think
it was just it took me years to figure out
that I can only do so much, you know. And
I really liked a lot of these people, you know.
I mean like my friend Courtly. I mean, her family
would not help her, give her a police to stay,
and I didn't want her on the street, so I

(52:19):
took my chances, you know, and she did well, for
she did well enough that I left her in my
house when I went on vacation and came home and
she didn't do anything wrong, nothing went, you.

Speaker 2 (52:28):
Know, I mean it was.

Speaker 3 (52:29):
I mean, if she did something wrong was outside the
home and I didn't know about it, and that's fine,
but like nothing, there was no catastrophic you know, like
she no one had ever trusted her before and she
took it very seriously.

Speaker 1 (52:42):
Well that's that hope. Give people hope. Yeah, So if
people want to find out more about Margot Murphy and
more so the Sunday Love Project. What's your website?

Speaker 2 (52:54):
Website is Sundaylove dot org.

Speaker 1 (52:56):
Sundaylove dot org, YEP, social media.

Speaker 3 (53:00):
At Sunday Love Project on Instagram, on the Sunday Love
Project for Facebook, and then if anyone wants to reach
out to me directly, Sundaylove Project at gmail dot com.

Speaker 1 (53:11):
Where do you need the most I shouldn't say that.
Where would you like to see the most volunteer time?
Or what do you need the most right now for
your organization bodies?

Speaker 3 (53:24):
I think if people want to come in and volunteer,
that's great. We had an awesome woman come in today
and I was a little nervous because she had messaged
me last week and said, you know, I have a
seven year old and she really wants to volunteer. And
I thought, you know a lot of times people bring
their kids in and then the kids can't hang for
three hours and they're complaining. And I was like, you know,
when you sign up and need you to stay the
whole time because we're relying on you. We're very small staff,

(53:47):
and I'm trying to keep it that way because I
want our money to go back into the community and
not you know, just paying a bunch of people to
be there. So we really need volunteers. And this woman
and her child were rock stars. Like this kid worked
like she was like a twenty five year old.

Speaker 1 (54:03):
And I think it's great that they bring kids out
because it gets the education, it gives them exposure, and
then something ronic goes out there.

Speaker 2 (54:09):
It's great.

Speaker 3 (54:10):
Although over the years I have had some some very
odd conversations of like teachers calling me and saying like
I want to bring my class in so they can see,
you know, what happens when you do drugs, and I
was like, okay, well this isn't a zoo, so like that.

Speaker 2 (54:24):
And also yeah, and.

Speaker 3 (54:26):
Like I'd love to see those waivers of like we're
going to take your child to Kensington.

Speaker 2 (54:29):
And you know, like sign here, so.

Speaker 3 (54:34):
It's you're always going to get those people who are
kind of like the voyeur, you know, like they just
are curious about what it looks like.

Speaker 2 (54:41):
I don't want to give people a reason to do that,
So like, if you want to come, that's great.

Speaker 3 (54:47):
I always just say, like, you know, if you can't
have an open heart, then you probably don't have a
place here.

Speaker 2 (54:52):
But you know, we definitely I feel.

Speaker 3 (54:57):
Like we are in a situation where we could possibly
change people's minds about what they think they know and
make them like a little bit more empathetic.

Speaker 1 (55:06):
Absolutely, I love it. I love that. So make sure
that you're checking Margo out Sunny Love Project. Check out
all the amazing work she does. There's so much more
we could have unpacked in this episode. I mean an
hour is never enough sometimes, especially with what we go through. Yeah,
but you can get google her too, and you'll find
out a lot of information. You'll see the great work
that you do. Margo. I'm fortunate that we've crossed paths.

(55:29):
I've learned from you along the way. I still learn
from you. I admire the work you do. You have
given to us as well. I mean, I want to
tell you that Margo's organization is generous they will help
other organizations when they are in need, and it's just
an amazing thing. So thank you so much for being
here today.

Speaker 2 (55:44):
Thank you. I really appreciate you. App you're doing good stuff.

Speaker 1 (55:48):
Right back at you. I can't wait to read that book.
Everybody else out there, make sure you grab a copy
of that book one more time. The name of the book.

Speaker 2 (55:54):
I am Love.

Speaker 1 (55:55):
I am Loved by Margot Murphy. The rest of you remember,
whatever it does you stand for, be a void. This
is Brick Carpenter on Nousuli Media. Have a great rest
of your day.