Jud’s Gift, by Carlos Gantchoff

Rachael came in to my office asking me if I could meet with a man named, Jud Marshall.  “Tell him to wait, I don’t know who that is.” Mind you we were right in the middle of our warming shelter program that has a lot of moving parts and kept us very busy. 

“I feel, Carlos, that this is a person who you need to meet now!”

“Why?”

“I think he is the Mayor?”

“I’ll be right there”

So, I hustled down to our warming shelter and met Jud Marshall. As soon as I started talking with him, I could see the charisma that propelled him to become the mayor of Mahtomedi.

He shared with me that he had a house in the vicinity that he wanted to share with a one of our guests. I asked him how much would it cost the guest and he said, nothing. He was willing to provide a home for someone who was ready to transition from our shelter to a more individual living situation. Jud wanted to give at least 3 months rent free then if the guest wanted to move forward with staying at the house, he would give them a reasonable amount of rent to pay.

It so happened that we had a guest who was ready for the transition out of our shelter into a more stable single home. We, as the Community Resource Center toured the home and felt it would be perfect for our family. The family consisted of a Parent and three children. When we shared the news with our guest, they were elated. They could not believe they had the opportunity to be in a home so quickly. It did not take very long for the parent to get a job near that house and the children were enrolled in the local school district.

Presently, the family has an agreement with Jud for long term housing. They just communicated with our Case Manager and shared that they were so thankful for the housing opportunity and the stability it caused.

The graciousness of Jud to help our guest is immeasurable and it is people like Jud who help us transform lives. Whether you are a teacher, a barista, a Mayor, or work in assembly, we are all lifted together on the gifts of the heart.

By Carlos Gantchoff, Executive Director of St. Andrew’s Community Resource Center