08/15/2026
😡Enough Is Enough. It’s Time for Unity, Not Division.😡
Tonight was our last outreach at the Tractor Supply parking lot in Spanaway.
For the past five months, Tractor Supply allowed us to use the far end of their parking lot far away from their entrance and customers to serve hot meals, provide hygiene supplies, pray with people, and connect individuals to detox, treatment, shelter, housing resources, and hope.
Tonight, we were told we can no longer serve there after an interaction between a store employee and someone sitting at one of our tables. That individual was not representing Misfits Ministries, and like every outreach organization, we cannot control every person who walks up to receive a meal or ask for help.
Here’s what’s frustrating…
The community says they want change. Businesses say they’re tired of theft, drug use, loitering, and people sleeping on their property. We hear those concerns we really do.
But here’s the question:
If organizations willing to do the hard work of helping people aren’t given a place to help, how do we ever expect anything to change?
The problems businesses are facing didn’t begin when we arrived. They existed long before we ever set up a table, and they’ll continue if every outreach willing to help is pushed somewhere else.
Our mission has never been just to feed people.
We spend countless hours building relationships. We encourage people to respect local businesses. We tell them plainly that if they steal, harass employees, or loiter around businesses, it hurts everyone including our ability to continue helping them. We connect people to detox, treatment, medical care, housing resources, and hope because we believe lasting change comes through relationships, not simply handing someone a meal.
We aren’t just serving the unhoused community.
We’re trying to serve the entire community.
Businesses deserve to feel safe. Families deserve safe neighborhoods. People struggling deserve an opportunity to rebuild their lives.
Those goals are not in conflict.
Real change doesn’t happen by moving people from one parking lot to another. It happens when businesses, churches, nonprofits, law enforcement, and the community stop pointing fingers and start working together.
We appreciate Tractor Supply for allowing us to serve there over the past five months. We respect their decision, even though we’re disappointed by it.
But this is bigger than one parking lot.
It’s about asking ourselves what kind of community we want to be.
One that simply moves problems down the road?
Or one that comes together to solve them?
It’s time to stop the division.
It’s time to stop saying, “That’s someone else’s problem.”
It’s time for UNITY.
Misfits Ministries isn’t going anywhere. We’ll continue showing up wherever we’re welcomed because every person deserves dignity, hope, and the opportunity for a better future.
If you believe Pierce County can do better, please share this post. Let’s start a real conversation about working together instead of against each other.
Misfit’s Ministries is a Faith-based street outreach in Pierce County, WA serving our unhoused neighbors through meals, supplies, prayer, and real relationships. Veteran-led. Registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Changing lives one person at a time.
