Haven of Help

JUPITER, FL – September 1, 2017 – Sometimes the best things come out of the worst experiences. This is certainly true for Patti Bowman, who started Merciful Heavens, a local non-profit, after losing her mother to Alzheimer’s in 2010.

“I was trying to find a way to recover from losing my mom,” says Bowman. “I’ve lived in Jupiter for 40 years; I love this town. And although I had been here so long, I had no idea we had so many hungry people.” 

At its core, Merciful Heavens was created to help keep people fed on one of the biggest eating days of the year: Thanksgiving. “I decided I wanted to give a true Thanksgiving meal to people because that was really important to my mother—having the true smell of Thanksgiving emanate through their houses, not the smell of Styrofoam—we wanted to give the whole experience.”

Bowman started with 50 turkeys on that first Thanksgiving. But, soon after, she realized she needed help. 

Meanwhile, local Chef Mike Moir and his staff were trying to brainstorm ways to give back to the community inside his famed restaurant, Food Shack. “We try to give to every charity that walks in the door,” says Moir. “We’ve done a lot of giving in small forms, but we were saying, ‘You know, we’re chefs and we need to get our hands dirty and help people,’ and in walked Patti Bowman.”

It was that fateful moment that created the Merciful Heavens we see today. During the first year, they sat in a parking lot and gave out turkeys to a handful of people. This past Thanksgiving, they fed 626 families with 35 pounds of turkey. But beyond providing food, Merciful Heavens strives to create a community. 

“We really enjoy feeding people, [but] we realized there was this sense of joy at our events,” says Bowman. “No one was sad; the families would walk in with their faces down but they would leave with a new family: the staff at Food Shack and our volunteers at Merciful Heaven.” So with that notion in mind, they decided to expand. 

Now, the organization works with Habitat for Humanity, stocking the shelves of incoming families so they have food in their pantries the moment they step into their new home, and the Edna Runner Tutorial Center, filling kids backpacks with snacks as the center teaches at-risk students the importance of healthy foods. 

But, how exactly do they do it? Bowman works with local organizations, like the Town of Jupiter, and counselors at elementary schools to identify families in need—staying away from traditional media outlets. “We don’t do a lot of media because I wanted to make sure we are doing it right,” says Bowman. “So when families came in, or a donor, or a friend, they feel respected and a part of the organization. I want people to come in and not be able to tell who’s being fed and who’s doing the feeding.”

And they keep the organization going thanks to volunteers, many of which come from Moir’s staff at Food Shack. “My staff donates a lot of money, it’s an effort by a lot of people,” says Moir. “We are not taking a paycheck, or bonuses, or going on trips—it’s 100 percent going to people who aren’t as fortunate.”

That idea of giving back to the community is all part of the Jupiter spirit. From the outside, many view Jupiter as a wealthy Floridian hotspot, but deep down, there are tons of families and individuals struggling to put food on the table. And worse than that? The resources for those families are slim, and many feel shameful asking for help.

“I have friends who show up at my restaurants and I’ve given them food in back alleyways because they’re embarrassed,” says Moir. “I always tell them ‘Don’t be embarrassed, take the food you need.’” Through Merciful Heavens, they are able to do just that. During Thanksgiving, and other food-related days like the Fourth of July, they try to create an atmosphere that doesn’t feel needy. “The food we give [the families], the kids wouldn’t even know that it came from anywhere other than the supermarket,” says Moir. “So when they sit and have a meal, they get to have food on the table the same way we all do.” 

Each year, with the combined efforts of Bowman, Moir, the staffs of Merciful Heavens and Food Shack, plus countless volunteers, the organization continues to grow, and they continue to be awed by the local support here in Jupiter. “[Through this organization], I am constantly amazed when meeting likeminded people who really care about Jupiter and taking care of each other,” says Bowman. “In the background, my mom is exclaiming ‘Merciful Heavens!’”

For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/mercifulheavensflorida.