From Bagging Groceries to Building Dreams: My Full-Circle Kroger Miracle

​Hey Mafia Miracle Maker, we’ve seen God do a lot of wild things through Move-In Day Mafia… but this one right here?

This one feels like His wink.

Because never in my wildest dreams did I think the same grocery store where I got my first job at sixteen would one day be calling me to help take care of my babies.

Yep. Kroger. Store 398 in Jackson, TN.

Let me take you back.

Oh wait...before we do that...If you’re new here...

Move-In Day Mafia is a nonprofit full of volunteers committed to providing decked-out dorm rooms and monthly care packages for HBCU students who've aged out of foster care or are unhoused. We've moved in 109 students at 28 HBCUs since 2022.

​Now, back to what I was telling you.

My grandmother worked in the deli at another store. When I was fourteen, she introduced me to her manager and said, “This my grandbaby, and when she turns sixteen, she’s gonna come apply.”

And just like that, my fate was sealed.

The day I turned sixteen, I did two things: got my driver’s license and filled out my Kroger application.

That job was my happy place. I got paid to do what I already loved...talk to people!

Customers used to wait in my long line just to check out with me.

Kids would come running in, wrap their little arms around my legs, and squeal. I loved it!

And when I left for Howard University, they gave me graduation gifts to send me off right!

Kroger taught me service. How to show up for people with joy.

And apparently, they noticed because at seventeen, they promoted me to handle payroll for the city stores!!!!

At seventeen!

I was out here making sure grown folks got their checks on time.

Now fast forward a few decades.

The Call That Changed Everything

One random afternoon, my phone rings.

It’s Dr. Crystal Davison, a representative from Kroger.

She says they’ve seen what Move-In Day Mafia does for HBCU students and want to help.

My mouth flew open and I just started laughing and told her about my love of Kroger.

Because isn’t that just like God? To use something from your past to bless your purpose?

And get this… the very next day after that call, my dividend check hit from the Kroger stock I won at 17. I love Godwinks!

​But let me tell you...they didn’t just drop off random donations.

Lemme explain...

The Mafia Mentality

The one thing that is non-negotiable for me when any company approaches to help or even donors, is that we MUST ask the scholars, "What do YOU want?"

We serve a demographic that has often shared basements with boxes. They are often handed items and told, "Well, you better be grateful I'm helping."

And that will NEVER be Mafia mentality, as long as I'm at the head.

I still remember the moment this outlook was solidified.

I was listening to one of our Howard babies do an interview after we moved her in.

The reporter asked her what she was most surprised about.

And she started crying when she told him she got to pick out her own hair products.

Hair products Miracle Maker!

The stuff many of us don't think twice about when we head to the store.

I resolved right then and there that our students would have a say-so on...

✅What they put in their bodies
✅What they put in their hair
✅What they brush their teeth with
✅What they wash their clothes in

So when I got the call that Kroger wanted to love on our students, our benefactor was initially surprised by my specific requests and rightfully concerned that it might limit the participation.

But after I explained, she easily understood, fully agreed, and then went ham making sure our reasoning was communicated to the managers. For that, I'm so grateful.

Because our babies have been handed enough leftovers in life. We give them dignity. We give them choice.

So we sent out a questionnaire. They told us what brands, what scents, what snacks made them feel like good.

And Kroger showed up BIG TIME.

Over 100 store managers came together to love on our Prairie View and Texas Southern students.

When Mina and I flew to Houston to thank them, I couldn’t stop smiling.

Being at Kroger’s corporate offices, I thought about that sixteen-year-old girl in Jackson, Tennessee—bagging groceries, cracking jokes, and dreaming big.

I thought about my grandmother, who set that whole job up like the divine matchmaker she was.

And I just whispered, “Look at God.”

The job that taught me to serve people with joy…

Is now helping me serve my scholars.

God loves to surprise us, and baaaaaaaaby, He did it again.

Thank you Kroger!!!! Thank you Dr. Crysal and Bich Nguyen for coordinating it all. And thank you to Mafia superhero volunteers Misty Robinson and Nicole Handy, who coordinated getting everything picked up and stored.

JUST S.T.A.R.T.
When I first started Move-In Day Mafia, I had no clue how I was gonna take care of these kids. None.

All I knew was that God had assigned me to love on them, and I couldn’t wait until I had the “perfect plan” to move.

Now, look at God...Kroger, Amazon, Best Buy, Cisco… multi-billion-dollar companies are reaching out, saying, “How can we help?”

But that’s the thing about miracles. They don’t meet you at the finish line; they meet you when you move.

The S.T.A.R.T. Principle
I’ve learned that you don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to S.T.A.R.T.

Stop Talking And Roll Tenaciously.
👉🏾 Move even when the money doesn’t make sense.
👉🏾 Move even when the fear is louder than your faith.
👉🏾 Move even when it looks impossible.

Because when you roll with purpose, provision rolls up right behind you.

So today, stop overthinking. Stop doubting. Just S.T.A.R.T.

Let me know what you plan to S.T.A.R.T.. Comment and subscribe. And don't forget...

The 14th is a few days away, and October's Adopt A Scholar week kicks off and you can buy their essentials directly from their Amazon wish list. See you next week!