Part I...While on assignment for the Bay City Times newspaper in Michigan some years ago, the elderly woman I was photographing began to tell me of a man she knew - a very caring and giving man. A man who drives 4,000 miles each year to Mexico during the holiday season to help people in need.
His name - Bill Brooks.
She continued with the story about this man, Brooks, a member of Bay City's Dwelling Place Ministries Church and founder of Agape Missions International Inc., who collects food items and used clothing throughout the year and then in December, drives his pickup truck and trailer loaded with these items from his home in Mid-Michigan to northern Mexico.
During his 4,000-mile journey, he distributes food and clothing to needy people and orphanages in some of the most remote, mountainous regions of the country.
Although taken in early December 1990 and first published in the Bay City Times shortly after on Christmas day, Brooks' spirit of giving and willingness to help those in need is timeless. They highlight the best qualities of humanity and the need for us all to reflect on our own lives - and those around us.
This is the first in a two part series featuring images from this man's story of giving. It features some of the people of the region which Brooks travels to help. In part two, we will feature photographs of Brooks on his 23rd goodwill mission to the country in 1990.
