MILL CREEK, Wash. — Every Saturday at 11 a.m., those in need of a hot meal come to the parking lot of Lynnwood's Trinity Lutheran Church.
The food is donated and served by volunteers, organized by Feed the Homeless North End.
This Saturday, pizza was on the menu courtesy of someone who has been on the receiving end of that food line.
"Me and my family used to come here and go get lunch when we were homeless, sleeping out of our car," said Kyle Wilson-Wade.
After losing his job two years ago, Kyle and his wife became homeless. He said he relied on services like the weekly meals at Trinity Lutheran Church. He remembered how it felt to be in the same position as the people he helped feed today.
"People look down at you," he said. "I've always been a smart guy but I was treated like I wasn't even human."
His message today was that a little kindness and optimism can go a long way.
As of November 17, Kyle is the owner of his own coffee shop located in the Jiffy Lube off Bothell-Everett Highway in Mill Creek.
"I learned how to make coffee literally a week before I opened which I thought was funny," he laughed.
Through raising money from washing windows, Kyle was able to buy the shop and all the equipment inside. If it wasn't for help he received, like the meals at the church, it wouldn't have happened.
"I thought my life was over, I had to keep pushing every day," he said.
He says his motivation is his 1-year-old daughter, who he wants to leave the business to one day.
He also hopes to continue to be able to give back to the community he had come from, in the form of more food donations and eventual clothing drives.
"If you're at the bottom, the only place you can go it up and as long as you're still waking up, still breathing, things can change. You can always grow and be better."