Billings, Montana – A woman who herself had been homeless recently relocated to Billings and became aware of the substantial homeless community there. She made the decision to help in some way.
Even though “Wander Woman” is not a superhero nor a charity, you can often find her in downtown Billings on Sundays distributing much-needed food and supplies.
“I have a whole stash of clothes ready for spring when we get there,” said Wander Woman, also known as Shay Reiser.
Reiser, however, is putting aside her personal funds at this time of year to ensure that those living on the streets are nourished and kept alive.
“Cooking for people brings me a lot of joy,” Reiser said. “Being able to give somebody a meal that is really delicious and not just your standard shelter meal is fun for me, to come up with new ideas for what we’re going to serve for the week.”
The resourceful Wander Woman cooks 50 to 70 meals every other Sunday on a $150 monthly budget, with the help of a local catering firm that donates any leftover food before it goes bad.
“People are always bringing me things and I turn it into a meal,” she said. “I’m really, really great at cooking things on a budget. I raised three teenage boys who ate a lot. The first meal is in my budget and the second meal is typically sponsored by someone in the community who says hey, I want to help out and kicks in $50 or $100.”
As she renovate her kitchen and purchases food containers, donations help cover expenditures.
“Now I have a bigger pot and a bigger ladle and a bigger cooler and a second table and a bigger table to put things out on and those things add up,” she said.
She travels into the neighborhood with her trailer every other week. The trailer’s use goes much beyond just transporting her from Nebraska to Montana a year and a half ago.
“It was just sitting empty in my driveway, so we filled it with totes and we built a coat rack and I have coats and blankets, men’s and women’s clothing, and shoes, socks, hats, gloves, things like that,” she said.
On the north side of the rails, delivery is always at 11 a.m.
My “biggest message is, just be kind to people because you don’t know what they are going through,” she said.
For Wander Woman, who consistently shows compassion while preparing home-cooked meals, this is simple to express.”Everyone deserves to eat, always.”
