“This is my happy place,” Kris Cornyn will tell you of the portable in the back parking lot of her church.

The portable is full of blankets, clothes, toiletries, food and other supplies that are waiting to get into the hands of someone in need.

These supplies will end up filling backpacks and being handed out to people experiencing homelessness in Federal Way, Fife and Tacoma.

Cornyn told the Mirror that she and her husband had done this work in the past on their own, but stopped years ago.

“I’ve always wanted to be involved in the homeless community, but really never knew how to start it,” Cornyn said.

Now she’s had the chance to start this work again with the support of her Grace Church, moving from collecting supplies in a corner of a room on the church property to the large portable.

All these items are intended for people experiencing homelessness, but if anyone ever needs anything, Cornyn is more than happy to share.

Cornyn and her portable are one small piece of a network of many church groups and people in Federal Way who look out for people on the street. Cornyn was chosen as the Mirror’s Hometown Hero of the month because she represents the Federal Way spirit of generosity and making a difference with what you have.

“I feel really blessed to be doing this, that it’s not just me,” Cornyn said. She said people who are giving her donations will often apologize for only having a small amount to give, but: “I really try to make them understand, nothing is too little.”

Occasionally, Cornyn will get negative comments on her social media posts, but in general, she said she’s learned how kind people in Federal Way are and that everyone has a story.

She gets to know these stories as she picks up items to donate. “Some of them even have stories of their kids who are out in the street,” she said, or tell her that they were even homeless themselves.

“There’s one girl that helps me that was homeless for years. She just got a place for her and her kids and she’s helped tremendously with whatever she has…to me, that’s amazing,” Cornyn said.

When her church got a new pastor, Cornyn said she was worried her program would go away. Instead, the new pastor has been supportive and they have goals of ramping up the work. Currently they’ll go out once or twice a month to hand out bags of toiletries, hot food and whatever else people need.

She also distributes items she gets through other organizations by sharing them with her church community and on Facebook. She is always looking for people posting requests for help to see if she can be of assistance.

Cornyn has never experienced homelessness herself, but said when she was a young mom, she remembers the support and help she had gotten along the way.

“I just want to pay it forward,” she said.

Cornyn’s children often help her out with her work, including her 12-year-old sons and a daughter in her 30s. Cornyn grew up in the area and so did her children. Sometimes when they go out to encampments she’s run into people her daughter went to school with who are deep into addiction and experiencing homelessness.

When interacting with people who were not so lucky, Cornyn said she wishes people would remember that “nobody at the age of seven wanted to grow up to live in a tent or on drugs…nobody says that.”

Doing this work in general comes with its challenges, Cornyn said.

“It’s so hard to walk away. And I’ll tell you after, every time that we go out, I go home with the biggest mixed feelings. I’m so happy that I was blessed to be able to do that, and I’m so sad that I get to come home and they…don’t,” Cornyn said.

Kris Cornyn at Grace Church in Federal Way. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / the Mirror

Toiletries are always a need, especially smaller sizes like these. Kris Cornyn also accepts full size toiletries and will transfer them to small bottles so they can be handed out. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / the Mirror

Kris Cornyn keeps an eye out for social media posts where people ask for help, homeless or not, and clothes are often something that people need. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / the Mirror

It is a lot of work to keep donations organized, but Kris Cornyn finds joy in preparing items to get ready to go out to those who need them. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / the Mirror