Michael Turner came to Providence Ministries in August 2019 as a resident in the homeless shelter.
He has spent his time since “helping others grow,” according to Robert Anderson, a counselor at Providence Ministries.
Headquartered at 711 S. Hamilton St. in Dalton, Providence Ministries provides shelter for men, women and children; serves meals to the homeless; provides free Thanksgiving and Christmas meals to the community; and offers addiction recovery programs for alcohol and drugs. It also operates several thrift stores that sell inexpensive items ranging from clothes to toys to household items to raise funds for its mission.
Anderson said Turner “knows what it feels like to have nobody and nothing, and he wants to help give back and be the person that he needed in the beginning stages of his recovery.”
Turner started working at Providence in 2020 after COVID-19 shut many things down.
“Mike’s job was just help where he could and serving others,” Anderson said. “Mike was then considered a house man with the shelter where he would keep the facility clean and orderly. He would do everything from sweeping and mopping to talking to the new guy upon entrance. Mike is now our evening dorm leader where he brings in guys and goes over everything that is expected of them after they walk through the front door.”
“Each guy that comes to Providence begins by getting gainful employment and Mike also drives his personal vehicle to help transport these men back and forth to work,” Anderson said. “We are blessed to have Mike as part of our team and the shelter wouldn’t run without him. Working in the homeless shelter takes a special kind of person because they will need to show empathy while also maintaining a level of consistency and with Mike what you see is what you get.”
For his efforts to help others who are going through a rough time the Dalton Daily Citizen names Michael Turner Citizen of the Week.