Ricky McClenton, 60, hands out water as other volunteers pass out bagged lunches to people attending the service at Church Under a Bridge on Sunday Feb. 18, 2018. McClenton, commonly called Missionary Ricky, routinely volunteers at both Church Under a Bridge and Hunger for Love, two ministries that target the homeless and poor communities of Tyler at the bridge on Valentine Street behind the Salvation Army. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

The sun had yet to peek over the horizon when a cold drizzle began to fall, making the early spring air feel much chillier than 40-something degrees.

Despite the weather, Ricky McClenton, 60, doesn’t pause to enjoy a slow wakeup over coffee in his warm Tyler home.

Instead, he gulps down a few swigs of caffeine, slips on business casual attire and heads to a weekend job that pays nothing.

His mission on this rainy morning is to help set up and distribute breakfast and personal care items to East Texans lacking the basics: food, warm clothing, a safe place to stay.

It’s a typical weekend routine for the big-hearted Samaritan, recognized throughout the community as “Missionary Ricky” for his seemingly limitless benevolence extended every weekend to not only the homeless and those lacking basic resources, but also the elderly, the infirm, the bereaved and war veterans.

The coupon-clipping McClenton dips into his own pockets for some of the items he distributes, relying on funds earned from his day job as a longtime housekeeper for two Tyler families.

He writes and distributes about 500 inspirational monthly newsletters and makes prayer calls to roughly 250 patients across the United States fighting breast cancer.

“It does get tiring, but you just do it,” McClenton said, emerging from a car loaded with supplies. “I feel it’s what I’m called to do. I just love people … this is something I can do for them.”

HELPING EAST TEXAS

In some respects, McClenton has a front-row seat to important issues facing not only this community, but a growing number of others as well.

A 2016 status report by the former UT Health Northeast, now UT Health East Texas, makes mention of certain populations McClenton feels called to serve.

The report indicates an estimated 1.5 million people call the North-East Texas region home and there are factors at play that influence health and wellbeing, including income levels and access to healthcare.

The area’s population is largely rural, and slightly older than the rest of the state, the report indicates.

And while unemployment is slightly lower than the rest of the state, so are median household incomes, leaving some at a disadvantage for basic care and services.

Dr. David Lakey, M.D., vice chancellor for health affairs and chief medical officer at The University of Texas System and a senior adviser to the president and professor of medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center-Tyler, noted that numerous health professionals and community stakeholders work tirelessly to address some of the issues.

Continued support and engagement from the community are critically needed to regain and support the health of the region, the report states.

But what are some of these issues and how can they be effectively challenged?

For the next several months, the Tyler Morning Telegraph plans to examine the report in greater detail, highlight some of the cited challenges and explore ways in which to address them, using the voices of people directly affected.

A goal of the efforts is to spur people to act in ways that can better their communities.

Hospice of East Texas recently honored McClenton for the many ways he serves the people of East Texas.

“Ricky is a true missionary, with a missionary’s zeal to serve the Lord by ministering to his people,” said Nancy Lamar, who serves as Hospice’s vice president of community relations.

He shows up bright and early every Sunday morning at Hospice to pass out snacks to patients and families, she said.

And he makes time to cook meals for the bereaved, visit patients and fill in on holidays so some hospice staff can have time off.

Mrs. Lamar used a famous saying from the late Italian Catholic Friar St. Francis of Assisi to describe McClenton’s loving spirit, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary use words.”

“Missionary Ricky McClenton preaches the gospel every day, in who he is and what he does,” Mrs. Lamar said. “And he doesn’t have to say a word.”

Spend any time at all with the community giver and it’s clear he sees a different side of East Texas than most.

HELPING THE HOMELESS

McClenton is among a growing contingency of people who gather weekends at a place known locally as “Under the Bridge,” located under the Gentry Parkway overpass near Valentine Street.

Their faces represent a mix of people who need a hand as well as church groups and civic-minded volunteers, like McClenton, who are willing to help.

“I love God’s people and I know there’s a need here,” McClenton said. “I could be like this … it helps you be appreciative for what you have.”

On a recent rainy Saturday, about 200 people gathered in the gloom for an outdoor church service and complimentary breakfast of egg casserole, biscuits, juice and coffee, sponsored by a local nonprofit, Hunger for Love.

People familiar with Tyler’s homeless population said most of the recipients live near the bridge, either in tents, abandoned spaces or the Salvation Army.

Some are passing through, but others are long-term residents of the community.

The gathering locale is in the heart of one of Tyler’s most impoverished areas, but there is no shortage of optimism.

Upbeat music, singing and laughter fill the air, making it seem more like a street festival than Saturday morning breakfast.

McClenton arrives in time to help set up a serving tent and folding tables.

“I’ll be handing out juice and milk today,” he said. ‘Then I’ll pick up the trash at the tables. I try to greet people and show them our love.”

Volunteers from area churches and nonprofits take turns at these duties, serving on a rotating basis to provide food, clothes and even haircuts.

Some recipients of the efforts pitch in to help, aware that the kindness of loving strangers helps them stay connected with the rest of society.

“I’ve been homeless, I know what it is,” said Hunger for Love volunteer Robert Bush of Tyler. “Now I help out. The numbers (of homeless) keep changing. Some are new, some come back. I’ve pretty much seen it all.”

ONE MAN’S MISSION

McClenton helps several helping organizations as well as his own, Willing Workers, with the workload.

His organization, formed more than 25 years ago, represents a loose-knit group of mission-minded volunteers working on almost a zero budget.

It takes careful planning and budgeting to feed the masses, it seems.

McClenton buys food with his own money and credits a manager at Brookshire’s with helping him acquire discounted wieners throughout the month, which are stored in a home freezer until serving time.

“Everything I do comes out of my pocket,” he said. “I save my money, my quarters, nickels and dimes. I save up all month. It’s a mission … I also go to Dallas one time a month to feed the homeless there.”

He gets up at 4 a.m. to make the journey to Dallas and pulls up in the wee hours to a secluded area in the southern area of the city where the homeless are known to stay.

“I honk the horn and they start coming out,” he said. “I give out about 250 cookies and sandwiches and soda water and toilet paper.”

After the distribution, McClenton returns to Tyler in time to resume his typical mission and work activities.

“I know people need help and people don’t care about other people these days,” he said. “I have down time. This is my heart and this is what I love to do.”

MAKING OF A MISSIONARY

McClenton’s inspiration and drive to help appears rooted in faith, fed by his longtime membership in Faith Tabernacle in Chandler.

“My pastor inspired me,” he said. “I was real young. I was always helping people at church. He said, ‘I see a lot of good in you.’”

The pastor impressed upon him the importance of serving the Lord through serving others and urged him to start doing something to help.

The advice apparently took root.

Throughout his life, McClenton said he’s looked for opportunities to reach out and connect with people, as an arm of the church and his faith.

Don Davis, 77, a resident of Colonial Manor nursing home, is among those benefitting from his acts of kindness.

“I consider him my son,” Davis said. “He is my son. Everything I got, it belongs to Ricky.”

Davis spent his career working for Kelly Springfield Tire Company and met McClenton about 40 years ago at church, Faith Tabernacle.

“He was special, a sweet kid,” Davis said. “You never had a hard time teaching him anything. You could show him one time and that was it.”

Davis said he would loan the teenager the keys to his car so he could practice driving and give him money for gas.

As the years passed, the pair stayed in touch, but it wasn’t until Davis fell gravely ill, narrowly escaping death, that they reconnected.

“We were out fishing,” Davis said. “The water had bacteria.”

Davis developed an infection that required amputation of both legs, followed by other health complications.

McClenton stepped up to help the man who helped him those many years ago — he stops every Sunday morning to visit Davis, collect his laundry and haul it to a Laundromat for washing.

It’s no accident the laundry facility is located across the street from the overpass where McClenton regularly distributes food to the homeless.

As the washing and drying cycles play out each weekend, Missionary Ricky walks back and forth across the street, multi-tasking between serving food and serving his infirm, elderly friend.

He also folds his friend’s clothing before driving it back to the nursing home.

“I’m not surprised he comes,” Davis said recently. “That’s the way he is … he’s a great man. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have Ricky.”

During his stop at Colonial Manor and other local nursing homes, McClenton stops in on other nursing residents and brings them treats to boost their spirits, mostly candy bars and sodas.

In a separate, but related volunteer effort, he hosts monthly birthday parties for residents as a way of honoring them as people.

He’s been performing these services for nursing home residents for 25 years and counting.

“I do these things out of love,” McClenton said. “I’m doing God’s work. I don’t have a family of my own … these people are my family.”

THE DAY JOB

The well-intentioned missionary spent an entire career with a couple of Tyler families, logging more than three decades of service to date.

The relationships they have seem more familial than business.

“I love the whole family,” McClenton said. “They are part of me.”

“He’s my brother,” said Matt Gabriel. “I’ve known Ricky for 33 plus years. He actually worked for Mom and Dad and (aunt) Del Rose.”

As the years ticked by, the bonds of the their work relationships strengthened and expanded as typical life events unfolded — graduations, marriages, grandchildren, etc.

“All of his service, he does it with such great joy,” said Leesa Hedge, describing the interactions she observed since marrying into the family.

“I don’t know how he does it,” said Del Rose Yale, his decades-old employer. “He takes care of so many things… he’s a gold mine.”

The families said McClenton knows just about everything about their households and keeps things running smoothly without oversight or instruction.

He helps with everything from menu planning and routine home maintenance to carrying out scheduled activities, such as whisking Ms. Yale to morning Mahjong at Willow Brook Country Club.

Yolanda Bircher shares household responsibilities with McClenton, describing their work relationship as a joy, as do others in the community who routinely observe his mission-focused role as caretaker, volunteer and friend.

“I’ve known Ricky for a long time,” said Willie Marvels, banquet manager for Willow Brook Country Club. “I see what he does … he’s really something.”

McClenton’s longtime employers appear supportive of his community outreach, providing him with flexibility and even storage space in the garage to store supplies for the homeless.

Raymond Hedge loans out his vehicle for Ricky’s monthly trips to Dallas to help distribute food to the homeless while other family members pitch in occasionally to help organize.

“Whatever he needs,” Hedge said. “His missionary work is really incredible … he’s taken such good care of us, our parents, we don’t have to worry. He’s part of our family.”

Pam Gabriel agreed.

“He is ‘Missionary Ricky,’” she said. “He proves that you don’t have to be wealthy to give back and make a difference in people’s lives. He really sets the bar high.”

TWITTER: @TMT_Jacque