This is the bakery that helped serve me up a new life. Mr Esperanza arrived at this bakery everyday around 3 or 4 am. He would look out the window & see me walking the streets looking for heroin dealers in the area . He would motion to me to come around to the back where he gave me coffee & something to eat. I would enter and see a Bible on one of the tables , he never pushed it on me. He would ask if I needed to take a shower , he invited me to his home where his family lived. His home was right on the way to the crack house where he had seen me visit . He passed me while I begged on the freeway and always waved & smiled. I remember one Sunday he told me that I needed to clean up and take a shower & shave. I didn’t, and that was alright. He started running me and my friend a tab for lunches when we had no money. We talked about what a good dude he was. Then one day , he got a call from a family in Phoenix that wanted to help me & get me off the street. He came to my cardboard box , convinced me it was time to get help, gave me some money for traveling expenses (dope) and because I knew he cared for me , I got on that bus. The rest is History , I have been clean since 2008. Mr. Esperanza is now in heaven . He passed one year later with cancer. I will one day thank him personally, it will be a Glorious day ! Thank you & God Bless the Esperanza family for speaking into my life. Bobby Hayden, Jr.
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