Key points:
- United Methodists Mary and Lenny Kaplan started Ice Angels in 2010 by offering water to unsheltered people living under a bridge.
- The ministry has expanded to provide food and other needed supplies and services.
- Ice Angels is now a network of four local congregations and a United Methodist-related organization, assisted by more than a dozen other churches, nonprofit agencies, individuals and businesses around Oklahoma City.
On a hot Sunday afternoon in June 2010, Mary and Lenny Kaplan were on their way home from Epworth United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City when they saw about 30 people gathered in the shade under a bridge, trying to get out of the sun’s blistering heat.
“They’re miserable,” Lenny Kaplan said. “Somebody ought to do something to help them.” His wife replied, “We’re somebody. Why don’t we do something?”
And they did.
The Kaplans — in their late 60s at the time — rushed home, grabbed their cooler and filled it with ice and bottles of water. They jumped in their little black Honda and headed back to the bridge to offer relief to those in need.
A few people seemed suspicious, but nobody turned down a cold drink, the late Lenny Kaplan recalled during an interview five years ago. “One man said, ‘You guys are angels.’ Another agreed, ‘Yeah, you are Ice Angels!’”
The name stuck. So did the ministry and the lesson the Kaplans learned that day: Something as simple as a bottle of water can make a big difference for those in need.
The couple went back three days during the next week with water for the people under the bridge. Most were homeless — or unsheltered as the couple prefers to call them. All were poor.
The Kaplans kept coming back.
When the Rev. Deborah Ingram, the Kaplans’ pastor at Epworth United Methodist Church, found out what they were doing, she told the congregation. Eager to help, church members made sure they had all the bottled water they needed.
“While we were distributing ice water, we observed people dumpster-diving for food and we had frequent requests for food,” Mary Kaplan said. “So, we started making and delivering sandwiches with fruit three days a week.”
They served sack lunches for a couple of years, with help from Epworth United Methodist.
Since she was a registered nurse with 45 years’ experience caring for sick people, Mary Kaplan knew the importance of nutrition. Lenny, a chef for decades, took pride in serving delicious food.
“Our goal was to serve tasty and nutritious meals, always including a protein and a vegetable,” Mary Kaplan said.
In 2012, Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation approved a grant from the W.W. Woodworth Fund for $25,000, enabling the Kaplans to buy a food trailer and other equipment they needed.
The Kaplans parked the trailer near places where unsheltered people gathered, and Lenny started cooking. Mary Kaplan remembers that some of his first dishes were shrimp creole, chicken and rice, fried chicken and barbecued burgers. She said the people they served were delighted with the food. “Lenny and I were delighted, too.”
Time passed. The ministry grew and the Kaplans couldn’t do all that needed to be done. Lenny Kaplan had several heart attacks and was diagnosed with lung cancer, but radiation and chemotherapy — along with his positive spirit — brought the cancer under control.
In 2015, Epworth United Methodist merged with Leland Clegg United Methodist to form Mosaic United Methodist Church.
Even though the merger brought more resources, the Ice Angels ministry was becoming too big for Mosaic to fulfill alone. So church members invited other like-minded congregations to help. And the response was enthusiastic.
Ice Angels ministry is now beginning its 15th year. What started as a husband-and-wife team serving water under a bridge is now a network of four congregations and the United Methodist-related Neighborhood Services Organization.
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Last year, Ice Angels served 4,480 meals.
The four congregations take turns serving lunches every Wednesday. They are Mosaic Community Church (earlier this year, Mosaic disaffiliated from The United Methodist Church); Quail Springs United Methodist Church, Oklahoma City; First United Methodist Church, Moore; and Grace Episcopal Church, Yukon. Moore and Yukon are Oklahoma City suburbs.
Neighborhood Services Organization, the fifth member of the Ice Angels’ network, provides the serving site for the ministry’s lunches — a large lot in a low-income neighborhood near downtown Oklahoma City.
Until a few weeks ago, the lot was owned by Crossbridge African Methodist Episcopal Church. The church, now closed, had allowed Ice Angels to use it as their serving site for the past six years.
Neighborhood Services Organization — developed a century ago by Methodist women — provides health care and a wide range of other services to low-income people. Ice Angels has worked with the organization for years.
In addition to the thousands of meals served last year, Ice Angels provided 168 tents and 178 sleeping bags for unsheltered people. The ministry also provided clothes, shoes, toiletries and other daily living items. The supplies have either been given to Ice Angels or have been purchased with funds donated to Mosaic for the ministry.
Several individual “Ice Angels” provide various services: Sandra Roark of Mosaic has made over 250 heavy blankets from jeans. A barber gives haircuts. A nurse gives flu shots.
Mary Kaplan says paperwork is often intimidating for people they help, especially those who can neither read nor write. They have helped applicants secure identification, birth certificates, Social Security and other benefits.
Ice Angels also works with several nonprofit organizations and businesses. Little Red Wagon brings free books for various ages and interests. Love’s Travel Center has served food and clothing, and its crew recently helped Ice Angels pack 3,000 hygiene kits. A pet food distributor contributes dog and cat food twice a month. A mission called Love Like Jesus recently provided 400 pairs of shoes. Abilities Unlimited donated a wheelchair for an unsheltered man and Chester’s Pool Hall delivered it.
“I’m overwhelmed with the generosity of so many who are helping those in need,” Mary Kaplan said. “It is heartwarming to see the different people working together and sharing resources.”
The Rev. Bill Todd, a retired United Methodist pastor and Ice Angel, said the ministry offers an easy way to make a difference.
“Ice Angels catches the imagination of people who want to be part of something good, something simple that actually helps real people,” he said.
While the Kaplans focused on helping others overcome obstacles, they faced plenty of their own. Last year, Lenny’s cancer came back in a more aggressive form. He died Nov. 19, 2023, at age 77.
Lenny Kaplan’s death was devastating to Mary, but it did not stop her. Now 81, she continues to work faithfully in the Ice Angels ministry.
“Mary is not in great health,” Todd said, “but somehow she finds the energy to be the driving force behind this ministry.”
The Rev. Jason Brumit, associate pastor of First United Methodist Church in Moore, said the ministry is about more than food, clothing and other supplies
“Ice Angels is a shining example of how faith communities can collaborate to address pressing social issues. By working together with Ice Angels, we hope to bring hope, dignity and love to those who need it most. This is what it means to truly love our neighbors.”
Bowdon is a retired communicator from the Oklahoma Conference and a member of the United Methodist Association of Communicators Hall of Fame.
News media contact: Julie Dwyer at (615) 742-5470 or [email protected]. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.
