Cooking Up Kindness for Those in Need

Stephanie McMahon may not have heard of French philosopher Louis Lavelle, who said, 'Love is a pure attention to the existence of the other.' But she doesn’t need a book to understand it. Giving full attention to those who often get little to none in our local homeless community is her daily walk.

Stephanie is the founder and chief cook for Cardinals Love for the Homeless, a non-profit that organizes donations and cooks and delivers warm meals for the homeless community in Stillwater. This past January marked one year since Cardinals took flight. Why the name Cardinals, with their striking red and black? “Because I believe that Cardinals are angels,” says Stephanie. “They are so beautiful.”

Every Tuesday, Stephanie drives to Christian Missionary Alliance Church on 6th Ave., arriving around 10 a.m. to set up and start cooking dinner.

“I usually stay in the kitchen because… I don’t like people,” she laughs. “No, I love people, but crowds bother me. So this is really helping me over that too.”

By one o’ clock when the dinner begins the kitchen is buzzing with volunteers like Samantha, Sandy and Crystal getting organized for the dinner. The smell of warm rolls and chicken bacon ranch potato casserole greets guests as they arrive. Stephanie cooks most of the food. 

Most of her crew like Stephanie herself has been homeless or close to it. Stephanie tells me that these dinners have helped several people get clean from drug addictions. 

“Donny, who provides security for the dinners, is going on 60 days clean. Another lady is going on seven months clean," she says. "If it weren’t for me, they would not be clean—or probably even alive.”

Stephanie greets guests as they arrive, stopping mid-conversation to call out to Mike, a handyman.

"Hi Mike! How are you today?" (Silence.) "You’re here, huh?" she laughs. "There’s water, coffee, Kool-Aid, hot cocoa if you want any.”

Here, Stephanie goes by 'Mom'—most likely due to the hugs.

“Anyone who walks through this door—you see how I greet everybody. If you need a hug, you’re getting a hug. When you walk in the door you’re not a stranger no more. You’re family.”

From a Van to a Community Table

The Christian Missionary Alliance Church has been hosting the dinners since their successful Thanksgiving dinner last November. Over 42 people came through. Pastor John Chaffin offered the church as an ongoing venue. They’ve been holding their weekly dinners there every Tuesday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. since.

But when Cardinals started in January 2024, it was Stephanie driving around town in her van, bringing ziplock bags of hot chili and spaghetti for those camping in the woods. She worked with the City to secure a place to hold a weekly dinner at Strickland Park. 

“We’d go to the park, unload [the food], eat, sit there shivering our butts off trying to eat. By the time the food got to your mouth it was cold. That was all last winter.”

The dinners were made for those without any food, but Stephanie is emphatic that all are welcome to come and visit. 

“If you’re a millionaire and you just want company or you're hungry, come and visit with us, ‘cause when you walk through this door you got a whole crew of family.” 

A Law That Could End It All?

But now, the program’s momentum may be at risk.

On Jan. 13, State Senator Lisa Standridge of Norman introduced Senate Bill 484, which would prohibit cities with fewer than 300,000 residents from offering homeless services. If passed, Cardinals Love for the Homeless—and similar programs across the state—could be forced to shut down by Nov. 1, 2025.

This bill weighs on Stephanie and Crystal Johnson, one of her volunteers. Stephanie had plans to open a free clothing pantry but has put them on hold.

“With this 484, we’re at a standstill,” she says.

But she isn’t backing down.

“As long as God is providing for me to keep on doing this, I’m going to keep on doing this. I don’t care if I have to go to jail. I will fight for these people because I’ve been there, done that.”

Give Give Give

Crystal Johnson got involved when Stephanie reached out to her for donations from her Stillwater Neighbor to Neighbor Free Facebook page. Crystal has been running the page for over six years and working with Stephanie since the beginning of Cardinals. She’s made her front porch a drop off spot for anyone that wants to donate (202 S. Lewis). 

“I find joy in giving. I’d rather give give give than get any day of the week.” – Crystal Johnson

Right about then Stephanie discovered a Valentine’s gift Crystal brought her, a sweater with a picture of a dog in sequins that changed from red to black. “I brought it for her because she gets anxious,” says Crystal with a serene smile. Stephanie smiled as ran her hand over the sweater, red to black and back again.