Charleszetta Waddles

In 1956 Waddles convinced an inner-city landlord to let her use a vacant storefront at no cost. It was at this property, located in a crime-ridden area of Detroit that she established Mother Waddles Perpetual Mission for Saving Souls of All Nations. Its name was later shortened to: Mother Waddles Perpetual Mission. Fires, financial setbacks and other problems forced the mission to move several times over the years, but its spirit and goals remained the same. Thousands of needy people walked through the doors of the mission. At times over 200 volunteers were available to help provide for and assist the needy.

Following a period of diligent bible study, Charleszetta Waddles became an ordained as a minister in the First Pentecostal Church. She was later re-ordained, in the International Association of Universal Truth. In 1950, her religious teachings gave shape and inspiration to the founding of the Helping Hand Restaurant. In Detroit's skid row surrounded by flophouses she offered meals for as little as 35 cents. Unlike the “soup kitchens” of the Depression era, where the destitute lined up with a tin cup for a handout, Mother Waddles’ establishment boasted of white tablecloths, a flower on every table and uniformed waitresses. Those who could not pay could eat for free, while those who could afford to often paid as much as three dollars for a cup of coffee. At first Mother Waddles did all the cooking, dishwashing and laundry herself, but as time went by, dozens of dedicated volunteers joined her. The restaurant remained open until 1984 when a fire forced its closure.

The following year, Waddles found work as a sorter in a rag factory and later that year became pregnant by her 23-year-old boyfriend, who ended up leaving her. In 1933, at age 21, she married LeRoy Wash, a 37-year-old truck driver, and the couple had six children together. The family moved together to Detroit in 1936. Waddles divorced Wash in 1945. She then lived in a common-law marriage with Roosevelt Sturkey and had three more children. In 1950 she married Payton Waddles, an employee of Ford Motor Company.

Charleszetta Waddles (born Charleszetta Lena Campbell; October 7, 1912 - July 12, 2001), also known as Mother Waddles, was an African-American activist, Pentecostal church minister, and founder of Mother Waddles Perpetual Mission, an independent church in Detroit that provides support, such as food, clothing and other basic services to Detroit's poor. She is listed in the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame for her contributions to Social Work and Mission Work in the Detroit area.

Charleszetta Lena Campbell was born on October 7, 1912, in St. Louis, Missouri to Henry Campbell and Ella Brown. She was the eldest of seven children, only three of whom survived to adulthood. Her father Henry was a successful St. Louis barber who became financially ruined after he unknowingly gave a haircut to a customer with impetigo, a contagious skin disease, which subsequently caused the infection to spread to other clients who were members of his church congregation. Her father died when she was 12, and, despite being a successful student, she left school in eighth grade to get work as a housemaid and provide for her family.