Our Family

Amy Bartels Roe

Executive Director

Amy began volunteering with Mustard Seed Shelter from its very beginning in 1995. At that time, she was in college and working part-time as a youth minister. Amy has a bachelor of arts degree in sociology, with a minor in social work.

Following college, Amy’s role as volunteer changed (from painting walls, pulling up carpet, cooking and so on) to training our volunteers in a strength-based approach to work with the guests we serve. Prior to becoming the executive director in 2014, Amy worked as a social worker for Boysville and then Lutheran Child and Family Service for 12 years. She also served as pastoral minister at a local church. Many community outreach programs Amy began are still in existence today. She has similarly planted and cultivated many “seeds” for Mustard Seed Shelter and has helped widen and strengthen the organization’s base of support to prepare for future growth.

Irene Ochoa Birdsall

Shelter Plus Care Coordinator

Irene first came to Mustard Seed Shelter as a volunteer, providing night-time supervision and some data entry support. She is another member of our staff who experienced homelessness and came to us for help. Armed with more than 10 years of experience as an employment services advisor, Irene provides critical data reporting for Mustard Seed Shelter and the Housing Management Information System. She’s on call for nights and with her background in case management, helping displaced workers and critiquing resumes, Irene is a tremendous asset in helping our guests in their own career searches. Irene was promoted to Shelter Plus Care Coordinator in 2019.

According to Irene, who spent time in multiple shelters in the Tri-City area, “Many other places focus on 90 days from the time you walk in the door – get a job and find a place to stay. But here – our focus is on the whole person. We help our guests develop a plan. We help them identify barriers and what to do to overcome them. This is a place for caring and guiding people as best we can. This is a home.”

Stacey Forejt

Guest Services Support Coordinator

A master-level social worker and award-winning sociological researcher, Stacey brings extensive personal and professional experience with homelessness, substance abuse and addiction, severe mental illness, developmental disabilities, child welfare and domestic violence to her role on our team. She also has previous social work experience as a Family Reunification Program supervisor, reunifying children with their biological families following foster care placements.

Stacey herself became homeless as a result of drug addiction. She and her two children, who are both on the autism spectrum, spent three months at Mustard Seed and moved to their own home in the fall of 2021, thanks to a Shelter Plus Care grant and our partnership with Saginaw-Shiawassee Habitat for Humanity.

As our Guest Services Coordinator, Stacey helps guests make a plan for their lives and connects them to services and resources in our community. In addition to sharing her insights and experience with our organization, Stacey serves on the board of the Saginaw County Consortium of Homeless Assistance Providers (SC-CHAP).

Trina Morrow

Guest Services Support Team Member

Trina was a guest at Mustard Seed twice – most recently in 2020-2021, moving into her own apartment in June of 2021. She continued to volunteer regularly until becoming a member of our Guest Services Support team providing night-time supervision in early 2022.

About her role here at Mustard Seed, Trina says she does a lot of listening and tries to uplift guests who are struggling. She helps them understand the rules of the house and shares her own experiences of living at Mustard Seed, as well as struggling with a crack addiction for more than half of her life (she celebrated nine years of sobriety in early 2022!).

“My main goal is to help them along the way like somebody helped me,” she says. “Mustard Seed helped – and continues to help – me to get better as a person. And if I can get better, I can help someone else get better.”

Shelly Stolsmark

Guest Services Support Team Member

Shelly joined our Guest Services Support Team in early 2022, following many years serving on our board of directors. A former parks and recreation administrator, Shelly was also once a guest of Mustard Seed after finding herself homeless as a result of untreated mental illness.

Shelly is a regular fixture at our events and you’ve likely seen her smiling face at the registration table for our annual Sowing Seeds of Hope fall fundraiser or driving the beverage cart at our golf outing. While serving on our board of directors, Shelly made the motion to embark upon the expansion/renovation project we completed in 2021 – a motion that was approved unanimously by her fellow board members. Now, Shelly’s friendly demeanor, boundless energy – and shared lived experience – make her a valued member of our Guest Services Support Team.

Terrie Howard

Guest Services Support Team Member

Terrie came to Saginaw in March of 2019 from Farwell, Mich., after a 30-year battle with alcoholism and spent three-and-a-half years in the sober living program at Emmaus House. She was a house manager for three of those years and while there, volunteered at the East Side Soup Kitchen and Emmaus House’s Morrow Center, helping pick up donations. She worked with The Women of Color on a project focused on racial disparities in Saginaw, obtained her Recovery Coach certificate and began working with Peer 360 as a recovery coach. In July of 2022, Terrie moved into her own place and in November joined our Guest Services Support Team.

“Working with women with a background of life-altering challenges similar to mine is my passion,” she says. “With such a huge stigma on homelessness and addiction, my goal is to help humanize these issues and bridge some gaps. We never know where life can take us until we find ourselves there.”

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Rooted in Love, Grown in Community

Mustard Seed Shelter Staff

Amy Bartels Roe

Irene Ochoa Birdsall

Stacey Forejt

Trina Morrow

Shelly Stolsmark

Terrie Howard

Mustard Seed Board of Directors

Sigrid Ewers

Michael Haremski

Kathy Bonn

Cheryl Vinson Taylor

William Hartl

Bobbi Allen

Yolanda Orozco Collier

Leona Sullivan

Supported by the Community

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