A Peninsula woman has made it her mission to celebrate birthdays of shelter residents, making sure people living with homelessness are not forgotten while providing them hope for the future.

From bingo to breakfast, Maybelle Regaspi makes sure everyone feels special at the party she's throwing at a local shelter, which was her home for several months when she escaped an abusive marriage more than a decade ago.

"I felt safe because I had a roof over my head," Regaspi said. "I had beds and the people were very nice to me."

When she got back on her feet, she returned to the shelter and started a ministry. She leads a birthday celebration once a month for residents at one of Samaritan House's shelters in San Mateo County.

"I wanted people to remember that your life matters, that even though you're at the shelter, you deserve to be celebrated," she said.

A recent party celebrated 10 years of Regaspi's ministry. She cooked a hearty breakfast with the help of volunteers from a handful of Bay Area churches, later running bingo games for 60 to 80 residents who showed up. People win gift cards, and there are gift bags for those having a birthday.

Natalie Collins' birthday was honored in the spring, and she reflected on how that made her feel.

"Nice and special," said Collins. "Like everyone counts. It matters."

Longtime volunteers like Mike and Violet Brumm say they feel blessed to serve in Maybelle's monthly ministry..

"How many times do we have the chance to put a smile on someone's face and help them feel special?" said Mike Brumm. "This was a real gift to me." 

"She's someone who doesn't think about herself but thinks of others above herself," Violet Brumm added. 

As an extra gift this month, Regaspi also organized free haircuts and manicures and introduced a special guest over Zoom. Quianna had a heavy heroin addiction when she and Regaspi lived at the shelter years ago. Today, Quianna has turned her life around and is thriving with a family, house, and ministry.

Quinna's story was an inspiration for current shelter residents to keep going whenever life feels hopeless.

"This is not dark. This is just the beginning," Regaspi said.

Regaspi has shared her own story in a book she wrote. "Bounce" details how she bounced back by leaning on her Christian faith and community of support.

As for what her main gift is to the shelter residents: "Just the hope," said Regaspi. "That, okay, this girl came out of the shelter. Just the hope."