Martha Templeton, who manages The Artifac Tree thrift shop, knows first hand the stark realities of homelessness. When she was nine years old, her father kicked her, her mother and her siblings out of their home, and they ended up sleeping in the family Pinto for a while.
“It gave me a real sense of compassion for people who have nothing,” Templeton said. “I was there. I know how tough it is to leave everything you have behind. So we never turn anyone away. If you are homeless and show up at Artifac Tree, you won’t go away empty handed.”
Templeton began working on a volunteer basis at the Artifac Tree some 10 years ago when a wrong turn literally dropped her at the door of Malibu’s little thrift shop. Today, she manages the store and a staff of about 10 volunteers.
She spent 18 years working as a preschool teacher, is married to a state parks department superintendent and has three children of her own. But she never forgot her own beginnings. She watched her mother return to school for a degree and end up working for JPL.
“My mom didn’t believe in accepting welfare, so she worked two jobs while I took care of my younger sisters,” Templeton said. “You learn to take care of yourself, but some people need a little extra. We try to give that. Here, it’s all about ‘How can I help you?’”
Templeton credits the Adamson family’s generosity over the years in helping Artifac Tree survive, including giving them their shop space for little or no rental fee at a time when, Templeton said, she knew they could charge a very high rent.
“It doesn’t surprise me we have homeless people here in Malibu,” she said. “They don’t want to live like that, so we do what we can. It’s a God thing.”