By Asia Nail
The Truth Reporter
Nearly 30 years ago, Lisa Canales-Smith made a promise in the middle of a storm. Her newborn daughter, Angel Mia, was fighting for her life, and doctors warned there was little hope. At that moment, time slowed. Fear covered her like a blanket, but Lisa did the one thing she knew to do—pray. She refused to let fear win. Instead, she prayed and clung to her faith. “If you save her, God, I promise, I will spend the rest of my life giving back.”
It was a promise made of love and raw faith.
Minutes later, her daughter, Angel Mia Canales, entered the world fighting for every breath. The doctors were skeptical she would survive. With no oxygen and a host of possible complications, the cards were stacked against her. Yet, Lisa knew differently. She knew she had witnessed a miracle.
Against all odds, Angel Mia survived—healthy, whole, and free of complications.
And Lisa fulfilled her promise.
From One Basket to Hundreds
That November, just weeks after bringing her baby home from the hospital, Lisa Canales-Smith began giving away food baskets to families in need. It began small, a few cans of food here, a turkey there. But what started as one family’s offering grew into Angels Outreach, a nonprofit that has now served Toledo families for three decades.
“We’ve been serving nonstop for 30 years,” Lisa says with pride. “Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter: we’ve never missed a season.”
Picture it, a church fellowship hall filled wall-to-wall with food. Volunteers line up to pack baskets with care—hams, stuffing, pies, and more. Then, something even more amazing happens. Police officers, firefighters, state troopers, and sheriff’s deputies join in, not with sirens and flashing lights, but with open arms and warm smiles.
“The civic leaders put the baskets in their cars and deliver them all over the city,” Lisa explains. “It’s special when families see police and firefighters outside of moments of crisis. They see them as neighbors bringing hope.”
What started at Lisa’s kitchen table has grown into a citywide tradition. Hundreds of families each holiday season now sit down to eat dinner that is delivered by heroes in uniform along with a message of love.
A Ministry in the checkout line
The outreach doesn’t stop at the church. For Lisa and her husband, Rier Smith, the mission has spilled over into everyday life—even in grocery store checkout lines.
“We’ll be in line with eight carts of food, and everyone asks, ‘What are you doing?’ ” Lisa laughs. “That’s my chance to tell my testimony and the story of how it all began.”
Strangers have opened their hearts and pocketbooks time and again. Some fish into their wallets and pass Lisa cash. Some of the people Google Angels Outreach on the spot and give donations. Once, a young man handed Lisa his very last $5. She tried to stop him, but he wouldn’t let her. “Please take it,” he said. “God is asking me to bless you.”
That small gesture had a big impact on Lisa. “I’ve watched that young man ever since and it was beautiful to see how God multiplied that in his life,” she says softly.
“Another time, Lisa’s standing in line at Kroger with enough food for 25 families, but had promised God she would feed 50. She didn’t know how it would happen. Then, a woman she had just met stepped forward and paid for everything in Lisa’s carts. Lisa went back and filled the other 25 baskets. Promise kept.
“It happens every time,” Lisa says in reverence. “God always provides.”
Growing Beyond the Holidays
Today, Angels Outreach does more than holiday baskets. The organization holds a huge December toy drive, giving toys to children via partner organizations. Volunteers also put together “Angel Boxes”— care packages containing socks, gloves, hand warmers, toothpaste, and shampoo — that are hand-delivered to people who are homeless.
“We meet people where they are,” Lisa says. “No judgment. Just love.”
Volunteers have been delivering hot meals to 75 disabled veterans in South Toledo every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, too. That makes for a long day, early morning basket packing, midday deliveries and the afternoon dinner service, but Lisa wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“These men and women have sacrificed so much,” she says. “Serving them is an honor.”
A Daughter’s Legacy
At the heart of Angels Outreach is still the little girl who wasn’t supposed to survive. Today, Angel Mia is a firefighter with the 180th in Holland, Ohio. She’s married to the love of her life, Mike, also a firefighter, and they’re raising two young sons.
She’s also on the Angels Outreach board, though Lisa tells her the organization is not a cross she must bear.
“This was my vow to God, not hers,” Lisa says. “We all have a special assignment.”
But, watching her daughter flourish has brought Lisa more joy than she ever imagined. “She’s living her best life. And to believe there was a time when a doctor said he didn’t know if she would live. God is good.”
The Power of Faith and Community
Looking back, Lisa says she just doesn’t know why her baby survived when so many others don’t. “I can’t give an answer to that, when I meet parents struggling with loss,” she says softly. “But I do know prayer has power. I know that faith triggers miracles.”
For Lisa, faith isn’t complicated. “All God wants is two things, our faith and for us to be in relationship with Him,” she says. “And the rest, He provides.”
It is her belief that everyone has a role in bringing light to the world. It doesn’t have to be big. Sometimes it’s as small as smiling at a stranger.
“You never know,” she observes. “Your smile could stop someone from giving up. Everything we do has a purpose.”
Thirty Years of Angels
As Angels Outreach celebrates its 30th anniversary, Lisa reflects on the highs and lows—the sleepless nights wondering how they’d feed families, the strangers stepping in with miraculous provision, the long days packing food and praying over first responders.
Through it all, one truth stands tall: a promise kept can ripple through generations.
Lisa’s promise to God in a hospital room three decades ago became a lifeline for thousands of families across Toledo. Her story is proof that faith can move mountains, prayer can spark miracles, and ordinary people can become everyday angels.
In Lisa’s eyes, the work is far from done.
“We are never meant to leave this world without turning around to help the next person,” she says. “That’s why I’ll keep serving as long as I can. I’ve learned the best way to honor a blessing is to turn it into one for someone else.”
To learn more or to support Angels Outreach, visit angelsoutreachtoledo.org