LANSING - With wings on their back and food in their hands, the Homeless Angels grace the streets of Lansing.

“If we’re able to help someone even with a meal, you’ve changed their life, you’ve changed the course of their day," Mike Karl, the founder of the Homeless Angels, says.

Karl knows all about how lives can change — as he was once homeless himself.

“Being out here and feeling how cold it was and being able to be part of it and hold somebody’s hand and say, ‘You know what, it’s OK I’ve been there,' is one of the most important things I ever had to face," Karl says.

Back on his feet, Karl says, he now understands the reasoning behind the time he spent homeless.

“It was because I had to come back out here and I have to show somebody else that it’s OK to come off the streets, it’s OK to cry, it’s OK to be cold," he says. "But it’s OK too to change."

While some have, Karl says he still sees familiar faces.

Karl says he and Chris Pruett, who's known as the "happiest homeless guy in Lansing," used to stay in the same park together, when Karl was homeless.

Karl says Pruett still may be homeless, but he's still smiling. He's also trying to make others smile with his famous signs.

“This, I feel, I’m giving back to people by entertaining them for a little with the signs obviously and the boxes on my head," Pruett says.

He says, while some enjoy it, others won't even look at them.

“People don’t want to see the homeless signs, but it’s like homelessness isn’t going away and neither am I," Pruett says.

And until it does, the Homeless Angels will be flying through the streets of Lansing.

To keep up to date with the Homeless Angels and join their army, visit their "Homeless Angels" page on Facebook.