Shirley Raines, the social media creator and nonprofit founder known as “Ms. Shirley” for regularly bringing meals and hygiene supplies to people living on the streets, died Wednesday at 58, her organization Beauty 2 The Streetz said. The organization said it had not released the cause of death, adding that it would share additional information if and when it becomes available.
Raines’ work reached millions of viewers on TikTok, where she was seen handing out lunches, shoes and hygiene items and calling people “King” or “Queen” as she greeted them. Beauty 2 The Streetz said she dedicated her life to caring for people experiencing homelessness and described her death as a loss marked by an “immeasurable impact,” citing what it called her advocacy, compassion and commitment to amplifying voices from underserved communities.
Her efforts were especially visible in downtown Los Angeles, where homelessness is concentrated in the neighborhood known as Skid Row, and where makeshift encampments have lined blocks near City Hall. Videos shared by Raines included one posted Monday from inside her car as she distributed lunches to a line of people standing outside her passenger window, and another posted weeks earlier when she handed shoes to a barefoot child waiting for a meal, protecting the child’s feet from cold asphalt.
Raines’ work also carried a personal history shaped by loss. She told CNN in 2021, when she was named the network’s Hero of the Year, that the death of her son as a toddler left her a “very broken woman.” In that same interview, she said, “It’s important you know that broken people are still very much useful,” adding: “I would rather have him back than anything in the world, but I am a mother without a son, and there are a lot of people in the street that are without a mother,” before saying, “And I feel like it’s a fair exchange — I’m here for them.”
Crushow Herring, the art director of the Sidewalk Project, described Raines as both sentimental and protective of the homeless community she served. Herring said he had been receiving calls after her death from people—including Angelenos—who were “shocked” by what happened. He said the work Raines did reflected a mission centered on dignity, saying, “What most people need is just feeling dignity about themselves, because if they look better, they feel better.”
Herring said Raines often gave people on the street positions within her organization, such as roles connected to haircuts or distributions, and that over time participants became part of Beauty 2 The Streetz’s responsibilities. “By the time a year or two goes by, they’re part of the organization — they have responsibility, they have something to look forward to,” Herring said. He also said Raines’ circle of supporters included people he described as motivated, generous and polite to community members.
Melissa Acedera, founder of Polo’s Pantry, said she joined Raines on Saturdays when Beauty 2 The Streetz was first getting started, and that Raines remembered people’s birthdays and took special care to reach transgender and queer people who she said were often on the outskirts of Skid Row. “It’s hard not to think of Shirley when I’m there,” Acedera said.
In recent recognition, Raines was named in 2025 as the NAACP Image Award Winner for Outstanding Social Media Personality. Other social media creators also posted tributes online Wednesday, including Alexis Nikole Nelson, a foraging educator and creator known as “blackforager,” who wrote, “Ms. Shirley was truly the best of us, love incarnate.”