Feed the homeless

During a bout of insomnia last night, I found myself unable to fall asleep despite being severely fatigued. Anyway, while I was tossing and turning, I suddenly had an idea. I asked myself, ‘What could you do that would benefit others at Christmas?’

Last night, I went out with three of my close girl friends and we had dinner at a Japanese restaurant called Poporo, whose menu features predominantly Western foods. I desired something light and wanted to play it safe so I ordered a salad – chicken schnitzel with garden salad topped with balsamic-olive vinaigrette dressing. Strangely enough, it was filling. Very palatable too. It cost me $7.90 which is expensive for a salad but given the amount of chicken the salad contains, it’s worth it.

Anyway, I want to order twenty of these salads for takeaway so they’re packaged into containers beforehand, along with twenty 500ml water bottles, twenty sandwiches and perhaps twenty boxes of Lindt Lindor chocolates in various flavours. After everything is packaged securely, I will then distribute them to twenty homeless people on Christmas Eve. There is an abundance of homeless, destitute people lying on the park benches and streets of the city, and twenty packages of food is not almost enough to feed every homeless person but it’s a start, right? I desperately wish I could buy many more but I think twenty packages alone would cost me over $350. I don’t have a job at the moment as I’m tied down with my studies so I doubt I’ll be able to do this for Christmas ‘08 but I wanted to write this down so I have it on record for Christmas ‘09. Perhaps, by December 2009, I will have accumulated over $1000 for this goal and will be able to assemble many more packages!!

These people deserve a good Christmas meal! I know I could significantly lessen the expenses by purchasing cheaper food but I’d love for them to be able to have at least one quality meal on this special day. I could make the food myself but unfortunately, my culinary skills leave much to be desired.

At almost every major intersection in my town there is someone holding up a sign asking for help- “disabled vet, anything helps, god bless”, one man had a really bad leg injury that didn’t heal correctly and so he struggles to walk, but he still walks-back and forth on the divider and if someone offers some spare cash he tries his best to come as quickly as he can to not be an inconveniece to someone offering help.

It angers me and truly breaks my heart that many condemn these people, yelling at them to just “get a job” and quit freeloading, or others just don’t care because it’s not their problem. I want to stop being one of those people who really want to help, but finds some excuse to not do so. I don’t want to care about what the person in the car next to me or behind me thinks, I don’t want to care about making myself look like a better person.

These people are humans, and we can’t judge by mere appearances, we can’t judge at all-who are we to say that their lives are of less value just because they don’t have a home, a job, or something to eat, or they’re a disabled vet, or have a medical condition, or maybe they’ve just made some decisions that weren’t helpful. Whatever it may be, they are still humans, with hearts, and they need to know that they matter, its not hard to spare a couple bucks. I want to break bread and have a conversation with one of those people I see at the intersections, they’re not just some deed, they’re people who deserve a positive connection with others as well.

“Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:12-14

[sigh] that was my rant and my reason for my first goal.

08.02.2008

I did it! We were coming around the back way to the Food 4 Less parking lot and I see this man looking through a dumpster. We walked through the deli section and I knew I had to go get him something to eat, after all I was only buying marshmallows and cake frosting for all the sugary stuff me and my nephews were going to make. I picked him up a pack of those pre made sub sandwiches.

After we paid, I saw the man sitting on a bench smoking a cigarette just kind of pacing. I hesitated at first seeing that he was just looking at the ground, and plus some guy was in his car right in front of the man.

But I just walked up to him and said ” sir, would you like these sandwiches?” and I guess at first he didn’t know I was talking to him and when he looked up and saw me he asked ” you don’t want em?” and in my mind I’m like “I want you to have these!”. I tell him “yea, they’re all yours” and I look him in the eye and-MAN YOU JUST HAD TO BE THERE, that look in his eyes were just like…ah! I knew he was really looking for something to eat earlier, and I felt like I just made his day easier, as if he had given up on finding food for the day.

It was freaking beautiful. Just to have that connection with someone, and to show them that they matter and that they are loved no matter who they are. I can’t get over it. I have to do it again. I encourage everyone to just do something with their time and money and use it to just share love with someone else.

I volunteered through my church to feed the homeless breakfast. It was very rewarding, and they were very grateful.

I started doing this as a young child with my family through a local church. Every Tuesday we would make a bunch of manwich and go feed people transitioning from the psych ward at a local hospital to outside life. That’s exactly where lots of homelessness begins, so the idea is to prevent it.

Now, I keep water to give away. I realized quickly that granola bars are no good if you can’t chew, and stopped giving them away. One night I was visiting a house full of my friends in a downtown neighborhood, and there was a knock on the door. A man asking about the red car on the street, and I immediately assumed it had been hit. No, the man had recognized my car and needed help badly. We gave him a little to eat and drink before sending him on. I still get a hard time for being recognized like that, but frequently people who are begging just stop to ask for water now when they are truly thirsty.

A better use of my 10 bucks than bowling or a movie, and far more rewarding. It’s all in how you see it.

I don’t believe people should ever be too busy (or harbor any other excuse) to feed the homeless people they pass by on a daily basis.

you feel so accomplished and you are gonna wanna do it again

http://motorhomemissionaries.blogspot.com

Check out our story…and say a prayer for us!

We are a family of four that are setting out on an adventure of a lifetime. We’re currently liquidating our belongings to fund our mission…so please give us a shout of support or encouragement and also, perhaps there is a treasure on our page for you!

yesterday after service, the fishes and loves ministry went out to where most of our county’s homeless people gather and served a full meal and bottled water/tea, to all who came. When we ran out we loded them with what was left! I have to say that this was an experiance that will never be forgotten. Regardless of how they became homless they were just people with empty belly’s. I can read people and I did not see one person proud to be homeless. They were scared, hungry but most of all very gratefull. We also passed out blankets and clothes. Ya know being there was so humbling you dont realize this but most of us make bad choices when it comes to money. we are all just a few pay checks away from poverty. What then, will people look at us and say oh well they choose to live that way. How is one to know what the outcome of his/her choice. think of it this way when you rolled your fist joint, or tryed acid for the first time, or even smoked your fist ciggerette did you think oh I could end up homeless one day if I’m not carefull. I’m pretty sure the thought never crossed your mind. How many of us made awesome choices while on drugs? I belive that most homeless people are stuck in a rutt and are affraid to make another bad choice. None of them trust anybody. Before you give your opionion about the people on the street make an effort to reach out to one of them first!

My story is here…
http://mulcie.diaryland.com/banana.html

I volenteer at my church. we put together over 100 bags of groseries once a month and hold a short service for anyone who comes. we also do a christmas food give away, where we give away toys too the children. this year we did 200 bags and no child went without a gift.