Wow!
Rarely do I sit down to type and not know where to begin. On the other hand, it's very often that I start writing and not know when to quit. I guess I will start by saying that today was a meaningful day.
Our group started the day at The Salvation Army in San Francisco. The other group went to Project Open Hand. Our introduction to the Salvation Army was to go through rows and rows of clothing racks to have space between the hangers. Larry, our contact, said that he wanted the people who were getting the clothes to have as much of a store experience as possible. He is interested in having the people they serve have the dignity they deserve. Following this we were given the task to remove all the tags from boxes of clothes that were donated and separate them into hangers. We processed eighteen large boxes of clothes in a relatively short period of time. As we cleaned up the tags and finished putting the last box on hangers Larry announced that there were typically fifty pieces of clothing in each box so we had just processed nine hundred articles of clothing! He didn't say what a typical group of volunteers processed but he did say he was impressed. They rely almost entirely on volunteers having only three employees in the entire warehouse.
Our second half of the day was a challenge. We walked around observing the people and the activity of the city for four and a half hours. We focused our time by imagining what it would be like to be a homeless teen. We tried to imagine what it might be like for us if we were really homeless. We were given two dollars each, a boundary encompassing the entire Tenderloin district, and instructions to feed ourselves and others. My first thought was, ok...how much do we really get? The kids' first thought seemed to be...talk to others?? They were a little apprehensive at first, to say the least. As leaders, we stayed back and allowed the kids to determine their course of action. They decided to find the most food for the least amount of money and to do this they went to the YMCA in the heart of the Tenderloin. They directed us to places that would feed us for free but the last thing we wanted to do was take food out of the hands of people who really needed it to help us pretend to be homeless. They had obviously misunderstood our goal and went on to say that there weren't any places that sold food within our geographical boundaries. We were skeptical but left. About two blocks away from the YMCA we found a store where we were able to buy mustard, mayo, a loaf of bread, salami, water, and cups. It wasn't until we sat on the grass to make the sandwiches that we figured out that there wasn't an easy way to spread the mayo on the bread. Lauren suggested that we break a plastic cup and use the pieces to do the job. It did the job and the kids learned a bit about being resourceful.
We all ate our half sandwiches in a little picnic lunch in the park by City Hall and then the kids ventured out to offer sandwiches to those who looked like they were in need. The only mishap (if you want to call it that) was that they offered a sandwich to someone who did not need it, and he said no in an unpleasant manner. Undeterred, we moved on and eventually gave away about a dozen sandwiches to people who did appreciate them. We ended up with a slice bread left over and, minus the meat, it didn't have much appeal. When people came to us asking for change we explained that we didn't have any since we had used it buy food but offered the last slice of bread...no takers.
It was while we were giving away sandwiches that Dylan and I met Bob and Tease (not their real names). I would say that this was my most meaningful experience thus far. It started simply with just two guys on a bench accepting our sandwiches. We explained that we were out trying to help people and find out the challenges that the homeless face. Bob was more than willing to help. He explained that there were challenges to be overcome and responsibilities to be met when you make the choice to be homeless. He and Tease made the choice to live on the streets because it was too expensive to have an apartment and eat. We talked about the responsibilities of cleaning up after yourself and keeping your things in order so that you would be comfortable...or as comfortable as you can be. He talked about needing to take care of his health also. Just last year he had a problem with his kidneys since he wasn't able to find a restroom as often as he should, but he is doing better now.
When I asked him what he would do if he were the mayor he didn't know. He said that there was a liaison in the government who was supposed to be for the homeless but didn't seem to be helping very much. He described a situation at the park where, for many nights in a row, they could sleep on the lawn and not be bothered. Then, without warning, "they" would come with hoses to get everyone to vacate. He said that he usually stayed under a bridge. I asked about a sense of community among the people gathered and he said there was some...to some extent. He also said that he had never been beaten up so much as when he decided to be homeless.
We talked for about twenty minutes and I found out that he and I have similar tastes in books. I don't know why that surprised me, but it did. I suppose I thought they wouldn't have much time to read for pleasure. We didn't really talk about how he came to be homeless but I think he would have shared with me if I had asked. He did say that he "started [being homeless] late in life" and he pointed to the gray on his chin. Tease was the quieter of the two. His situation was a little different in that he was on disability due to an illness. He explained that it was difficult to be homeless because of a lack of relationships.
We learned on our tour that there were about eight or nine hundred shelter beds available each night. Approximately sixty of them go unused per night due varying circumstances. Now, Bob said there was an influx of new homeless who were moving here from other places where they were also homeless. He said that the ease of getting services here in the city was what was making people want to move here. It was obvious as we walked around the city that the homeless were not welcome. The cement under store awnings had large rocks embedded in them. Flat places where people might sit or lie down have metal spikes in them. The only benches in the park were in the playground which had signs that said, "You may only enter if you are accompanied by a child."
I thanked him for talking to me and he thanked me for not being afraid of him. I shook their hands and we walked on. The encounter changed their lives in that they may be a little less hungry for a while. The experience changed us in ways that I am sure we cannot fully appreciate now.
Rarely do I sit down to type and not know where to begin. On the other hand, it's very often that I start writing and not know when to quit. I guess I will start by saying that today was a meaningful day.
Our group started the day at The Salvation Army in San Francisco. The other group went to Project Open Hand. Our introduction to the Salvation Army was to go through rows and rows of clothing racks to have space between the hangers. Larry, our contact, said that he wanted the people who were getting the clothes to have as much of a store experience as possible. He is interested in having the people they serve have the dignity they deserve. Following this we were given the task to remove all the tags from boxes of clothes that were donated and separate them into hangers. We processed eighteen large boxes of clothes in a relatively short period of time. As we cleaned up the tags and finished putting the last box on hangers Larry announced that there were typically fifty pieces of clothing in each box so we had just processed nine hundred articles of clothing! He didn't say what a typical group of volunteers processed but he did say he was impressed. They rely almost entirely on volunteers having only three employees in the entire warehouse.
Our second half of the day was a challenge. We walked around observing the people and the activity of the city for four and a half hours. We focused our time by imagining what it would be like to be a homeless teen. We tried to imagine what it might be like for us if we were really homeless. We were given two dollars each, a boundary encompassing the entire Tenderloin district, and instructions to feed ourselves and others. My first thought was, ok...how much do we really get? The kids' first thought seemed to be...talk to others?? They were a little apprehensive at first, to say the least. As leaders, we stayed back and allowed the kids to determine their course of action. They decided to find the most food for the least amount of money and to do this they went to the YMCA in the heart of the Tenderloin. They directed us to places that would feed us for free but the last thing we wanted to do was take food out of the hands of people who really needed it to help us pretend to be homeless. They had obviously misunderstood our goal and went on to say that there weren't any places that sold food within our geographical boundaries. We were skeptical but left. About two blocks away from the YMCA we found a store where we were able to buy mustard, mayo, a loaf of bread, salami, water, and cups. It wasn't until we sat on the grass to make the sandwiches that we figured out that there wasn't an easy way to spread the mayo on the bread. Lauren suggested that we break a plastic cup and use the pieces to do the job. It did the job and the kids learned a bit about being resourceful.
We all ate our half sandwiches in a little picnic lunch in the park by City Hall and then the kids ventured out to offer sandwiches to those who looked like they were in need. The only mishap (if you want to call it that) was that they offered a sandwich to someone who did not need it, and he said no in an unpleasant manner. Undeterred, we moved on and eventually gave away about a dozen sandwiches to people who did appreciate them. We ended up with a slice bread left over and, minus the meat, it didn't have much appeal. When people came to us asking for change we explained that we didn't have any since we had used it buy food but offered the last slice of bread...no takers.
It was while we were giving away sandwiches that Dylan and I met Bob and Tease (not their real names). I would say that this was my most meaningful experience thus far. It started simply with just two guys on a bench accepting our sandwiches. We explained that we were out trying to help people and find out the challenges that the homeless face. Bob was more than willing to help. He explained that there were challenges to be overcome and responsibilities to be met when you make the choice to be homeless. He and Tease made the choice to live on the streets because it was too expensive to have an apartment and eat. We talked about the responsibilities of cleaning up after yourself and keeping your things in order so that you would be comfortable...or as comfortable as you can be. He talked about needing to take care of his health also. Just last year he had a problem with his kidneys since he wasn't able to find a restroom as often as he should, but he is doing better now.
When I asked him what he would do if he were the mayor he didn't know. He said that there was a liaison in the government who was supposed to be for the homeless but didn't seem to be helping very much. He described a situation at the park where, for many nights in a row, they could sleep on the lawn and not be bothered. Then, without warning, "they" would come with hoses to get everyone to vacate. He said that he usually stayed under a bridge. I asked about a sense of community among the people gathered and he said there was some...to some extent. He also said that he had never been beaten up so much as when he decided to be homeless.
We talked for about twenty minutes and I found out that he and I have similar tastes in books. I don't know why that surprised me, but it did. I suppose I thought they wouldn't have much time to read for pleasure. We didn't really talk about how he came to be homeless but I think he would have shared with me if I had asked. He did say that he "started [being homeless] late in life" and he pointed to the gray on his chin. Tease was the quieter of the two. His situation was a little different in that he was on disability due to an illness. He explained that it was difficult to be homeless because of a lack of relationships.
We learned on our tour that there were about eight or nine hundred shelter beds available each night. Approximately sixty of them go unused per night due varying circumstances. Now, Bob said there was an influx of new homeless who were moving here from other places where they were also homeless. He said that the ease of getting services here in the city was what was making people want to move here. It was obvious as we walked around the city that the homeless were not welcome. The cement under store awnings had large rocks embedded in them. Flat places where people might sit or lie down have metal spikes in them. The only benches in the park were in the playground which had signs that said, "You may only enter if you are accompanied by a child."
I thanked him for talking to me and he thanked me for not being afraid of him. I shook their hands and we walked on. The encounter changed their lives in that they may be a little less hungry for a while. The experience changed us in ways that I am sure we cannot fully appreciate now.
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