The Lonely Man on the Corner
Every Monday and Wednesday I stop at the corner of Auraria and Speer on my way home from school. Home to my family, home to a warm bed, a hot dinner and my shelter from the cold. On this corner sits a man. A man who has no home, no place to sleep, and obviously no family to speak of.
He holds a sign "PLEASE HELP IN ANY WAY-GOD BLESS" and implores passers by for a little change, a little food, and a little kindness. Most pass him by, ignoring his existence. They pretend that he does not exist. Anyway, if they were to acknowledge him what would they do? Would they be worried that he might harm them? Would they worry that he might steal from them? Do they simply not want to see what is in front of their face? That there are homeless people, who need our help. Men who can not qualify for welfare if they do not have a family. Men who can not qualify for Medicaid if they do not have a family. Men who can not qualify for foodstamps if they do not have a family. Ignorance is bliss....I admit for a few weeks I kept on driving. I would pass him some change once in a while, however I knew in my heart that it wasn't enough. Until one day I decided to open my window and say "Hello" as I passed him a couple of bucks.
His name is "Jim". He looks like he's about my age. He has a kind face, a lovely voice; a voice that you can tell is educated. Maybe he has a PhD and things just didn't work out for him? Maybe his family is gone, and he had nobody to lean on in his time of need? Maybe he lost his job and couldn't replace it and things just went horribly wrong? All that I know is that it doesn't take much for ANY ONE of us to be in his shoes. Things happen and suddenly you can be on a downward spiral with no means of escape, no matter what you do.
I look at him and think. What if he were my child? What if he were my father? What if he were my brother? Would I help him then? If he meant something to me would I want to make his life a little easier, if only for a moment?
I decided to be pro-active. I copied a brilliant idea that I had gotten from my church. I bought a huge box of canned food with pull tab tops and taped forks and spoons to each one. Chef Boyardee provides them on all of their pastas-spaghettios, spaghetti, ravioli and beefaroni. Del Monte provides cans with them also, so that it's easier to sit and eat without relying on a microwave, a can opener or the kindess of strangers. I began handing out my cans at every chance that I got. At first I handed out one at a time. However, as the weeks have gone by, "Jim" has recruited a few friends to hang out on the usual corner. I find myself handing out extra cans of pasta, and a hot coffee here and there. When I ask them if they would like some food they say, "Oh God bless you! Absolutely!" "Thank you so much!" "You are an angel!" "You are truly wonderful, ma'am."
I can not tell you what this does to my heart. I leave that corner in tears almost every day. I know how thankful that they are. I know how much that they need that 99 cent can of spaghetti, that 50 cent can of applesauce, that 50 cent cup of coffee.
More needs to be done for these people. The population of homeless children is rising. The population of homeless FAMILIES are rising as well. This is America, and yet we still have millions of homeless in this country. Our government needs to stop ignoring these people sitting on their street corners, in terminals, under bridges, in alleyways and in shelters. Where is this help? What is being done?
I want to do what I can to make their lives a bit sunnier, despite the conditions that they're living in; despite their luck; despite the hand that they've been dealt in life. I plan on collecting more food, clothes, blankets and coats from my neighbors to take to the local shelter. I plan on keeping a few of them in the back of my van, so that I can hand them out to Jim and his friends. That corner can be quite cold at night...even in the middle of March.
Homeless
By Frank Williams
Polished imitators claim they know about poverty,
As if they can relate to the pain we feel, the pain we felt, the pain that lives inside,
Dwelling turning into fuel,
Absorbing nature harshness,
Absorbing nature truest characters,
Absorbing the nights darkness,
Hiding from the sun with no where to run,
Cause I'm homeless.
These cats run around in November,
Hollering about the constitutions,
Someone always recollecting that they remember,
Decades later there still isn't any solutions.
Yall wanted to sweep us under the rugs,
The same way you treat criminals and thugs,
Lock us away to ease your conscious,
We're already forgotten so you can't mock us.
Life is hard at time and some of us didn't ask for this,
Tragedies, fires, high cost of rent and being laid off,
All of yall look at me
Because of the dust on my clothes,
Because my breath doesn't smell like yours,
Because my hair ain't straight,
You're the ones prejudice who doesn't have his head on straight.
Every four years you seem to know my pains,
Every four years you use us for your campaigns,
After it's all said and done,
You're the only one, who won,
I'm still homeless.
http://www.freedonation.com/homeless/homeless_stats.php3
http://www.nlchp.org/
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/
He holds a sign "PLEASE HELP IN ANY WAY-GOD BLESS" and implores passers by for a little change, a little food, and a little kindness. Most pass him by, ignoring his existence. They pretend that he does not exist. Anyway, if they were to acknowledge him what would they do? Would they be worried that he might harm them? Would they worry that he might steal from them? Do they simply not want to see what is in front of their face? That there are homeless people, who need our help. Men who can not qualify for welfare if they do not have a family. Men who can not qualify for Medicaid if they do not have a family. Men who can not qualify for foodstamps if they do not have a family. Ignorance is bliss....I admit for a few weeks I kept on driving. I would pass him some change once in a while, however I knew in my heart that it wasn't enough. Until one day I decided to open my window and say "Hello" as I passed him a couple of bucks.
His name is "Jim". He looks like he's about my age. He has a kind face, a lovely voice; a voice that you can tell is educated. Maybe he has a PhD and things just didn't work out for him? Maybe his family is gone, and he had nobody to lean on in his time of need? Maybe he lost his job and couldn't replace it and things just went horribly wrong? All that I know is that it doesn't take much for ANY ONE of us to be in his shoes. Things happen and suddenly you can be on a downward spiral with no means of escape, no matter what you do.
I look at him and think. What if he were my child? What if he were my father? What if he were my brother? Would I help him then? If he meant something to me would I want to make his life a little easier, if only for a moment?
I decided to be pro-active. I copied a brilliant idea that I had gotten from my church. I bought a huge box of canned food with pull tab tops and taped forks and spoons to each one. Chef Boyardee provides them on all of their pastas-spaghettios, spaghetti, ravioli and beefaroni. Del Monte provides cans with them also, so that it's easier to sit and eat without relying on a microwave, a can opener or the kindess of strangers. I began handing out my cans at every chance that I got. At first I handed out one at a time. However, as the weeks have gone by, "Jim" has recruited a few friends to hang out on the usual corner. I find myself handing out extra cans of pasta, and a hot coffee here and there. When I ask them if they would like some food they say, "Oh God bless you! Absolutely!" "Thank you so much!" "You are an angel!" "You are truly wonderful, ma'am."
I can not tell you what this does to my heart. I leave that corner in tears almost every day. I know how thankful that they are. I know how much that they need that 99 cent can of spaghetti, that 50 cent can of applesauce, that 50 cent cup of coffee.
More needs to be done for these people. The population of homeless children is rising. The population of homeless FAMILIES are rising as well. This is America, and yet we still have millions of homeless in this country. Our government needs to stop ignoring these people sitting on their street corners, in terminals, under bridges, in alleyways and in shelters. Where is this help? What is being done?
I want to do what I can to make their lives a bit sunnier, despite the conditions that they're living in; despite their luck; despite the hand that they've been dealt in life. I plan on collecting more food, clothes, blankets and coats from my neighbors to take to the local shelter. I plan on keeping a few of them in the back of my van, so that I can hand them out to Jim and his friends. That corner can be quite cold at night...even in the middle of March.
Homeless
By Frank Williams
Polished imitators claim they know about poverty,
As if they can relate to the pain we feel, the pain we felt, the pain that lives inside,
Dwelling turning into fuel,
Absorbing nature harshness,
Absorbing nature truest characters,
Absorbing the nights darkness,
Hiding from the sun with no where to run,
Cause I'm homeless.
These cats run around in November,
Hollering about the constitutions,
Someone always recollecting that they remember,
Decades later there still isn't any solutions.
Yall wanted to sweep us under the rugs,
The same way you treat criminals and thugs,
Lock us away to ease your conscious,
We're already forgotten so you can't mock us.
Life is hard at time and some of us didn't ask for this,
Tragedies, fires, high cost of rent and being laid off,
All of yall look at me
Because of the dust on my clothes,
Because my breath doesn't smell like yours,
Because my hair ain't straight,
You're the ones prejudice who doesn't have his head on straight.
Every four years you seem to know my pains,
Every four years you use us for your campaigns,
After it's all said and done,
You're the only one, who won,
I'm still homeless.
http://www.freedonation.com/homeless/homeless_stats.php3
http://www.nlchp.org/
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/