Happy Monday,
Not a big update today but I will be at the Men's shelter on Tuesday and Friday this week serving breakfast. I'm trying to connect with a few people so I can come back and talk to them about their stories.
Something else dawned on me this morning. Most people like myself have access to food anytime we want. If at home we simply walk to the kitchen and make a meal or a snack or walk up to a store or restaurant while working in the city. We really think nothing of it.
While I'm sure every person at the shelter is enormously grateful for the meals they are given can you imagine what it's like to have food given to you at only at certain places in a city and at certain times? Imagine there is no refrigerator, no power to cook, no place to call home. The panic, the stress, the embarrassment one must feel.
And we think our lives are stressful.
More later this week.
Robert
This reminded me of something someone very close to me once told me (he was homeless for a good portion of his younger years) He said "I used to have to steal lunches at work, it made me sick with shame but having to ASK someone for food was so humiliating and dehumanizing that I would rather run the risk of getting caught or starve. People treat you different when they know you are homeless or hungry, they no longer see you as an equal." For me, this really reminded me that nothing in life is a given and hardship can happen to anyone at anytime.. No one should ever go hungry. Thank you for posting and for all the work you are doing.
ReplyDeleteSo very true Kayday. I just can't imagine how humiliating it must be. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. More updates later this week!
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