Mary Lawrence sends this picture and a note from St. Augustine, Florida, where the folks who've benefited from food for the homeless and hungry in park made a point of giving back. She writes:
About 5 months ago, the man who keeps track of the meals reported over 34,000 hot meals served so we are well over 50,000 by now. These groups show up, rain or shine, 365 days a year with home cooked food, utensils and drinks, plates, cups, napkins, all out of pocket. We also have over a dozen local restaurants donating pans of food as well. The homeless set up the chairs and tables. This idea of paying back came strictly from the homeless only subcommittee. They thought of it, planned the menu, solicited donations, pooled their own money and pulled it off for 75 people. All I did was buy the hats, make the sign and transport the things they couldn't. One man, in his 70's, had bike problems that morning so he walked 6 miles to the cookout to work the grill.
I've spent 6 years trying to break the stereotype of the homeless here and taken a lot of heat for it. The homeless subcommittee has met every 2 weeks for almost a year. We've met with local law enforcement to have respectful conversation on how to solve issues, we've met with housing agencies, we've met with (and got) a mobile medical van to come to one of our large servings and screen and refer people for medical problems. There's an outbreak of TB right now in Jacksonville (35 mi up the road) which is sure to trickle down to us so we're planning TB screenings as well. I have constantly been amazed and in awe of the resiliency and creativity of this population. I couldn't live in the woods here with the heat, the mosquitoes, the snakes and the constant fear of being rousted. The fact that our homeless have found their voice and dignity to be in a position to show this kind of gratitude is the kind of thing you want to see in your community.
St. Augustine's food program began as a Food Not Bombs operation and just kept going.
(Increase human happiness: Send us stuff.)
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With all the willful nonsense that goes on day-to-day, it's great to be reminded of man's humanity to man. Great story!
A great story. so many folks literally can not seem to put themselves in the shoes of those who are in dire financial straights, and judge those folks in mean spirited stereotypical ways. Many have just run into bad luck, some made bad choices, some have mental health issues. But almost every homeless person i have known or worked with have good decent hearts who want to give in some way. thanks for pointing it out.
Great idea and soooo creative...and hopeful!
This is soooo inspiring and creative.
There is hope!
I am jealous of that sweet looking BBQ grill.
That is a very heartwarming story, thanks!
FYI you republican A** holes, THESE are the type of disenfranchised voters who don't have ID's!
Sorry but I had to go there.
@L6313, I could not agree with you more. You got it spot on. Thanx for having the guts & heart to speak the truth.
PEACE!
Sadly it was frustration and anger that made me say it, not guts and heart, but thanks.
I just get really tired of people who think there is no such thing as a poor person who doesn't have an ID. Obviously the GOP sheeple think that the no one is so poor that they don't have a residence or a check from the state that they needed an ID to get or cash. I spent a better part of my life poor, so I am well aware of how people can live life without an ID.
I spent several years traveling to FL in late February to camp for the month of March in the Oclala National forest just as cabin fever was starting to set in here in the north. I have met many homeless (alternatively domiciled) people living in the forest over the years. We always brought 10 times as much food as we needed for our 6 week sojourn in the forest. Whenever I cooked I made enough so that anybody who was hungry could stop by and sit down and eat a hot meal. Invariably the folks that joined our camp shared what little they had with us. They taught us northerners how to be safe in the FL woods, they walked our dogs and watched our gear when we would give them rides to town for whatever they needed. Just because they have no roof doesn't mean they have no heart. They are truly good people. One time our camp was robbed and I spoke to some folks about what had happened, within 2 hours all of our stuff had been returned, even the money that went missing. We asked no questions and knew that we were appreciated and loved.
Just beautiful!
Finally something nice happening in Florida. Despite Gov Scott!
It's great to feel hope and see kindness in people again.
Thanks to Laura Conaway, Rachel Maddow and others who allow a story like this to go national and beyond. It truly deserves to be spread worldwide because of the deeply spiritual and political nature of what these homeless people did to give back in St. Augustine. As more and more of us (especially single women with children) lose our jobs, health care, pensions and homes, we still hold on to our dignity. The system can try but seldom succeed to break the human spirit. With six million US foreclosures (including mine) and counting, one wonders when critical mass will be reached for the reclaiming of our economy, our government and our lives.
Hi, My names is Daniel Carter and I am the one who took the photo at the Homeless Appreciation Picnic. Please Credit me with the photograph.
Hi, My name is Daniel Carter and I am the one who took the photo at the Homeless Appreciation Picnic.
Hello, My name is Daniel Carter and I was the one that took this photo please credit me. Thank You. :)
I Ran the homeless input committee that set up the cookout. I was a rewarding experience to be able to give back to those who serve us so well.