Animals

Sorry for such a late post!

Last week on our run we came across a group in the pit. Upon handing them sandwiches, one man stated “oh someone is here to feed the animals”. The group ignored the comment. He then said “thanks, we are just the outcasts of society here.” This idea of being social outcasts is a common thought among the homeless. Each day thousands of people pass the homeless deliberately trying to ignore them. This feeling of being ignored and negative stigmas can make anyone, who is down on their luck, feel like an outcast of society. At Lesley Delivers, we try not to pity others so after he said this, we felt a bit awkward. I tried to stay positive and said “well, you’re not outcasts to us”.

Among the group there was also a woman with a dog. I offered the dog a sandwich as well. She told me that the dog has extreme allergies and cannot eat any grain. My dog has the same condition so I immediately felt a connection. She continued to tell me how her dog easily gets sick and needs to go to the vet about once a month. Knowing how expensive vet bills are, it amazes me that someone who is struggling to feed and house herself, will make the effort to take care of a sick dog. Many people often characterize the homeless as selfish and lazy; however this is far from the truth. Every time I go on a Lesley Delivers run, I learn about selflessness and good-hearts of the homeless. This woman breaks all stereotypes and I have great respect for her ability to continue to care about others (even dogs) throughout personal challenges.

~Claire

We Are All Still People

Hello everyone!

This week for Lesley Delivers I went on the route that goes by The Tannery. We saw a few familiar faces or spots with familiar boxes and some new ones. There was one person who was kind of hidden behind a pole in a spot across from the t entrance that is accessible and has an elevator. Luckily someone in our group spotted the person, so we went over to offer him a sandwich. The person had appeared to sleeping but as soon as someone put a sandwich down beside him his head snapped up. He seemed surprised we were offering him a sandwich, and grateful too. We were also able to give him a hat, which was awesome. We saw another person who remembered us from the week before. I was glad that he got to see that we do give sandwiches out regularly.

During the reflection, the other run shared an experience they had when giving out a hat. When they offered a woman her choice of a hat she began trying on the different ones, posing, and asking how they looked. I think that this is a great example of how even though someone may be homeless, they are still people just like this. I am sure most of us pose with a new piece of clothing when we get it, wondering if it looks good, just like this woman.

Ginny

A Grateful Community

Even in the midst of midterms, we still had about 12 students show up to help deliver sandwiches. Everyone who came on Tuesday had been on Lesley Delivers previously, so it was more laid back than usual, and I personally felt more comfortable. Last week's run was tough, having to keep the boundaries between us and those who we were serving, but this week it was different. We had a videographer join us to tape our making sandwiches and walking to and from Harvard Square. We made sure that we kept confidentiality by not filming anyone we were serving. I took my group through the pit, and we ran into a man sitting against a building. Bree asked him if he wanted a sandwich, but he said no. When this happens, we just tell them to have a good night and move on, so that's exactly what we did. We re-offered it to him on our way back, as we didn't see anyone down by Au Bon Pain. He said no thanks again, but he was extremely grateful for the offer. That gets me sometimes, that even the people who refuse still have so much gratitude for what we are doing. We then took a little detour and ran into a bunch of guys sitting in front of a bank. One young man shook each and every one of our hands and said, "My name's Joseph." I told him to stay warm, as he was only wearing a sweatshirt, and he asked me where we were from. I said that we go to Lesley, and he started rambling about how it is such a great place. As I was talking to him, some others in the group were talking to his friends who were sitting on the ground. His friends were asking the group specific names, asking if they knew them as students at Lesley. It's wonderful to see the community that Lesley is in, and to know that we are not the only ones helping. During our debrief, I learned that when Lesley was re-building the library, some members on the board wanted to put little alcoves on the outside architecture for the homeless to have a place to stay at night. The library is currently alcove-free, but it's nice to see that people in the community recognize that those who are homeless are also a part of our community.

Spring break is next week, so we will not be running Lesley Delivers, BUT... the week after is Hunger & Homelessness Week! During this week (March 19th-23rd) we will be holding Lesley Delivers Monday through Thursday night with a Hunger Banquet on Friday. Keep your eyes open for posters and emails, as they will contain more information. Thanks to everyone who came out on Tuesday, love & hugs to all! Have a safe, happy and helpful Spring Break! :)

~Theresa

Another Awesome Run

For our run last Tuesday we had a fairly large group of people show up (I think about 13 or 14). I was pleasantly surprised because our last few runs had been quite small groups, which is understandable with midterms quickly approaching.

I went on the route that goes by the pit (the area by t entrance with the newsstand next to it). We stopped to hand out sandwiches, and one of the females began asking some questions. I had been giving out sandwiches to other people at the time so I wasn't close enough to hear what she was saying but found out afterwards that she had wanted to know what school we were from. She had also shared that she knew someone who goes to Lesley. I think she shared more details but the people who had been talking to her didn't feel comfortable repeating what she had said because it was personal, and she hadn't wanted it to be repeated. While I'm glad that she felt comfortable enough with the two people she opened to, she also tested the boundary of when we need to end the conversation. When speaking with those two people, she asked one if she lived on campus, or if it was one she would know. The people talking to her didn't share any information with her, but recognized it was time to continue on with our route.

On the way back, we still had sandwiches so we stopped by the pit again. The woman was still there, and this time we stayed together and offered her another sandwich. She looked at everyone who she hadn't talked to earlier, mentioning that she knew someone at Lesley but couldn't say more. Then she turned to the people who she told more, saying something about them understanding why she couldn't tell us more. The conversation then shifted, and she asked where people were originally from. She seemed to want more of an answer then our vague responses of being from Massachusetts. To prevent the conversation from getting more personal, we said our good nights and headed back.

I'm always glad when people felt comfortable enough, or trust us enough to share a bit of their story with us but it's always difficult to recognize how much information is too much, and what the best way to gently leave the conversation.

Ginny

Gratitude

Oprah Winfrey once said "If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough".

I believe this quote is something that needs to be taken to heart to more people in the world. Lesley Delivers gives me that awareness every week when we go out. It should never be about what we don't have, but being grateful for what we do! This week we had a rather small group, and on the route I took we didn't run into many people, which is always something to be happy about. I always hope that if we don't see anyone then they are somewhere much safer than on the streets. After we had done our route, we went over to the pit to see if we could give out our extra sandwiches. We came across a large group of young people who were all wrapped up in blankets, huddling under an overhang trying not to get wet. We gave out a lot of our extra sandwiches, as well as lots of socks. What really has stuck with me is one of the boys. He came up to us and said, "I'm Robo the Hobo, I like to drink Robitussin and wander the streets." Being part of Lesley Delivers, it's not our place to judge or pity, but it just really made me wonder what had happened for him to get to this point. He must have only been a little older than me, and that's what really struck home for me. He wasn't sad or angry, he didn't seem like he was mad at his situation at all. He was extremely friendly, and when we were giving him socks he just kept saying how we made him very happy, and that we were his friends, and he was grateful for what we have given him. He wasn't focusing on what he didn't have, but rather the things that he did have, and the things that we could give to him. It really makes me wonder if everything was taken away from me, would I be content with what I had, or would I be bitter about what I didn't? Ever since I started coming to Lesley Delivers, I've learned to be more and more grateful for what I have, rather than what I don't.

Thank you to all of you who came out last week, and can't wait to see your beautiful faces next week !

-Brianna

An Educational Encounter

Last Tuesday night our small Lesley Delivers group had an “interesting” encounter. We had offered a sandwich, coat and socks to a man who seemed new to the Harvard Square area. Upon acceptance of these items, he began to have a conversation with us. The conversation brought up some very interesting social concerns. He began the conversation discussing how the food at shelters was decreasing in quality but the decrease was masked by the vegetarian option. He brought up the point that when someone is homeless, he or she does not have the luxury to be vegetarian. One thing that he mentioned was that “no mental illnesses have ever been proven”. During reflection we discussed that he said this because he may had been dealing with mental illness. Mental illness is a controversial topic when discussing the homeless. Researchers have proven a correlation between mental illness and homelessness, but none have discovered which causes which. The homeless may be homeless because of mental illness; however, homelessness is a traumatic experience that may cause mental illness.

As he began to speak more, we became a little more concerned. He stated “did you know that you can get charged for third degree sexual assault by just looking at a young woman?” We questioned his motivation for saying this. A few members felt unnerved by this. He started to talk about how the people who work at the shelters were against the homeless and would get them arrested for no reason. He said that he had been convicted a couple times before. When one of the members of our group apologized, he responded with “would you say sorry to starving children in Africa?” On that note we decided to leave. This was a sticky situation for us. As members of Lesley Delivers we try to be as nonjudgmental as possible; however, we also need to be concerned for our safety. It is hard to balance this at Lesley Delivers but this is the main reason why we stay in groups and stay on well-lit routes. Overall it was a very educational experience to have it reminded us of the wide range of perspectives that exist.

~Claire

Welcome Back!

Thank you so much to everyone who came out last night on the first run of spring semester! I know it was a bit chilly, but we really helped a lot of people out. To start off, I'd like to introduce myself as the new co-president of Lesley Delivers, as Emay is in South Africa! I am looking forward to the responsibilities coming my way over the semester, and will do everything in my power to keep things running smoothly :)

Last night, we had a group of 21 students who joined us, which is quite a few! We split up into two groups, and I took my group over to the pit. Approaching the pit, I was immediately aware of the commotion: a group of people (who we have seen around before) were playing baseball with a large traffic cone and a milk crate. Yes, a milk crate. To avoid any injuries, we passed them in hopes that they would be done when we came back. We continued with the normal route, though we didn't see anyone else. On our way back to the pit, the group had moved on to throwing a concrete ring around the cone. Me and a few of the other people in my group approached them, offering sandwiches and coats. They were all so incredibly grateful, and that's what gets me every time. Though they were being loud and rambunctious, they still very much appreciated us giving them food and jackets. And that's the reason why I do Lesley Delivers. The fact that we can make someone's night by giving them a smile and a sandwich really makes me feel so wonderful. I know that the rest of the semester, as well as my two remaining years, will be just as fulfilling every time I go out there.

I just want to thank everyone again for coming out last night. You made my first run as co-president a wonderful one, and I hope to see you again soon! Ashley and I have big plans for where Lesley Delivers is going, in collaboration and events. We will definitely keep you updated with everything we have in mind, and hope you join us again!

~Theresa