Hunger and Homelessness Week

This past week was Hunger and Homelessness here at Lesley University, and as a result Lesley Delivers went on three sandwich runs in a row: Tuesday-Thursday. Collectively we had over 30 people come out and participate in the runs. The reason why I didn’t write a blog for each night is because I wanted to be able to speak about the week as a whole and all the things that were done, discussed, and learned.
This week exposed students and staff alike to issues surrounding poverty and the ways we can make a difference and help to end it. We experienced community through the making sandwiches for Lesley Delivers at the Peanut Butter Jam. It combined music, friends (new and old), the mess of peanut butter and jelly, and facts about hunger and homelessness to create an atmosphere for giving. Last night there was a Faces of Homelessness Panel with speakers from the National Coalition for the Homeless. We were given the chance to hear real life stories from people who had been homeless at one point in their lives, or who were still struggling with it. This made it even more real for us when we went out on the sandwich run.
People who had never been on a run before came out and had experiences that made them want to return. As our groups grew, so did the awareness of what Lesley Delivers does. We are making connections. These people who are sitting in the doorways or hiding under blankets in front of a store are just that – people. They are human beings. We met them up close and personal in the panel, we looked into their eyes as we gave them sandwiches. We learned that it doesn’t take much in these times to become poverty stricken or homeless. I know that I have come to the definite realization that no matter what I have done in my life that could still happen to me. Homelessness is real. It is not a myth or something that happens only to those who don’t care about their lives. The two men and the one woman talking in the panel talked about what they lost and they described it like this: Yes, they lost their house and whatever other material things that put them on the streets or in shelters. However, they lost something else as well – their dignity. They became invisible to people walking by. They didn’t get the curtsy of a smile in the morning, a kind word or acknowledgement. They became something that was feared and ignored.
This is not how it should be. Aside from an overarching search for the end of homelessness, we all need to try to bring them back to humanhood. We need to make them feel that connection again. If someone on the street talks to you, says Good Morning, respond. We all hate being ignored, but imagine if that was your life. Day after day of nothing but mothers pulling their children away from you, looks that go through you, and turned heads when you talk in someone’s direction is enough to break anyone. These people are not part of a door frame, nor are they scum that need to be kicked aside. The day we all learn that and extend a hand or a word is the day this problem will begin to end. Bring awareness and a smile with you every day. Wear kindness on your sleeves and hold caring words on your tongue. This is what Hunger and Homelessness Week has given me. What has it given you?