Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Last Run before Summer

This past week we had our last Lesley Delivers run of the semester. We did make it more fun and informative by adding a Sleep Out in the quad. First we all came together and made sandwich bags for the run. We had a larger group this time, therefore we were able to split up into three groups. The run went smoothly and we saw a lot of people out. There were new people in the run that got to experience interacting with the people in Harvard Sq. for the first time. Someone had said that this was a great experience for her because normally after she gets out of work she feels unsafe walking alone because of the stereotypes of what it means to be hungry and/or homeless. She said that because she came on the run that she was able to see them as people and not something that society projects on to them.
After the run we all came back and got ready for a night on the quad. We had blankets on the ground and we had sleeping bags. We wanted to experience a night of being without the basics of a bed and a roof. We also wanted to create awareness within the community. We had signs up so that whenever someone walked by while we were sleeping they would know what we were doing. It made a point that no matter what your age or situation, you could still be hit by homelessness and/or hunger. As we go into the summer and the next semester of school in the fall, we need to remember that. So next time you pass someone by on the street, smile. Acknowledge the fact that we are all human and that every human needs contact. Try and be that little bit of light that can get someone through the day.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Stereotypes

This past week we had a run that was very eventful. We had a big group that came out, which means more and more people are hearing about us and want to get involved!
The main thing that happened that night occurred at the Tannery. Two different groups went there at separate times, and both noticed the police presence. The first group went down and began to talk with the men there. However, an argument broke out between them and they weren’t really paying attention to the group. The argument was about one of the men who was very obviously intoxicated and was trying to push alcohol on others. The men who usually stayed at the Tannery didn’t want him there because he was attracting attention and making them look bad. By the time the group left, a police officer had come over. The second group saw much of the same thing when they went.
We talked about this in the debrief. It was a way of seeing the stereotypes of what it means to be homeless or hungry broken a little. Just because there was one man who was acting in that way, doesn’t mean the others are. In fact, he was shunned by all of the people around him. There is a community there, and they don’t want someone coming in and making their community into something that is negative. They just want to live their lives the best way they can. And the one thing that stuck with me was, even amid the fighting over this man, we still got thank yous and felt the gratitude from the people who did take the sandwiches. We all need to remember to look at people has human beings, not as what society tells us they are supposed to be.