A Simple Twist of Fate – By Patterson Shafer
As we reach our first stop in Manhattan we are struck by the number of men, women and children who approach the Midnight Run van for food, clothing and supplies to ease winter’s burden. How did they get here, how did they slip through the safety net? Fact is, it’s not hard.
I have been twice “homeless”, both times after a divorce. I took shelter with parents or friends. Not quite the street, but certainly not home. Mine was an issue of comfort, not survival. In my work with the alcohol and drug addicted, I know many who have been homeless for extended periods and have gone on to rebuild their lives. I know many who are dead.
But most perplexing is the plight of a friend of mine, I’ll call Rhoda. She is a degreed and experienced social worker who for the better part of a year was living in her car. Friends gave shelter during the winter months. But during warmer times, unemployment exhausted and the economy in shambles, she worked for minimum wage, just barely able to buy food for herself and her dog and gas to move her car. Did you know that some Wal-Marts allow you to sleep in your parked car? How could this happen? The good news is that she has since found a good job in her chosen field.
This brings us to the Midnight Run, which is March 17. We already have our limit of participants to go on the run, but we really need volunteers to help sort and label the clothing and make bag dinners.
We need a volunteer to make soup. And several volunteers for meals: each meal should have, in a paper or plastic bag:
- A hearty sandwich (a nice amount of meat, or chicken or tuna salad, etc.), condiment and lettuce (no tomato, too messy!)
- Fruit- e.g. durable like an orange or banana (apples sometimes OK, but hard to bit if one is missing teeth), or a prepackaged fruit cup with a plastic spoon.
- A high protein item, such as a hard-boiled egg or cheese stick snack.
- A Juice box
- A dessert or two – e.g. granola bars, cookies, candy bar, or brownies, etc.
- A couple of napkins
The food should be prepared on the 17th.
All those interested in meeting up to help with sorting clothing between now and then, please email DebbieLav@aol.com . We will set times that are convenient to those willing to help. You can also take clothes home to label. We use masking tape to mark the clothing size so that it’s easy to sort and distribute.
We will need some people to gather at the garage prior to 3/17 in order to organize and decide what we will be taking. We hope many can come to help out.
For those who also want to participate on the run to New York City, we are planning to schedule one more in May or June.
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