stone
11th December 2007, 07:26 PM
Today was the 2nd time that i went along with Rick and Vicki to help pass out sandwiches and clothes and many other things to the folks that make their livings pan handling under the bridges here around town.
1st stop, pulled up and saw another group of folks standing around talking to the guys. They were giving out clothing. At 1st i thought they were with us, just left ahead, or were meeting us there or something like that. I saw a man passing out new socks.
Apparently, they went today intentionally at the time the sandwich crew usually drives through to meet us. I met Mike and Rose. There was also another car with two women, but i didn't meet them or speak with them.
I asked Rabbit if they could use any loaves of bread. He said sure, that they could use a loaf or two. I went into the back of the suburban and brought out 4 loaves. As i handed them to him, he said to me that he has a street name for me. The other guys last week had mentioned to me that Rabbit had given them all street names and that they were going to ask him about mine. My street name is now Deliverance. I guess i can live with that. Definately sounds better than barbed wire or scar or something like that ey, which is kinda what i was expecting.
All of the guys were happy to see us. They were all full of smiles and laughter. It is such a blessing to be able to help out and put a smile on someone else's face.
I heard Rose talk about how sad she was to of lost her son in Iraq. I think i understood that she volunteers out there to reach out to other military vets, because there are so many of them living on the streets. I'm going to pray for her, that father will ease her suffering and show her that he is ok.
We did a prayer circle with our new friends Mike and Rose before they took off. Rick and him did a bit of information exchange, i guess they may visit each others congregations?
We had about 150 pounds of clothes this time. Actually, i think it was more than that. It took a little bit of time for them to look through the boxes and find what may or may not fit them. I saw some very nice sweaters.
We did another prayer circle with Rabbit once again leading the prayer before we went to the next stop.
2nd stop, We pulled up and the folks sitting down on the curb were both new guys. We got out and asked if they would like a sandwich and some clothes. We asked if they would go and get the others from the camp and ask them if they would like to come over for a sandwich.
Once again we waited while they went through the boxes of clothes. They did appear hungry and made short work of the sandwiches. I'm thinking we should put something together to try and get them some soda's or drinking water.
At the next stop, Vicki and I got out at the Harley Shop and walked across the street to the corner at the intersection where a man was pan handling. When we crossed the street and stepped over the guard rail onto the other side, the man was walking in the other direction away from us with his sign. When he turned around and saw us, which had to be about 50 feet, he started to run towards us. I think he must of recognized Vicki. She had a big bag full of sandwiches. He sure did look happy to see her.
I pointed out a guy that was sleeping in a corner on the other side of a concrete guard. He must be sleeping only about 3 feet from the tires of vehicles that pass by. If you didn't stand on the other side of the guard, where i was, no one would ever know the man was sleeping right there so close to the road. His street name is Lefty because he doesn't have another hand. I was surprised to see the huge smile on his face when he saw Vicki. He glady took a sandwich. I figured he would of been cranky because she woke him up.
We left from there and walked to the other side of the bridge. Well, we stopped for a moment in the center of the bridge and watched the traffic pass by below us.
When we got back to where Rick was, he was speaking to 3 other men. I introduced myself to them. I offered them some bread but they said that they don't eat bread because they don't have any teeth. Sheldon said he likes to go to the park and feed the birds. Rick gave him a loaf and said the birds gotta eat too. Sheldon went on to tell us about his pet rat. I don't know where he sleeps, but where ever this place is, that he sleeps at, this is where his pet rat lives.
He says that he has a bowl that he puts food in every night for the rat. Nights when he doesn't put food in his bowl, he says the rat keeps him up all night. I was a bit curious to know how the rat keeps him up and was about to hear just that next. He went on to tell us about how the rat will walk all over his chest and i guess just walks all over him whenever he doesn't feed the pet.
At the next stop, the guys said they have plenty of clothes already. They did end up taking some sweaters.
I'm a bit amazed by what happened with Tex. He brought over shoe box and asked if we knew anyone else that could use these items. When he opened the box inside were brand new underwear, tootpaste, a small battery radio, some candy and other bare necessities. He said that he has plenty of these items already and wanted for us to find someone else that needed these things and give them to someone else that really needs them. I was absolutely amazed that he wouldn't want to keep them for himself. I told him that i do know someone that can use them.
I'll be giving it to a 15 year old teenager that i know of that lives in a mobile home that has no electricity, no running water and no food. He and his two sisters have been sleeping at a neighbors house.
Tex said that a woman pulled up to him and gave him the box and said that it comes from New Hope. I don't know who they are, but the kid will appreciate it i'm sure.
When i got back to work i still had about 100 to maybe 200 loaves of every kind of bread there is. Even some with a Kosher stamp. I pulled around to shipping and receiving, opened up the back of my suv and in about 20 minutes it was all gone, except for a few bags of burger buns. I threw those in a box for Rick's chickens.
1st stop, pulled up and saw another group of folks standing around talking to the guys. They were giving out clothing. At 1st i thought they were with us, just left ahead, or were meeting us there or something like that. I saw a man passing out new socks.
Apparently, they went today intentionally at the time the sandwich crew usually drives through to meet us. I met Mike and Rose. There was also another car with two women, but i didn't meet them or speak with them.
I asked Rabbit if they could use any loaves of bread. He said sure, that they could use a loaf or two. I went into the back of the suburban and brought out 4 loaves. As i handed them to him, he said to me that he has a street name for me. The other guys last week had mentioned to me that Rabbit had given them all street names and that they were going to ask him about mine. My street name is now Deliverance. I guess i can live with that. Definately sounds better than barbed wire or scar or something like that ey, which is kinda what i was expecting.
All of the guys were happy to see us. They were all full of smiles and laughter. It is such a blessing to be able to help out and put a smile on someone else's face.
I heard Rose talk about how sad she was to of lost her son in Iraq. I think i understood that she volunteers out there to reach out to other military vets, because there are so many of them living on the streets. I'm going to pray for her, that father will ease her suffering and show her that he is ok.
We did a prayer circle with our new friends Mike and Rose before they took off. Rick and him did a bit of information exchange, i guess they may visit each others congregations?
We had about 150 pounds of clothes this time. Actually, i think it was more than that. It took a little bit of time for them to look through the boxes and find what may or may not fit them. I saw some very nice sweaters.
We did another prayer circle with Rabbit once again leading the prayer before we went to the next stop.
2nd stop, We pulled up and the folks sitting down on the curb were both new guys. We got out and asked if they would like a sandwich and some clothes. We asked if they would go and get the others from the camp and ask them if they would like to come over for a sandwich.
Once again we waited while they went through the boxes of clothes. They did appear hungry and made short work of the sandwiches. I'm thinking we should put something together to try and get them some soda's or drinking water.
At the next stop, Vicki and I got out at the Harley Shop and walked across the street to the corner at the intersection where a man was pan handling. When we crossed the street and stepped over the guard rail onto the other side, the man was walking in the other direction away from us with his sign. When he turned around and saw us, which had to be about 50 feet, he started to run towards us. I think he must of recognized Vicki. She had a big bag full of sandwiches. He sure did look happy to see her.
I pointed out a guy that was sleeping in a corner on the other side of a concrete guard. He must be sleeping only about 3 feet from the tires of vehicles that pass by. If you didn't stand on the other side of the guard, where i was, no one would ever know the man was sleeping right there so close to the road. His street name is Lefty because he doesn't have another hand. I was surprised to see the huge smile on his face when he saw Vicki. He glady took a sandwich. I figured he would of been cranky because she woke him up.
We left from there and walked to the other side of the bridge. Well, we stopped for a moment in the center of the bridge and watched the traffic pass by below us.
When we got back to where Rick was, he was speaking to 3 other men. I introduced myself to them. I offered them some bread but they said that they don't eat bread because they don't have any teeth. Sheldon said he likes to go to the park and feed the birds. Rick gave him a loaf and said the birds gotta eat too. Sheldon went on to tell us about his pet rat. I don't know where he sleeps, but where ever this place is, that he sleeps at, this is where his pet rat lives.
He says that he has a bowl that he puts food in every night for the rat. Nights when he doesn't put food in his bowl, he says the rat keeps him up all night. I was a bit curious to know how the rat keeps him up and was about to hear just that next. He went on to tell us about how the rat will walk all over his chest and i guess just walks all over him whenever he doesn't feed the pet.
At the next stop, the guys said they have plenty of clothes already. They did end up taking some sweaters.
I'm a bit amazed by what happened with Tex. He brought over shoe box and asked if we knew anyone else that could use these items. When he opened the box inside were brand new underwear, tootpaste, a small battery radio, some candy and other bare necessities. He said that he has plenty of these items already and wanted for us to find someone else that needed these things and give them to someone else that really needs them. I was absolutely amazed that he wouldn't want to keep them for himself. I told him that i do know someone that can use them.
I'll be giving it to a 15 year old teenager that i know of that lives in a mobile home that has no electricity, no running water and no food. He and his two sisters have been sleeping at a neighbors house.
Tex said that a woman pulled up to him and gave him the box and said that it comes from New Hope. I don't know who they are, but the kid will appreciate it i'm sure.
When i got back to work i still had about 100 to maybe 200 loaves of every kind of bread there is. Even some with a Kosher stamp. I pulled around to shipping and receiving, opened up the back of my suv and in about 20 minutes it was all gone, except for a few bags of burger buns. I threw those in a box for Rick's chickens.