Those Without "Stuff"

I began this blog in order to purge my home of all the unnecessary “stuff” I have accumulated over the past 30 years. I have written with a somewhat flippant attitude as I have listed the “stuff” I have pulled out of closets and drawers. I had an experience this morning that made me realize how blessed or lucky I am to have a home and how obscene it is to have so much “stuff”.

In spite of having a cold, I showed up at a soup kitchen at 6:00 a.m. to help administer surveys for the 2009 National Hunger Study. The expression “what an eye opener” is such a hackneyed phrase, but I can’t think of any other way to describe it. My eyes were opened, and I wish everyone’s could be, to the problems of hunger in America. And I say problems with an “s” because lack of food is only one of the issues I saw this morning.

Last evening, at a family dinner (where we enjoyed too much food), upon hearing of my morning plans, my aunt commented that there were no hungry people in United States. I tried to convince her, but she wouldn’t believe me, my reputation as the family’s bleeding-heart-liberal doesn’t always lend me the credibility I desire.

I wish my aunt could have been with me this morning. There are hungry people in America. There are hungry people in our small city. Approximately 200 people were at the soup kitchen this morning. The two gentlemen I interviewed (and they were gentlemen – calling me Ma’am and saying thank you and please) were both homeless; one living in a shelter with his nineteen year old son, and the other living on the streets. One was unemployed; one was working full-time for minimum wage. Both were extremely grateful for a hot breakfast and a place to come in from the cold. After the interviews it occurred to me that I had no idea where our town’s homeless shelters are located. I only had a vague idea that there were some. Now I wonder about the man I met today who lives in one: how long can he stay, is it safe, and are they nice to him there? I do know the area around the downtown library is home to a lot of the “street people”. Now that I have met someone who gave me that location as his residence I wonder about him: how does he stay warm, where does he go to the bathroom, where does he keep his “stuff”, does he have any “stuff”?

I met others this morning. Once they were fed and warm they began asking questions. Questions I didn’t have answers to. Where can I get an i.d., mine was stolen? How can I get help with bus fare? Is anyone giving out clean clothes? Once the most basic need has been met – food, the other problems can be addressed – shelter, transportation, clothing, medical care, hygiene, mental health, education. These problems seem insurmountable to me. To me in my nice warm house with all of my “stuff”. It is truly beyond me to imagine how someone without access to a home, to food, to clean clothing or even a place to bathe can cope with these problems.

I vow to be more mindful of my blessings and to remember those without “stuff”. I am also going to take my aunt on an excursion to the downtown library and show her some of the non-existent hungry people in America.