PLEASE MEET OUR COMMUNITY:
I felt powerful. But vulnerable and unworthy. Carting 20 boxes of pizza through the bowels of the sprawling homeless encampment. The air stunk. There were disheveled huts, hard times and hunger. The afternoon sun warmed the cold March air as the impoverished aftermath of the Great Society set the table for lady luck. Deliverance, short but sweet. I’ve never known hunger in my life.
People emerged from the wreckage. From obscurity and loneliness. Behind junk and garbage. A man climbed hastily from a treehouse. Danny sat in the mud near spent needles, pathetically fumbling to tie his unmatched shoes, afraid he might miss out. He didn’t. It seemed the happiest day of his life.
It went like this; Me, “Hey- how ‘bout some pizza?” Response, “You’re kidding right? Free?” Pizza power. We all know the feeling, right? Not really. I know I don’t. “God bless you,” they spoke in unison. The recurring chorus rung in my head as I lay in bed at night. The eyes. The faces moving across the screen. Haunting. Hungry. The numbers. I never get used to the numbers. Right here in Seattle.
Seattle’s homeless state of emergency declared in 2015 seems pretty old news anymore. Sadly dismissed to the back pages of the local news even prior to recent events. And now, with the secondary supply chain eviscerated, the delicate infrastructure is further diminished. The once reliable restaurant dumpsters empty. And ironically, today, even the common man must learn what it feels like to be considered unclean. By those he doesn’t know well enough to mistrust. Or to hate.
Anthony’s cool. The scene’s a rerun. A young man standing back, too proud to ask. Too hungry to resist. His expression screams silent satisfaction. Relief from hunger, even if only briefly.
A few days ago, Rex spoke of Egan Orion and his “Food is Love” initiative to support local restaurants while feeding the poor. Facing Homelessness will be engaging with Egan regularly for the foreseeable future, harmonizing Egan’s leadership and talents with the connection Facing Homelessness has with the front lines of Seattle’s forgotten. Special thanks to Egan and Ian’s Pizza at Pine and Broadway for feeding the hungry. You can support “Food is Love” here: https://www.finding-common-ground.org/foodislove
Facing Homelessness has established a special fund to provide food for those experiencing hunger during these difficult times. Please consider giving: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=LWXZ2A5XLXF5G&source=url
Your sacrifice will relieve hunger, I assure you. Let’s make a few hundred faces shine. Like Anthony’s. Warming hearts and souls. Like the sun in March.
Yesler Terrace Neighborhood | Damian
A QUIET THOUGHT - If you're moved by the goodness of this community, please visit http://www.facinghomelessness.org/
and click on the 'donate' button and consider a "monthly recurring" donation of just $5 in support of the work. THANK YOU!
#Kindness #JustSayHello #FacingHomelessness Crosscut KING 5