Early Thanksgiving

A few days ago, I saw a FB post from our local sandwich shop. They planned on taking sandwiches to the homeless this afternoon and they asked for additional volunteers. I thought, "Sure, why not?" So after lunch today, I filled up a backpack with baggies of dog food and headed to the shop. The shopkeepers are lovely people, and thirty simple sandwiches later, we headed to the underpass of the Jefferson Street Bridge. The sun shone and I patted myself on the back for helping those less fortunate than most.

Today happened to be "shower day." Minutes after we arrived at the empty parking lot, it filled with people and activity. A huge truck pulled up with portable showers. Two young girls, not quite in their teens, assisted their family by ordering strangers around with more skill than a battlefield general. Clean towels, bars of soap, and toothbrushes were handed out to those on the list for hot showers. People appeared from tents, cars, and under tarps. Our sandwiches - and the dog food - vanished in five minutes.

Someone else drove up with donuts and coffee, both of which were gone faster than the sandwiches. Cheese and peanut butter crackers came next and were eaten in a flash. No one took the food or coffee and left with it - everything was consumed right there as if no one wanted to risk waiting an additional five minutes to eat.

I did not see one cellphone. No one asked me my name or introduced themselves to me. No one cared where I worked, what I drove, or whether I voted red or blue. Some people met my eyes, others did not. Everyone was polite. I had thought I would feel good about myself when I left, but instead I felt unsettled. I should have brought more dog food, blankets, something.

Do I do enough to help others? Probably not. The reasons for homelessness go beyond politics, religion, or any simple explanation I can put in writing. I hope my experience today will make me more open to helping others in the future. Maybe tomorrow when you and I go into work and complain about traffic, we can try to be a little kinder to those around us. The distance between myself and the people I helped today is frighteningly short.

In the meantime, I will dress my dog in a ridiculous Halloween costume. I will celebrate peppermint-flavored coffee. I will be grateful that I can do these things, while I work on being better about donating time and money when I can. Thank goodness putting my dog in a dress and donating to people - or animals - are not exclusive. Tell me, how do you work toward making a difference?