Feeding The Homeless and Needy (Updated from 11/23/2014)

 

“There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.”

-- Mahatma Gandhi

“When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.”

-- Dom Helder Camara

It is that time of the year, when thoughts, for many of us, turn to those in need.  There was a time when I threw a few cans in the "food bank box" and a few dollars in the Salvation Army kettle.  I called that my annual Christmas treat.  Then I went downtown and helped feed the truly needy - the homeless.

One can find many reasons not to support feeding "deadbeats" on the street.  My favorite was always, "God helps those that help themselves."  For the most part, this is true, and one is justified in taking that stand.  Some leech off of society, sucking the lifeblood of those that work hard for a living.  Those who consider welfare as a way of life are considered to be unworthy of a second glance, much less a first.  I will not argue this, except to say that many of the homeless are physically or mentally incapable of work.  They are the "abandoned" of society.  As for the rest, you cannot save the poor from their lot, only they can.  The truly poor, who are trying to better their lot, should be policing themselves and crying foul on those who abuse the system.  The "leeches" not only steal money from those who "have," but from those who "have not," as well.

The children are the biggest losers in all of this, whether the family is struggling or leeching.  There are three possible futures for them; they grow up to leach off of society like their parents, never catch a break and continue to struggle for anything better in life, or grow up with the knowledge and desire to be more than they left behind.  There is nothing to be done for the people who leech except to offer them no alternative than work.  Those who can't catch a break, need an avenue to find the break, much less catch it.  Until a child can grasp the opportunities for knowledge, and desire, to be more than they left behind, they are still children and the most vulnerable of our society.

How do we, as a society, break this cycle of poverty and homelessness?  For all but the leech, this is a simple answer.  JOBS!  We need to create a vibrant job market and quit sending everything overseas.  We need to train those who want to break free of poverty and offer incentives to companies that offer training and placement, as well as penalties for those that outsource overseas.  We need to take away incentives for welfare.  If you aren't working, you get no assistance.  If you are handicapped, you can mentor, assist in a soup kitchen, and volunteer (believe it or not, volunteerism is work!).  Most importantly, if you have a child that you cannot afford to support without subsistence, it is tantamount to child abuse. You are, technically, abusing the child. This child will emulate the parent to survive the parent's stupidity, but poverty and homelessness will continue. 

Regardless of what we do, there may always be poor struggling to survive.  Even if we provide jobs and assistance for all, there will be those who will prefer to live on the fringes of society.  We have attempted the great experiment of trying to provide "the world's highest standard of living."  For the most part, we have failed, and history continues to repeat itself as a way of rubbing our noses in it.  History is that annoyingly tacky buzzer with a red flashing sign proclaiming "LOSER" whenever the subject of jobs, the poor, or the homeless rears their ugly heads.

Our governments leave us little recourse than to try and do what we can.  Government, religious, and social organizations can only do so much due to rules and regulations laid down by, you guessed it, governments.  Some hypocritical Christian soup kitchens do not welcome "all" to the table, and others demand you sit through their relentless pounding of the scripture as payment for the lifesaving meal.  

I have personally talked to many homeless that have forsaken missions and other soup kitchen venues preferring to go hungry than to be hammered with faith they feel has forsaken them, or have their "paid for" criminal records continue to be held against them.  One has to ask, where forgiveness, love, and tender understanding come into play.  What would Jesus do?  It strikes me as odd how  Christianity always seems to be the first to deny Christ.  There are those whose only friend is their faithful pet, ever at their side, enduring the hardship along with their master.  These homeless cannot bring their furry friend into the shelter or soup kitchen so, not wanting to risk leaving them outside, they opt to do without or find other means of obtaining sustenance.  Many of these folks showed up at the outdoor kitchen I was a part of.  The outdoors was cold and wet, but it was friendly to all and asked only that garbage was policed and peace was maintained.  None of this was ever an issue, however.

From the beginning of civilization, there have been soup kitchens; a need to feed and do for the weaker of us.  At some time prior, an alpha male must have made a human decision that would define civilization from that day forward.  The decision was made not to abandon the orphaned, injured, or weak to their own devices; maybe it was better for the group to go beyond just the physical protection of the group from predators, to show compassion, preserve the core knowledge possessed by those individuals; maybe there was busy work to be done that would free up the stronger of the group and thus ensure the survival of all.  Civilization was born of humanity and the necessity for survival.  The only way we survive is through our humanity.  People who have much tend to forget this, as do those who leech off of them.  It takes all of us to make this work, from the mentally handicapped sweeping a walk, or bussing dishes, to the CEO of a large company with the moral responsibility of assisting the government to find new jobs for the masses.

This is the time of year when I religiously read my favorite "seasonal" book, A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens (at least when I haven't lost my only copy while moving).  I identify with Scrooge in so many ways, as should most of us, I would think.  My early opinion of the majority of the poor that leech off of society was reflected in Scrooge's comment, "If they'd rather die, then they had better do it and decrease the surplus population."  I softened on this when it came to the helplessness of children caught up in an adult world of pervasive welfare as an excuse for not bringing anything of value to the society that gives them everything.  One of my favorite scenes in the book is between Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present:

"'Forgive me if I am not justified in what I ask,' said Scrooge, looking intently at the Spirit's robe,' but I see something strange, and not belonging to yourself, protruding from your skirts. Is it a foot or a claw.'

'It might be a claw, for the flesh there is upon it,' was the Spirit's sorrowful reply. 'Look here.'

From the foldings of its robe, it brought two children; wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable. They knelt down at its feet, and clung upon the outside of its garment.

'Oh, Man. look here. Look, look, down here.' exclaimed the Ghost.

They were a boy and a girl. Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish; but prostrate, too, in their humility. Where graceful youth should have filled their features out, and touched them with its freshest tints, a stale and shrivelled hand, like that of age, had pinched, and twisted them, and pulled them into shreds. Where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked, and glared out menacing. No change, no degradation, no perversion of humanity, in any grade, through all the mysteries of wonderful creation, has monsters half so horrible and dread.

Scrooge started back, appalled. Having them shown to him in this way, he tried to say they were fine children, but the words choked themselves, rather than be parties to a lie of such enormous magnitude.

'Spirit. are they yours.' Scrooge could say no more.

'They are Man's,' said the Spirit, looking down upon them. 'And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased. Deny it.' cried the Spirit, stretching out its hand towards the city. 'Slander those who tell it ye. Admit it for your factious purposes, and make it worse. And abide the end.'

'Have they no refuge or resource.' cried Scrooge.

'Are there no prisons.' said the Spirit, turning on him

for the last time with his own words. 'Are there no workhouses.'"

- A Christmas Carol, Stave 3: The Second of the Three Spirits

The "soup kitchen" was in Olympia. Nowadays, I will find myself buying food and to-go boxes for a local church group.  I also have plans to continue this throughout the year, as I can.  When I first fed the homeless, I went there with many preconceptions.  When I left, after the first day, those preconceptions had changed.  Many were valid, but quite a few were proved faulty.  Families living in cars because of losing their homes due to factory layoffs, and other reasons, more to do with our country's inability to stay as great as we once were, than people not looking for work.  

We no longer let a "vagrant" sweep out walks or clean our windows for a few dollars for fear of being sued if they injure themselves.  Most homeless won't be considered for a job because they have no "permanent" address to offer.  We need to look at these basic issues, and let us get back to the days of yesteryear when we could offer a few simple tasks around the house, or shop, without fear of lawsuits.  We need to allow people the opportunity to provide an opportunity for those less fortunate who have a willingness, and desire, to better their lot.

What does it benefit a contractor to give a man a chance?  Let him show his worth, park his vehicle on the job site, and also act as a night watchman.  Pay him a few bucks for the first day's work so he can eat and feed his family.  Maybe pay him after the first week as well, so he can get on his feet a bit.  What does it hurt to bend the rules a bit in the name of charity for those who want to do better?  Maybe our efforts garner us a loyal employee.  Maybe we produce a productive member of society.  Maybe we give a man, or woman, their pride back.  But if these people are not fed an occasional nutritious meal, if none of us are willing to help those who truly want to help themselves, how do we expect them to be physically prepared for the work they seek when the opportunity is presented?  

A man of color, in 2014 Chicago, put it best.  He voiced the concern that the government was too intent on raising the minimum wage for jobs that didn't exist, rather than creating jobs they needed for the people to continue to exist.  

He has a point, even to this day.

For those interested in my past postings dealing with feeding the homeless and giving thanks, I have included the following links:

The Path: Joyful Hands!!  The Path: Feeding the Homeless in Olympia  The Path: Sunday Thought - November 3, 2013: Thanksgiving  The Path: Another Homeless Breakfast  The Path: Why I Am Thankful  The Path: Hungry & Homeless in Olympia  The Path: Sermon for Sunday - January 26, 2014: Thoughts on the Poor  The Path: Surprisingly Homeless: Mary in Olympia  The Path: Sermon for Sunday - February 23, 2014: Homeless in Olympia (Part Whatever)

“Hunger is not a problem. It is an obscenity. How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

-- Anne Frank

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch - it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either view any more right or wrong than the other. Opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form their own opinions, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint.

I fervently hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning those opinions offered. After twenty-three years of military intelligence, I believe that engaging each other in this manner, and in this arena, is a way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience... and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Following his service career, he spent 17 years working with the premier and world-renowned Western Institutional Review Board, helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. He also served 8 years on the Board of Directors for the Angela J. Bowen Foundation.

Ordained in 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As a weapon for his war on intolerance, he chose the pen. He wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's personal, spiritual path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony at: tolerantpastor@gmail.com