Today’s Ride on the Coaster…Generosity and Compassion

For about seven years I’ve been volunteering to serve food at a men’s shelter just north of where I live — really JUST north, less than 15 miles from my house. There is a church which turns into a shelter for up to 35 men every Wednesday night from October through April. These are the colder months in Chicago, so they provide physical shelter during this time period in addition to food. The men arrive by bus around 7:30pm. They eat dinner and then they usually go straight to sleep on the vinyl/foam pads that are laid out for each man. Each man has a set of sheets, a blanket and a pillow. Lights out is at 10 pm and they sleep on the church floor until 5 am. Breakfast is served at 5:30 and a bag lunch is provided to each man before they leave on the bus at 6:30 am

These gentleman are grateful for the food and shelter and for the most part are respectful towards the volunteers. They self-police each other as they do not want to be forced to leave the shelter. Over the years that I’ve been there, I’ve come to realize that many of these gentlemen ended up homeless because of bad decisions, bad luck or a combination of the two. Some have done some terrible things in the past, but some of them just seem to have bad luck at every turn. The goal of the agency is to help the men get back on their feet so that they no longer need the shelter.

Tonight I was supposed to be at the shelter serving dinner, but due to the shelter in place order all the shelters are closed. The agency has been able to house the homeless in hotels. They are now taking food donations at one location and then distributing it to the hotel locations every two days. This pandemic is destabilizing everyone’s health and well being but it is worse for those whose well-being was already on a shaky foundation. Ensuring the safety of our homeless neighbors in the near term means providing all of the regular services and adding individual accommodations for clients, meals and delivery, more regular medical screenings, and more. In the long-term, the services provided will be an essential part of rebuilding the physical, financial, and social well-being that the pandemic is weakening. Our ability to weather this storm hinges on our ability to provide the support and resources necessary in an ever-changing environment and to plan and prepare for the rebuilding process that will follow.

While we’re all currently facing a wide range of challenges, it is my hope that we will respond to the pandemic not with fear, but with compassion and generosity. Today I witnessed the generosity of my friend Chef Clay, who cooked food for the homeless. When I went to pick it up I was amazed to find him alone. He had prepared all the food himself and had it packed up and ready for me to take to the shelter. I love Chef Clay and we normally hug every time we see each other. Today there was no hugging, and that was hard for both of us. Today there was a lot of food to deliver to people who really needed it so there is the happy.