Uptown 10/27

It was a busy night at our uptown meal service, and afterwards, we passed out water and food on North Tryon. I've never experienced homelessness firsthand, and I don't fully understand their world -- but through glimpses and insight, I've seen enough to know that these individuals are worth helping.

We have a completely different approach then most, and so far, it has had a lasting affect on these individuals. We are slowly gaining their trust, and they have started to depend on what we can provide them with.

Here is a picture from the evening. I love that, even though this homeless individual is in a wheelchair (and suffers from things we cannot fathom,) he still gave us a smile. It's the little things in life that make every interaction, and every experience that much better.

HOPE

"Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out."

This past Thursday, while at our meal service, we said goodbye to two fairly regular homeless individuals. One is headed for New York, the other for California. For the first time in a long time, there seemed to be a little sparkle of hope in their eyes...they seemed a little less deadened to reality.

In the end, hope isn't the same as knowing that something will turn out well...but it's a chance they have to take. I always get a little sad when our homeless clients move on -- after all, they've become a part of our lives and we genuinely worry about what will happen to them. Personally, seeing them every week reiterates that they are "still okay," or perhaps "still alive, struggling, and surviving," could be a better way to describe it. When they stop surfacing, I worry that something bad has happened...occasionally I have been proven wrong, but more often then not my fears are probably valid.

Here is to wishing our two homeless friends well...I sincerely hope that they find a better life out there, and I hope that they will go on to experience all that this life has to offer them.

Save the date...Operation Save Charlotte's Homeless

Two of our awesome volunteers are currently running cold weather supply drives for our homeless clients. When the drives have concluded, we will take to the streets on November 6th, @ 2pm -- and distribute the supplies to the street homeless. We will do this on a monthly basis, at least throughout the cold months. Want to volunteer for this event? Please contact Nichole: nichole@steelecreekoutreach.org

So, what's in a name?

I just came from that other blog that I maintain, albeit, only once in awhile. While switching over, I realized that this blog is dark and gloomy, with a black background and insight into the dismal realities of far too many...while the SCO blog is full of clouds, blue skies, and goodness.

Gosh, the two blogs are polar opposites. What I am about to divulge may come as a shock to some, but I promise it is all for one common cause...THEM (our homeless friends.) Shout it Charlotte is sticking around, but the SCO blog isn't going to make the cut.

When we first started SCO, we were understandably naive about running a non profit, helping those in need, and figuring out the "charitable world." In truth, it has never been enough for me to just feed the homeless, and how could it be when they need so much more. I guess that is why I needed to blog on Shout it Charlotte. This blog became a safe haven for the things that I witnessed but wasn't "supposed to talk about," especially since my world is filled with upper middle class privileges, while the homeless world is filled with lower class emptiness and despair. It isn't right, not to mention the overall societal response to our homeless friends, and the stereotypes that surround them.

So many individuals have questioned my stance on certain issues over the years, and all I can say is... I am who I am. Love me or hate me, I won't ever apologize for standing up for their rights. They needed a voice, someone willing to step out there and raise awareness about the obstacles that they face, in addition to their separation from society. It's what we all should do, stand up for someone who cannot stand up for themselves.

Although I am not sorry for bringing this into focus, in a way I have realized that I simply cannot be both a provider and an informer, at least not on my own. Over the last month, I have entertained a lot of different ideas, I even very shortsightedly announced that I would "just be a volunteer." But, now I am content to say that SCO is getting a new image, a new mission statement, with a new name to go along with it!!

Operation Serve the Homeless will be unveiled shortly. In the meantime, the meal service will continue. Will I miss SCO? Maybe a little, I mean after all SCO could practically be my last name, not to mention that one of my best friends and I created SCO together. But I am also excited about this new mission as it integrates feeding and assisting the homeless. "There are no endings, only beginnings."

I will be the first to admit, I don't have it all figured out. But, today this wonderful idea was brought to life, and for the first time in a long time I feel really good about this decision :)