Do you run into people living on the streets who ask for food? In my case, I do not need to go far.
Although I travel a lot, I can take a stroll in my own neighborhood and run into someone in need.
Do you ever wonder where they came from and how they got there? This is why I buy food for them.
Ask and thou shall receive
My computer kept luring me in… one more sentence… five more minutes… I must finish this first.
Another idea… Let me edit this real quick.
Then I couldn’t take it anymore.
I stepped away from my desk, jumped in my sneakers, and was outside within two minutes, thinking of savory turkey and mustard cushioned between two slices of bread.
When I reached the cafe, I had my order on the tip of my tongue. The faster I’d dole it out, the quicker I’d sink my teeth into the sandwich.
Yummm…
The man behind the bullet-proof glass shield fixed up my order within minutes, and I ran out the door.
As I returned home, a man on a child-sized dirt bike asked me if I could spare some change to buy food. He scratched the brace on his right arm as he panted under the afternoon sun.
“Miss, I’m not trying to bother you… but I haven’t eaten all day,” he said.
I glanced at my sack lunch dangling by my side.
“Me and my son are in a tent not too far away,” he said, bowing his head and pointing behind him.
It can’t be easy
I looked around at all the restaurants and people walking in this high-traffic area. I’m not the first person he had asked.
“What do you feel like eating?” I asked.
His eyes grew large, and then he turned his head to the nearest restaurant, a Korean barbeque place.
“I was thinking we could share a meal from there,” he said.
After I nodded, he crossed the street in a half-circle to the restaurant, and I followed.
When I entered, the cashier welcomed me. The smell of fried chicken filled the air as the cooks flipped and tossed meals in containers.
There was no one else in the restaurant.
I glanced at the menu and explained that the gentleman with me would place an order.
The man on the bike asked for an 8-piece chicken dinner, fries, and a large drink. The young cashier rang it up, and I paid the $30 bill.
“When the order is ready, please give it to this man,” I told the young man at the register.
The cashier nodded and smiled. When I exited the building, the man with the bike folded his fingers as if praying.
“Thank you so much! May God bless you! I hope you play the lotto and win. Thank you so much,” he said with sad eyes.
“May God bless you too, and please take care,” I said.
“Thank you… you don’t know how much this means… thank you…” He kept his hands folded, and I smiled.
As I left, the cashier said, “I hope you have a great day, and thank you!”
I returned his wishes and waved, feeling that I just made someone’s day a little brighter.
Thou shalt not judge
This was not the first time I’ve done this—I’ve bought many meals for many folks living on the streets. But…
“This is America and I already pay taxes for this!”
“Go to the homeless shelter and eat! They have food!”
Yes, I’ve heard some people say this when people on the streets ask for food. And some of these people were neighbors.
I was walking with a neighbor when a man asked, “Can you spare some change?”
Instead of walking by or simply saying ‘no,’ she asked him, “Why don’t you get a job? You’re a young man. How dare you ask me for money!”
Yikes—just wow!
I would caution against judging people when we don’t know their stories.
Everyone has got a story
I hired one of the best plumbers in the area, who told me he had spent almost two decades living on the streets. His depression got the best of him when he was in his 30s, and he turned to alcohol to cope. One day, he lived in a house, and the next, he was begging for money.
When I lived in New York, my college roommate told me how she and her mother became homeless while growing up in Arizona. Her father abused them for years, so they fled. They lived in their car for long periods without food and water for many days.
My late uncle, an army veteran, left his house and got on a bus without money, ID, or sense of who he was. He suffered from brain damage after leaving the military and wandered the streets for a while. Luckily, people fed and helped him, so I thank those people.
Unfortunately, he has passed on, but I’ll never forget his fun-loving and easy-going spirit. He would go out of his way to help anyone—no questions asked.
I’ve traveled to many places in the US and even overseas. The sight of hungry people asking for food is just heartbreaking.
It’s a terrible feeling knowing you can’t help everyone.
I can’t possibly feed everyone in the world, but I can start here in my own city or neighborhood.
You never know who you could be helping. It could be someone’s uncle, father, grandfather, mother, aunt, sister, cousin, niece, daughter, son… or future friend.
Updated: November 24, 2024
