It was about as excellent as street outreach could be last night. The sky was the same color blue as a perfect lindy star.
I’ve been having adventures with figuring out how to keep soup warm through the night, but I think I figured it out. This week, when I went to gather supplies, I noticed I had only about 10 soup cups left. I went to Family Dollar for last minute supplies, i.e. bread, etc., and I found these plastic bowls with sealable lids. Way larger than one tiny soup cup. They were super cheap, so I bought 20. What a game changer those are. The expressions of, “Oh, wow! Thank you!” from our homeless friends meant that I did the right thing. And they can reuse the bowl.
Our first friend lived camouflaged under a tarp in an abandoned doorway.
Our next friend we met lived in a tent in an alley, The other teams said he was grumpy, and not often open to nonprofits. I said, “Let me at him!”
He had a big, warm, wonderful smile. He seemed happy and pleasant enough to me. I was glad he felt comfortable letting us help him.
We’ve been covering a lot more areas of Detroit lately. We used to stick to one area mostly, but now we are driving to a lot of different areas and meeting a lot of new friends. The best part is going to the new places and seeing old faces.
Last night, we saw a sex-worker we recognized, and the teams pulled over to offer her support. She was elated to get a chance to connect with us, and she was desperate for all our wares and services. As she was finding a clean out fit from Traci, she started calling her friends over to the van. A lot of scantily dressed women rushed over to find food, appropriate clothes, clean unders, and a magical hygiene purse.
The smell of homemade stew wafted from Maggies windows and doors. One after another, snaggletooth old men, and toothless women crept slowly along the sidewalk next to me. Their eyes as big as empty soup bowls. Some waited to be invited. Some humbly inquired for a meal.
One older man was in disheveled clothes, so I invited him to get a fresh pair of pants and a sweatshirt and socks from Traci. He said he was on his way back to his shelter from work. He was a janitor, maybe on construction sites. But he desperately needed fresh clothes. His were falling apart. Magdalene’s Mission saved his day. He took some smaller sized men’s cargo pants, so huge thank you to whoever donated them. Good look.
My first favorite part of the night was at this spot. There were a couple of older homeless people who were getting pushy. They needed an extra couple of meals and, extra hygiene kits, and extra clothes, etc. Normally that is fine, but we also must make sure there is enough for everyone. That’s when I saw her.
I remembered her from a neighborhood we used to visit regularly but years ago. She recognized us and ran across the street to come see us. She couldn’t get past the other people that were leaning in and making requests. So, I shouted.
“NO ONE GETS THIRD AND FOURTHS UNTIL THIS GIRL GETS HER FIRSTS!”
And the swarm respectfully fell back. Then she gingerly walked up to me and put her arms around me and said, “Thank you, so much.”
I held her frail, birdlike bones against my chest, and whispered in her ear, “I got you. You are safe and special when you are with me.”
That is why I must go. That is why God sends me.
My next favorite stop of the night included baby kitties! Remember my eastside couple? Her cat had kittens, and I wanted to see them and bring her some cat food for mama. Mama kitty is a pretty calico that has been moving around with them for the past three years.
I requested that the entire caravan make a trip to their house on the other side of Detroit.
When we got to their house, there were a few other people waiting there who needed help from the other volunteers we were out with. It was extra successful on that account.
But… baby kitties! Husband brought them out for everyone to cuddle and play with. The volunteers were grateful for a break to focus on something delightful, innocent, and precious. They just opened their tiny blue peepers today. Of course, pics. There is a black one with a white zigzag across the middle of his face. I named him Bowie. He’ll come home with me in a few weeks. Luckily, my husband doesn’t read Facebook.
We got rid of everything in the van and that made it a great evening of outreach. My and Traci’s theme for the night was to offer and plant hope for as many people as we could. That things can get better. Soup bowls can get bigger.
Because that’s how we do it in Detroit.
Amen.
