Josh and I went back to volunteer at Out of the Cold this evening.
When we got there, there was a bit of excitement, and not in a good way.
As we arrived, a guest (one of the homeless) was drunk and being thrown out. He was verbally abusive to the other volunteers, so the security guards grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and threw him out. It was really sad to see that.
We went into the room to help and one of the guests came up to me and asked for a couple of dress shirts. Not to belabour the point, but he was in desperate need of a shower and clean clothes. He turned to me and said (about his shirt) "These aren't liquor stains, I'm not an alcoholic. It's beer sweat". Ok, thanks for clearing that up!
When I was cleaning up the tables and putting down fresh plastics, one of the guests thanked me for doing that and said "it's just like being at home, if we all had homes". *sigh* That was really tough to hear.
Another gentleman and I were talking and he said how thankful he was that this shelter took him in. Apparently he had gone to another this evening but was turned away, they were full. He said "it's nice to have a warm mat to sleep on, rather than sleeping on a grate or in a bus shelter."
I know that what we're doing is a good thing, but sometimes the comments I get are a little hard to take.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Rhonda ~ My sis coordinates her church's week for the local "traveling" homeless shelter. And she loves it. But it drains her. Blessings to you as you show others the love you know.
I think it is a nice service. I guess I would not show up drunk.
You are really strong!
Keep smilin!
Wow! I would find that hard too. Just keep remembering that in a small way you're making that person's life better. Even if it is just for one night.
You are doing a good thing. Sometimes, that not necessarily the easy thing.
Post a Comment