Blog Post Two
Today we got the chance to give away our first coats in Charleston, West Virginia. Before we left, we loaded the van with essential supplies, food and hygiene bags, face masks, sleeping bags, blankets and the new coats. The temperatures were dropping and we wanted to get the coats out before a storm hit. We researched where we would be most likely to find the unsheltered homeless population in Charleston, but we were shocked at the number of people we found wandering the streets just after dark. We were able to talk with several unsheltered homeless people including two young men camping together by a church and a very hungry young man who was camping in the the city park. One of the most startling things about the people we encounter during these trips is the fact that the majority of them are so young. These young men whose lives should be full of hope are struggling with the basic needs in life of food and shelter. They mentioned issues like problems at home and Covid that have made their lives more complicated and made it harder than usual to find shelter. Tonight they are hanging out talking near one of the young men’s “home”, a sleeping bag under an eve of a church. We talk about how fortunate they are to have a roof over their heads in case it rains, but that it doesn’t help much when the wind blows and everything gets all wet. They both take coats, sleeping bags, blankets and food saying how cold they’ve been lately. These two young men are grateful for all our help and respond so joyfully when we ask if we can pray for them. Standing further apart than we would like because of Covid, we all bow our heads and pray out loud for these two young men. It is Holy ground literally and figuratively. We pray for warmth, hope and change for these beautiful young lives. A core value we believe in is that every life is valuable, and people are not disposable just because they live on the fringes of society. When you look past their situation you just see vulnerable, hurting people. People living unsheltered are experiencing primary homelessness. They are exposed to the weather and extremely difficult living conditions. Gear For the Homeless pledges to make a difference one person at a time.