Mission?
This is less of a mission than a need…
A need to not look away from misery and want.
A need to do something, however small, to reinforce my own humanity when faced with people who find themselves in degrading circumstances.
SOMETHING
and it’s
THE LEAST I CAN DO
The Goal
If I can lift someone’s spirits for a few minutes or help sustain them physically for a few hours, I’ve accomplished my goal. And it’s selfish. I am able to momentarily feel just a little bit better about myself and the world and so do the wonderful people who participate with me in this outreach. This is an evolving effort and so are the numbers, but I would like to distribute several dozen “Little Bit” Kits each month.
The Mechanism
I don’t know whether to call this a gift, a contribution, or a care package. I’ve settled on “Little Bit” Kit because it offers a little bit of everything. It’s pretty simple. There’s a bottle of water to stave off dehydration, a high energy snack to help sustain someone for a couple hours, a brochure with a list of current resources for food, clothing, shelter, showers and counseling, some change for a payphone and a couple dollars for whatever. I hope it’s for food or a bus ticket, but I’ve decided I’m no longer in the judgment business.
It’s all contained in a special sturdy zip-lock bag that allows it to stand upright if necessary and keeps everything compact so it can be pulled out from under a car seat, off the floor, the back seat, out of the glove compartment, whatever. The point is to make it easy to keep within easy reach. We’re all familiar with the situation. Most of these will be handed out at intersections during momentary lulls in traffic. If it’s not fast and easy, it won’t get used.
In less time than it would take to dig through your wallet or purse for a dollar or two, you can hand out a fairly comprehensive little bundle of relief.
The Means
This is a very limited, self-funded, self-directed effort. It’s not a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization – it’s not even all that organized. But it can’t be just me. By myself, I can’t reach enough people to give away the dozens of packages each month that I’ve set as a goal – so I’ve enlisted the aid of close friends and associates
To this end, I have committed to assembling and providing the “Liitte Bit” Kits – even delivering them to their door – so that all they (or you, if you count yourself among them) have to do is hand a kit out at an opportune moment. Think of it as all of the Karma and none of the cost.
The Discussion
As someone who should know once said, “The poor are always with us.” – and despite a slowly recovering economy, we are rapidly making more of them. There are forces in our society like rising income disparity, job loss, dismantling of institutions and the defunding of social welfare programs that all contribute to the problem.
There is true misery on our streets and the social safety net is so frayed, so inadequate, that for many it simply doesn’t exist. Whether they are the hungry, the homeless, the walking wounded, perpetual misfits or simply broke they migrate to our sidewalks and intersections and reduce themselves to begging – a survival strategy of last resort.
A glance at the available resources quickly reveals that it is largely made up of faith-based organizations who have stepped up and are shouldering much of the burden for those that fall through the cracks. However, these organizations own reliance on donations and volunteers severely limits their capacity.
Just make them go away…
Anyone who has looked with disapproval on panhandlers and begging and thought, “someone should do something about that”, needs to realize that the only someones left are us. You can’t police your way out of the “eyesore” – you just move the misery around.
Just don’t give them money…
“They’re lazy scammers!” – “You’re just enabling their addiction!”
Handing out money to panhandlers is a divisive issue, and I’ve found myself on both sides of it. Ultimately, I have surrendered to a certain inescapable reality – money is necessary for existence at every level, and the need is never greater than when there is too little or none at all. If you’ve ever watched a panhandler over time, you’d quickly come to the conclusion that it’s a miserable, low-paying job. Your heart will feel better the minute you surrender your cynicism and give freely without conditions. Plus – it’s MY money and it’s not that much – give it away, PLEASE!
My response to “Just don’t give them money” is “Don’t give them JUST money”. Give them some water, give them something nutritious, give them some resources, and yes, a little money. The people I’ve given the “Little Bit” Kits to have been a little surprised and universally grateful. And that’s BEFORE they find the money. The money is inside the Resources brochure and is not visible throught the package. You only get to it once you open the brochure. I’m sure that when they discover it, it’s important to them but for me, the money becomes a trivial part of the exchange.
It isn’t just panhandlers…
Have you ever seen someone walking along the road in the full Arizona sun, in obvious distress, and said to yourself, “That poor person” – wouldn’t it be nice to be able to respond to that inner voice by offering them something that was immediately at hand, that you didn’t have to think twice about and that you knew would be helpful?
Avoidance is a lose-lose
Willfully avoiding someone in need takes a toll on your psyche. The discomfort you feel trying not to make eye contact with someone who is asking you for help means there are now two miserable people in that moment. Well, OK, one miserable and one uncomfortable – but you get the idea.
Ultimately, your social conscience has to win. Even if it’s just making eye contact and wishing someone a better day. This is truly the least any of us can do