Chicago mission on front lines of homeless crisis

Hey,

I thought that despite the the sad post about the homeless person passing away in the winter, this would give a little light to why we are doing PD!

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-02-15-Chicago-mission_N.htm

check it out...

hey everyone,

i was googling a few days ago for information about homelessness in the U.S. today and found this article. unfortunately its rather disturbing, but I think its important that people are aware of things like this, and I hope that terrible incidents like this help give us even more motivation and incentive to do the important work that we do.

http://homelessness.change.org/blog?keyword=tragedy+indifference

peace,

nada

Project Downtown

Hello All,

So I wanted to start off by thanking the students from the Wesley Foundation for accompanying us to this past PD. Sometimes the number of people who are in need of help at the shelter lead me to feel helpless in terms of making any real difference or being able to lend a hand in a meaningful way. It bolsters my hope though, as it always does, when I see others also going out of their way to help those in need. To see people thinking about the plight of others and trying to help them even though there is no immediate or tangible rewards associated with doing so is quite uplifting.

Erasing poverty is an undertaking that will take a society not just a few individuals so the more people out there the better.

Finally, I just wanted to say that I had a lot of fun getting to know and working with everyone this past PD. The van ride and pastry shop were also really fun. I hope to see you guys all again in the future! Til then, take care and peace,

~Mahmood Farooqi
farooqim@msu.edu

NY Times Article about Hunger

Hi all,

An interesting thing to think about: "Hunger in US at a 14-Year High," NY Times November 16, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/us/17hunger.html?_r=2&scp=3&sq=hunger&st=cse

Radio donation

Ok so this is a completely different sidenote that I forgot to include in my last post, but at the last PD from talking to the the people in the center, it was apparent that many of them follow sports religiously. The problem they run into is when games are not broadcasted on the local channels, they don't get to watch them and have to wait to hear how it went. If anyone had a radio that they could donate to the center so that sports games could be followed live, it would definitely mean a lot to everyone that can use it.

Lets be proactive..

As a participant of PD since it began a few years ago here at MSU, I can definitely attest to the impact that PD has on the people we serve along with the surprising impact PD has/will have on you. Going out of your comfort zone is never easy, but once you can cross that barrier and strike up a conversation with the people in the shelters, you really won't regret it.

Every week PD has been nothing like the last, but in a good way. We go there, we laugh with the people in the shelter, hopefully brighten up their days, remind them that someone still cares while giving them a chance to vent about what they are going through. The people that I have talked to in past PD's are never expecting a solution to their problems...they've always just been incredibly grateful for our presence and for having someone that they could talk to that will listen. Like Maggie mentioned earlier, a lot of self realization goes on with every visit. My perception before had been it is the life choices that we make that lead us to where we are today.

What I failed to realize before, was life is not fair. The ones that end up homeless didn't necessarily do something in their life to deserve it. All it really took was one misstep for many to end up where they were today. The important thing now is for us to try to help Volunteers of America and other shelters move forward.

Right now when we take 2-3 hours out of our day to make sandwiches and talk with the people in the shelters, we are helping to alleviate some of the hunger and anxiety, but its only a momentary relief. The sandwiches only help push their hunger for another few hours, not giving them a permanent solution. One thing I think we should try to work towards is helping Volunteers of America and other organizations start programs to help get their residents back on their feet. A few of the residents already spend their days working around the establishment cleaning up and cooking...I think that pro-activeness should be more encouraged at the centers.

Anyone got any ideas on what we can do to help PD become more effective long-term at serving the Lansing residents?

A New Beginning

Hey Everyone!

My name is Maggie Ferrara and I'm a peer leader over at the MSU Wesley Foundation -- the United Methodist Campus Christian Ministry right down the road. We were very grateful to be invited to work on Project Downtown and I just wanted to share my experiences with you all.

At first it was a little intimidating -- going into a building that I had no idea about, meeting with a group of students, that to be honest of whom I didn't have much true knowledge about. After playing a version of soccer with some of the school kids that included "just kick the ball" we met up with the group to start making sandwiches. We had a great time getting to know each of the other students and an easy and comfortable conversation was shared by all.

Then we all piled into the church van and went downtown. I believe that the Project Downtown students really did a pretty good job of preparing us for this super-awkward-out-of-our-comfort-zone experience. They gave us pointers for how to approach people, and how to start talking to everyone.

This is where my eyes were opened like nothing else in my experiences.

I spoke with two gentlemen who had fallen on hard times. We talked about weather, sports- our favorites to partake in and to watch, MSU, education, and our living situations. One is in rehab and getting his feet back on the ground. He is working towards getting a job with WKAR and finding somewhere to live. The other really spoke a lot about his situation with his family. Firstly, he is a Vietname Veteran who had been badly injured and came back and had some trouble adjusting back to civilian life. He lives with his daughter and his granddaughters. They live paycheck to paycheck and when his daughter had become ill, their combined income wasn't enough to make their rent payment. Although he said that he had the money and could get it to the landlord the next day, they came home at night with their belongings on the curb, leaving them to fend for themselves. He currently has a job at a Meijer and is working to support his family, but the low-wage job is just not enough.

It really made me think of my perceptions of the homeless and how wrong they were. Especially about how many factors can lead to homelessness. It really also made me think about how fortunate I am, and how not everyone is infalliable -- we could all fall at some point.

Overall, this experience was an amazing eye-opener for so many things -- homelessness, my backyard, other beliefs and how beautiful human nature can be.

From talking to the Wesley Foundation Students who were at the Project Downtown, there was a lot of positive feedback and I think I can speak for us all when I say that we were touched and wish to grow this partnership with not only Lansing, but the Muslim Student Association. We all had a great time working with you all and are excited for the possibilities of working together in the future.

Thanks again -- sorry for being so wordy!!

Peace and Love
Maggie Ferrara