Day 359

SafeHouse hosted a Christmas Party this morning/afternoon for some wonderful families! I arrived at about 9am and helped get some of the basic setting up done. Before I knew it, it was time to get to the apartments to pick up families and bring them back to SafeHouse for lunch. After 3 trips we had everyone there enjoying some delicious food and waiting in excitement for their presents.

A LOT of volunteers were able to make it out (they're amazing!) so we had several people making plates, serving food and soda, interacting, cleaning up and just doing whatever was needed at any given moment. Santa also made a special appearance and the kids loved it! With his arrival, the gifts were handed out and all you could hear was laughter and excitement in the room!

The event was perfect! And it was a great way to start my day :)

Day 345

It was a quieter evening at SafeHouse today, not sure what else was going on in the city...I walked on to the lot, saw some familiar faces, walked over to say hello, heard my name get called from elsewhere, and then saw my (now 3year old) buddy running up to me. As soon as I picked him up he started telling me all kinds of stories that I couldn't really have any conversations with anyone else.

He took me over to another volunteer and then had us playing hide-and-seek for the next 20minutes. In between hiding and running I said hello to several people. I also caught up with the gentleman who volunteers with many different organizations. He is planning to move to Florida at the end of the month to start fresh. While I know this is something good for him, and something he has been considering for months, it still made me a little sad that he is going away. He is one of those people who tries really hard to make things better but gets caught up in the wrong crowd, he cares about people and making a difference in our community and is always looking for an opportunity to do so. I'm definitely going to miss him and really hope I get to see him a few more times before he leaves.

Today marks twenty days left on this project. I'm sure I will eventually share my thoughts on that, but for now I'd like to say thank you to all of you who in the past 24hours have reminded me of what this project means to me, the difference it's made in not just my life but yours as well, and the fact that it's not just a project but my passion too! Thank you!

Day 305

As promised, bronchitis or not, I ended up at SHO tonight.

The service was short today, and everyone dispersed pretty quickly.

I didn't see any of the familiar faces I knew, so I made some new friends!
Of course everyone was worried about me being sick, before they were worried about themselves - which was so sweet!

But I did have a really awesome conversation today with a new friend, who named his golden retriever/ terrier - Karma! Isn't that an awesome name??

V introduced me to another group of volunteers this evening who weren't a part of the church group that was there to serve, but came out on their own volition.

For a couple of young girls, they were bold and spoke to everyone that approached them on the lot.

For V to say that they were awesome, I had to respect them sheerly because of that. But these girls are great, and I can't wait to see them around!

I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully during the day time - so I can help with more of SHO's needs.

Have a good night everyone!

Day 287

Another SafeHouse evening...I started off talking to the gentleman who I always clean the lot with. He spends a lot of time looking stuff up at the library so we had a lot to talk about: the weather, Africa, global warming, growing up in New York, growing up in Botswana. He talked some about the holidays and how people sometimes get depressed around the holidays. We talked about our shared fear of heights and swapped our horror stories.

While service went on I talked to a gentleman who is indecisive about moving to another city to start over. We talked about where he would go, the pros and cons of each location and of moving in general. I asked about what he would do there and the barriers that kept him from doing the same here. He explained that being in a new place might make him more open about trying opportunities that he would normally pass up here. By the end of the conversation he sounded more sure about moving and so we went on to discuss how he needed to prepare to move.

The rest of the night was made up of quick catch up conversations while handing out shelter tickets. A good end to the week :)

Day 285

This year has been all about giving. It's up there on my list of priorities. But my first priority is, and always will be, my family because that's where I think giving truly starts. And so today, as on many occasions, my family made it to this evening's event, and it was a wonderful feeling to have them give with me!

We attended the monthly 11 for 11 SafeHouse fundraiser at Tin Lizzy's in midtown. We had the usual great conversations, lots of laughter, and a fun, relaxed evening. I got to meet an awesome SafeHouse staff member who told me about the Teen Mentor program they offer. It is a year long mentoring program for teen mothers where they learn valuable life skills. She shared some stories about some of the teens and it sounds like an amazing program. I shared some thoughts on maybe providing work/internship experiences to help them choose careers/educational goals. We talked about different ways to bridge the gap between SafeHouse and the larger community.

I am so used to just seeing the nightly impact service (which will probably always be my favorite), but its refreshing to sit down and hear about some of their other programs. All donations go towards keeping these many programs running. Visit http://www.safehouseoutreach.org/donations/ if you would like to make a donation. If you'd like to donate items, there's always a need for: socks, water bottles, hygiene kits, disposable razors, deodorant, hand sanitizer, gloves, blankets, coats, umbrellas, and ponchos. So many ways to make a difference :)

Day 277

I had an amazing night at SafeHouse! I dropped off socks, caught up with some people, got some more letters written and got some promises of letters on my next visit.

Spent most of the night talking with one gentleman about the retreat I just got back from, mindfulness and meditation, nature and beautiful places. We also talked about services provided to people who are homeless, whether it be assistance with housing or getting a child into a school that works with them and their circumstance. There's one young boy in particular that I always see - he has been raised on the street and has not been in school. It's not too late to help turn his life around but there are so many barriers to cross in order to do that, including his family. So the cycle of homelessness, in this particular family, will likely continue. How do we make a difference? How do we, as a society, help?

Day 276

I'm back from retreat, feeling completely relaxed, and hoping to be more mindful :)

Started off the week with a visit to SafeHouse. I started the evening in a long conversation with a gentleman who told me about his relationship with his fiance and with his son. We talked about friendship and love, and he talked about how difficult it is to define love. He also shared that he is getting closer to being able to go home, hopefully that works out for him!

I also saw a gentleman from my early days at SafeHouse - hadn't seen him since about April/May, so that was a pleasant surprise. He filled me in on how he has been doing and shared that he joined a three month program and that he has been focusing on school. We talked about burn out and keeping boundaries when working in a social science type field.

I also spent some time asking some of the guys to write letters to troops for the Bert Show's Big Thank You. Hoping to get a few more over the next two weeks.

A big thank you to everyone for covering while I was away!!

Day 272

Today I went to Books for Africa. There was a very small group of volunteers there today and we were all busy doing our part with little conversation about college and looking for a job. I packed science books today. Got through an entire pallet of books in the two hours I was there. It was a hot and tiring day today, but I was glad to be able to do my part and in those two hours I packed almost a 1000 books!

Chandni is away at a retreat and has also been able to give while there. Here is what she's been up to:

"So I'm at a mindfulness retreat for a few days and it has been an amazing experience so far. While here we each are assigned a way of giving back to our community here at the monastery by helping with different tasks. We can help with meals, cleaning the kitchen, cleaning the grounds, washing dishes, taking out the trash, or setting up chairs for different events. My groups assignment is to take out the trash after each meal. So even though I'm not able to give in the ways I've done all year, this small giving task is my way of giving back while here at the retreat. There's always an opportunity. We just have to be willing to do it :)".

Day 266

After sitting in traffic (out in the middle of nowhere) forever I made it to SafeHouse!

It was a busy night! The lot was filled with GSU students and volunteers. It was great seeing that many people there having conversations with the individuals there. One of the guys had a new hairstyle so I hung out with him for a minute and he told me about the new look. Once inside, I said hello to lots of people and then sat down with some of the guys.

A younger gentleman talked about his 2year old son and how he wanted to me closer to him and to be a part of his life. We talked about how he could do that. Another gentleman also shared with him the importance of his kids and putting them before anyone else. The younger gentleman listened to the advice and talked about his plans for going back home to his son.

The rest of the night I talked to some of my favorites about all kinds of stuff, we joked around, laughed a lot and celebrated a birthday - it was definitely a fun night :)

98 days to go...

Day 259

Sidewalk Graffiti on the lot

Finally back at SafeHouse!! It's been a bit of a stressful day and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to focus on the conversations today. But once I got there, all the stress from the day kinda took a back seat.

I walked on to a lot filled with cars and people, it was a little overwhelming. But I saw the familiar faces and just started at the gate with greeting people. I made my way further in and had a great catch up conversation with one gentleman. We talked about giving, meditation, my upcoming retreat, and our comfort with silence. He's a favorite to talk to and I'm glad I got to talk to him for a while.

I then went on to one of my promised conversations from yesterday. This gentleman shared his troubles with me and then told me how he fixed them or planned to fix them. We talked about life and laughing and why the latter is so important.

Once service started I sat with a group of people and just listened. They were sharing gossip about the different relationships people are in, they shared stories of different people walking by, and just hung out. It was a little cold today so I took some sweaters with me and handed out a few to anyone who needed one.

Before I left for the evening I had a conversation with one gentleman who was a little down and shared with me that he was disappointed with himself and how sometimes he didn't think he was making progress in getting off the streets. He shared that he is currently in grad school - I was very impressed and told him how proud I am of him. We talked about setting goals and taking the little steps to get to those goals, and that sometimes we take a wrong step, but you don't give up, you just take a step back and try again.

Before I really left for the evening, I saw the gentleman who I always clean up with. So we walked around and cleaned the lot and street together, while also catching up on each others lives. He is doing well, just as positive as always, and still smiling - he's a joy to spend time with!

Looking forward to tomorrow :)

Day 258

SafeHouse was closed this evening. I haven't been able to go all week and I really wanted to stop by to see some of the familiar faces, so I ended up going anyways. Before I got there I stopped to get water and 30 burgers. Initially the idea was to walk around the city to hand out the burgers. But a lot of people didn't know there was no service and ended up walking by SafeHouse. So I was able to hang out close by and just hand out food.

One of the guys shared childhood stories. There were conversations about the weather and people getting prepared for the cold. I got to catch up with some of the guys and have conversations promised for tomorrow :)

Hoping for my normal amount of energy tomorrow cos there are going to be lots of conversations!

Day 256

It has been a wonderful evening of giving. I started with visiting the Tapestry Hospice and taking a tour of the facility. Hopefully this will be a future volunteer site, but first I have to get through all the paperwork and training :)

I then went to the Atlanta Community Food Bank. It's been a while since the last time I volunteered there but the staff recognized me and asked if I would take up my usual spot at the scales. They made my day by remembering me so of course I said yes! I got to meet some veteran volunteers so the evening went by really quickly and we had a lot of fun.

We packed 5712lbs of food, which would serve 3808 meals. It's a little difficult getting signed up for the food bank because it is always full! Hopefully I'll get to come back sooner :)

Day 253

After a late night out in the city I went out to volunteer at Devereux this morning. Devereux is a leading nonprofit behavioral health organization that supports many of the most underserved and vulnerable members of our communities. They focus on research-based prevention initiatives that help children and adolescents develop resilience and strong emotional and social health. They help empower children and adults with intellectual, emotional, developmental, and behavioral challenges to lead fulfilling and rewarding lives.

As one of the staff members there said, in order to help the children focus on their treatment we need to give them a safe and supportive environment. So today's projects involved some landscaping and cleaning out a huge storage building.

I helped clean the storage building. It had not been sorted through in years so when we got there it was a mess! We spent most of the morning emptying it and figuring out what could be saved, recycled, or thrown out. Once that was done we cleaned it. Then we sorted through the things that were saved and put them back in an organized manner.

It was hard work, a good work out, and for a good cause! Thank you Devereux for letting us volunteer with you this morning!

Day 252

It was a busy evening at SafeHouse today. It started with my buddy's birthday and getting things in without him seeing them. I then walked around and had several conversations. I started by talking to one of the guys who just came back to SafeHouse. We talked about the differences in community resources between different states and the differences in metropolitan areas.

I then talked to one of the guys about his plans for the future, which also involve him moving out of state in the next couple of months. There have been a lot of these conversations lately. I then got into another conversation about the difficulties with getting your ID, and then this one moved on to a conversation about tattoos, graphics, cars, and custom cars.

Once service started we had a small party outside for my buddy with his family. He looked adorable! He loved his presents and was soon running around with a balloon tied to his arm, spraying people with his water gun.

I ended the night having a conversation with a gentleman about religion, spirituality and philosophy. This was the first time we met and I am really looking forward to more conversations with him.

Day 248

Jiten and I started our Labor Day holiday off with meal deliveries for Open Hand. We had a couple of stops at different apartment buildings, and had all but one meal delivered successfully!

We got a lot of "thank you's" from the residents and a few minutes of exchanging pleasantries with everyone - sometimes that's the only interaction they have for the day, so we both make sure to always spend the time doing that.

Once we were done, we headed back. We made our deliveries in less than 2hours, thanks to my impeccable direction-giving!

Day 240

Before leaving to go out of town this evening, I stopped by SafeHouse for a few hours.

The weather was perfect to hang out on the lot and there were so many conversations to have! I started with conversations about the weekend and what people did; we chatted about technology and society's "obsession" with it (specifically cellphones). I talked to one gentleman who was reading a book - he said that was his way of pulling away from the chaos that is sometimes on the lot.

I also met some new people - one called me over to talk, he remembered me from a few weeks back when we passed out socks in the park; another said he is at SafeHouse most nights but that he usually sits quietly by himself - I'm really going to try find him in the crowd so I can at least say hello :)

I ended my night there with dropping off some deodorant - hopefully take some to pass out the next time I am there.

Day 233

I spent the evening at SafeHouse enjoying the usual conversations with different people. The gentleman who was not doing so well a couple of days ago is in a better, positive mood, so we chatted about work, our like/dislike for weekends - he says there's nothing to do on the weekends because most public places are closed, so he does not like weekends.

As the conversations continued, the evening wore on, and there was no sign of today's church group. A group who had passed food out elsewhere this afternoon drove by SafeHouse, saw the crowd of people, and asked if they could hand out their leftover food to the people here. Of course we said YES! Some food is always better than no food. So the group came in, got the meals together, and did a quick service before handing out the meals. Since it was what was left from their previous service, there weren't enough meals for everyone, so a lot of people had to go elsewhere tonight. But they were all still grateful to the group that just showed up!!

I know this is difficult, but I want to find a way to always have a Plan B - all ideas are welcome!! :)

Day 229

The weather was PERFECT for walking around the city.

Lablanc and I headed out this evening to pass out subs, water, and socks to our friends in the city. We started off at Hurt Park handing out food and talking to some people who come to SafeHouse most nights. These guys were so grateful because they hadn't gotten any food today. We talked about vampires, food, the weather. Another group of us talked about living on the streets, sleeping on the streets, people who are homeless stealing from one another, the atmosphere at one of the shelters - this conversation was really informative for me, especially some of the details on living at a shelter. The guys also talked about the service held at Garnett Station and the chaos that it usually is. Before we left here I got to see something wonderful - one of the guys asked another if he had eaten yet. The second responded that he hadn't. The first then told him what food he had and offered it to the second - he made my day, and I thanked him for being so generous :)

We moved on to a popular church spot and saw some more familiar faces. Here we met a gentleman who goes to Home Depot early each morning in search for a job as a day laborer. He also talked a little about the things he sees from sleeping out on the streets. From there we walked down Peachtree, handing out socks to people that needed a pair, and made it back all out of food, water, and socks!

It takes so little to make a difference, and this random giving was amazing - can't wait to do it again!

Day 228

I had a tough day at SafeHouse today.

Hema and I made it there after work this evening. We started with talking to a gentleman across the street from SafeHouse. We talked about work, family, hunting, food. He and I always have a good time talking and he gets most people laughing, so we had a fun conversation.

Once inside we caught up with some of the regulars, got asked if we were twins, and got to watch a playful game of basketball. We also got to talk to one of the guys about relationships, his most recent heartbreak, and how each person moves on in a different way.

After that, my night became a little stressful. Tomorrow there won't be a group serving (that's twice this week and we're not even half way through the week!). Apparently there are going to be some changes at SafeHouse and, for a variety of reasons, the nightly impact service may no longer be every night. I know people will find elsewhere to eat, but will they have a place to go where they can be themselves, where they don't have to sit through service to get a meal, where they can socialize, play games, just chill out and still get a meal? I don't know. What can I do about it? Not sure, but for now I'll take meals to whoever I can...so for tomorrow's giving I am going to try take some meals to the park. If you're interested in helping, let me know :)

Day 211

Had a wonderful day of giving! Started with shopping for back packs and school supplies for Back Pack Explosion at SafeHouse - more about that next week though! Then went to SafeHouse for the evening; it's been a while since I did a full evening there and I really enjoyed it!

Of course there were lots of conversations! Talked about tattoos - do they hurt, the different dyes, patterns, details. Talked to someone else about being real, how/why we feel disrespected, comfort levels, and stepping out of your comfort zone. There was another conversation about cover letters and resumes; I read over his cover letter and gave some feedback.

I ended the night with clean up and the gentleman who always helps was there too so we did our thing - cleaned the lot and the street, stacked chairs, caught up with each other (since we hadn't been there at the same time in a while), and had a good conversation.

Looking forward to going back tomorrow!