Poisoning the Homeless

One of the things that has shocked me the most since moving to San Diego is the number of homeless people we come across on a daily basis.  Now, I am not new to the fate of the homeless or even surprised that they exist in great numbers here – I am well aware of our mild weather – but I am completely floored by just how many homeless persons there are.  And it makes me sad. 

When I was a child my father worked in downtown Los Angeles, as in right next to the freeway with a locked security gate around the property part of downtown Los Angeles, and the darker side of life was hard to miss whenever we'd visit.  Then, to take it one step further, whenever we had out-of-town company who wished to see the majesty of Hollywood (ha, ha, ha!!!) my father would always give them, and by proxy us, a driving tour of all the “hot spots” followed by a secondary tour through the streets one block over where once empty lots had become tent cities and shopping carts held more personal belongings than a U-Store complex.  So, again, I am not new to the fate of the homeless, I am just bothered that there are so many in need and so little I am able to do to help them.

I was raised, perhaps very stereo-typically, that giving cash to a homeless person was not “good” and that it was far better to provide a service or a gift than a dollar.  The reasoning?  Well, there are several thoughts…        1) You should never show your wallet in public as it is an invitation to thieves thus pulling out money to donate on a street corner is a poor idea.  2)  Although the recipient may honestly need food or drink, there is no guarantee they will use the money you give for that purpose thus it is better to cut out the middle man and simply supply the food or drink rather than cash.  3)  Jesus never gave cash to a stranger – oh, wait, that isn’t really a real reason… I think that might just be a good excuse for those not really wanting to get their hands dirty…  Sorry.  Regardless, when you grow up in “the city” there are unfortunately safety protocols you have to take in stride in order to protect your own well-being as much as possible, but that doesn’t mean you have to live like a blind hermit unaware of anyone else’s need.

Since moving back to Southern California, there have been many conversations in my car about the “people with signs” we pass at almost every intersection – some areas more heavily populated by posters than others.  It is difficult for my kids to understand why anyone would not have a bed to sleep in at night, why anyone would need to carry all of their belongings with them in a grocery cart or backpack, why anyone would be asking for donations of camping gear so they can have a bit of shelter, or why anyone would need to ask for money from perfect strangers to eat even one meal in a day.  I am thankful that my children do not live a life that makes these realities their own realities, but it is also important to me that they understand that this could be anyone’s reality but by the Grace of God.  (An entirely unique type of lesson to teach to children who once lived in the Chinese orphanage system by the way…)

So what do you do?  How do you demonstrate the love of Jesus when there are SO many in need and you have very little to offer?  How do I show my children how to be Jesus to the least of these while respecting those safety protocols that they sadly must embrace as part of city life?  How does our little (okay, BIG) family make a difference beyond impersonal donations to Goodwill or placing canned goods in the box at church?  Well, one easy way is to directly interact with any given person in need and poison them, of course.  Okay, so you don’t actually poison them, but you do what you can and provide what you’re able and let God take care of the rest.

Let me explain…

Every Tuesday I am privileged to have lunch with my four-year-old daughter.  This may seem a silly statement as she is at home with me all the time, but it is a special treat for us that after our Tuesday morning appointment each week, we go out to eat.  Just the two of us – no errands, no agenda, no interruptions.  Just a little block of time, set aside each week, for her to have Mom’s complete attention and feel like she is the belle of the ball.  Can we afford a big fancy meal?  Of course, not, but luckily my belle really likes chicken nuggets and there are several value menus out there that help me along in this endeavor so for less than $15 a month we have a great mom-daughter bonding tradition.  And who can beat that, right?

Well, the point of all of this is that the street corner right outside one of those value menu locations is almost always inhabited by someone without a home holding a sign...  “Homeless Vet.  Please help."  “Will work for food.”   "Anything helps.  Thank you.”  And across the street and on the median in the middle of the road there is always at least one other person with at least one other sign.  And this is not in some “seedy” part of town, or near a tent city, or even near the proverbial alley.  It just is what it is here in San Diego.

So, what is one to do?  How, again, do each of us do something beyond conveniently turning our heads to the side and pretending we don’t really see the raw need and blatant humility of those willing to put themselves out there asking for help from complete strangers? 

Well, one day I just decided to help.  Being the don’t-give-money girl that I am, one Tuesday morning after we finished our food we happily ordered another meal to go which we promptly delivered to the nice man standing on the sidewalk adjacent the exit driveway.  And you know what, for less than $4, my daughter got the thrill of a lifetime as she handed a simple hamburger, salad and bottle of water to a man she will probably never see again in her life.  And for those five minutes I got to witness my daughter display the genuine heart of Jesus for no other reason than meeting someone else’s need because we were blessed to be able to do so.

Now, yes, I know, someone out there will criticize me for “poisoning” the homeless, not to mention my daughter, by feeding them fast food.  And there's a list a mile long of how the value menu is evil and people should focus on organic or prairie-raised meals.  But I’m pretty sure that if He were standing alongside us Jesus would be okay with what we’re doing.  Sure, going into a grocery store provides the opportunity to bring out fruit or orange juice or a deli sandwich for the man or woman sign-holding on the sidewalk, but sometimes taking advantage of the time and place is more important than scoring high on the “proper behavior” monitor.

Today my daughter and I sat at that same local restaurant watching a woman at that very same exit driveway location holding a sign while monitoring her backpack and one reusable shopping bag most likely containing every possession she has beyond the clothes on her back.  I had already decided that once we were finished eating we would again purchase a meal to deliver on our way out, but then something amazingly awesome happened.  Someone else beat us to it!  Before we could do our thing, a woman walking across the parking lot heading to Starbuck’s for a latte stopped to talk to the woman with the sign and invited her into the restaurant to order absolutely anything she wanted off the menu and then sat and had a conversation with her while she ate.  Humbled beyond measure the woman ordered a mere dollar drink and sandwich, but the message from the giver was clear.  YOU ARE LOVED.  YOU ARE IMPORTANT.  IT IS MY PLEASURE TO SHOW YOU JESUS.

So, yes, perhaps fast food is poison.  And, yes, perhaps I will someday go to my grave sorry that I willingly and knowingly put such food into my own child let alone perfect strangers, but right now I will continue to enjoy the tradition of one-on-one time with my daughter and look for more opportunities to deliver free lunches to those in need.  How about you?  The next time you are driving along and see an “Anything helps” sign, will you be willing to spread a little of His love too?  It doesn’t take much, just a couple dollars at the drive-thru can provide an eat-now-or-later meal, and it’s a gift that is life-sustaining in a completely different way – to the recipient and to you.  Because you know what?  Sometimes you just have to let Jesus use you where you are - even if it means ordering from the value menu.

Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.  Proverbs 14:31