Why I Blog on Mondays... "Rain or Shine"

If you've followed my organization, "The Feed the Homeless Tour" for a while, you probably already know the significance of Mondays.  If not, allow me to give you some background.

In 2011, shortly after relocating to Georgia, I decided to make everything I did with the homeless, (giving food, job referrals, hygiene items, helping find housing, etc.) an official organization. Back in Kentucky, I had done some volunteering and helping random homeless people, so naturally, once I became familiar with the city, I started doing what I could for people in Atlanta whenever I had the opportunity.

Eventually people started wanting to help and they became volunteers. I can't really say how we went from that to an official 501c3 with a business license to do what we had been doing for years; I can say it wasn't easy to get to that point. So many people would suggest it to me, it seemed like the way to go. Plus it made since that more people would support and larger organizations would help if I got incorporated, then we'd be able to help even more people.

  

We were able to do things on a much larger scale after branding our organization. Several different companies, including Denny's, Whole Foods, Krystal's, and Ultimate Donuts, just to name a few, would donate food to us throughout the week--Food that they would have eventually thrown out otherwise.  Thankfully many places saw the benefit of helping people in need rather than filling up their trash with perfectly edible food.

Every single Monday, come rain or shine (as our motto proclaimed), we would rise before the sun, package food into individual containers, and load up everything we had been donated to begin our journey to Hurt Park in downtown Atlanta for our weekly event.

I had promised my people I'd be there no matter what.  So, after several months of no setbacks or interference, we woke up to our first stormy Monday.  I knew there would probably be less volunteers due to the weather but I'd stressed many times "rain or shine", so I was determined to follow through on my word, even if myself, husband, and our kids were the only ones to help.  I promised my people in the park I would be there no matter what.  I reminded myself that when it storms, they have no where to escape the elements so who am I to hide indoors.  They'll be in that park no matter what and so would I.

I'll never forget that day, as we drove up to Hurt Park, I peered ahead through the storm only to see the relief and expectation on the faces of the people huddled under a tree in the rain.  My family and I jumped out of the car to begin distributing food and hygiene items as usual.  Immediately the people gathered around us attempting to shield us from the rain with their umbrellas.  One man walked up to me, looked me right in the eyes, and said these words...

"I knew you'd still be here."

Those words will forever resonate in my soul.  I cried and wrapped my arms around that man and responded, "nothing can stop me".  I knew the responsibility I had placed on myself to always be there for them every Monday.  Sometimes I'd show up randomly throughout the week if we'd get some extra donations, but I'd ALWAYS be there on Monday.

We experienced many obstacles over the years, even had some health issues on a Sunday night and insisted I get released from the hospital in time to get to my people in the park.  I got out just in time, IV entry wounds still fresh on my veins, but I had to be there.  I'd even gotten my teeth pulled one Monday morning and even though I couldn't talk, everyone knew I still had to be there, voiceless or not. I let my volunteers do all the talking that day.

Sometimes my people would say, "you don't need to be out here, you need to go lay down somewhere", but I wouldn't listen.  For years I let nothing stop us, funds ran low and I'd been struggling to keep my own head above water since during most of this time, unknown to many, my own family was living in the same car we would provide food from. I think in some ways insisting on being there for them every Monday was healing for me. I couldn't get my own family into a home, I didn't make enough money to even take care of us the way I wanted to, but by taking care of what ended up being hundreds every Monday, somehow it made me feel like I wasn't so much of a failure after all.  Somehow, focusing on other people's problems made mine seem small. Besides, there was something about being able to give to so many that made me feel rich.

So now here I am, writing a blog about my struggles with homelessness, my adventures with my organization, the stage production that has come out of it, the book and everything that is still to come; hoping to share some encouragement and inspiration with all who read it. I don't know which of us needs this blog more, me or my readers, but I know that it is extremely important that I am fully dedicated to writing it.  It is only the beginning of many things to come that will soon fund more assistance for more homeless people than I ever could have provided before... and that is why it is so important that I post a blog every Monday... rain or shine!

No matter how many people read this, there will always be that one who needs to read it... that one who says to me, "I knew you'd still be here".