Day 5- Food pantries, dreaming big and hot dogs

This morning started with the sounds of folks setting up tables next to our rooms so they could set up for the food pantry that happens twice a month.  Food from the food bank filled the whole hallway and another room held clothes and some of us helped the church members set up jars and jars of pickles and begin to hand them out to guests.  What a welcome atmosphere to hear folks pray "let us recognize the face of Christ in each of our guests" before they opened the doors and to have one of the church members give a guest a ride home when she asked.  The food pantry has joined other church outreach programs to help the church get to know the neighborhood and to begin to foster racial reconciliation in it.  Tasha has been hired to help the church through this process.  We got to talk to Pastor Eric Grayson and Tasha about the realities after the shooting of Walter Scott.  The mayor and police chief immediately responded to the shooting and arrested the police officer, but there has not been a lot more that has happened in the community since, in contrast to the activism in Baltimore.  Pastor Eric and I discussed the question that stuck with me from yesterday- is it better to deal with racial issues by having a public and contentious discussion or is it better to keep tensions down by dealing with issues swiftly and more "discreetly?"

After many days of hearing about the problems, it was great to start to hear about some hope and some ways forward from Anthony Haro from the Low-County Homeless Coalition and Sherrie Snipes-Williams from Charleston Promise.  Anthony gets to use statistics and a statewide database to help homeless service providers see the bigger picture and actually make regional decisions about ending homelessness.   And he spoke with such passion about how he actually believes that homelessness in Charleston can end.  That there are possibilities and ways to mobilize political will.   And Sherrie works with the Charleston Promise Neighborhood, a section of Charleston that they are pouring intensive energies and resources into so that in a generation, it will be "socially and economically indistinguishable from the rest of Charleston County."  They are creating wellness clinics in the schools to help working families, has a robust after-school program that gives students field trips and experiential learning like that their parents couldn't afford, and puts superior teachers in the schools and gives them the resources they need to excel.  They are moving on to jobs and housing next.  The whole larger community, through tons of partnerships, is involved in bridging the opportunity gap so that students with lower incomes have some of the same experiences as those who are more affluent.  There ARE possibilities.  There is a way forward.

And we talked to a retired pastor at St. Matthew's Lutheran about Next Step Barnabas Ministries (part of Barnabas Ministries that we would work with for the hot dog ministry later), which is a mentoring program for those looking to move forward toward finding jobs, housing, etc.  Volunteer mentors meet with folks to hear about their goals, then work with other folks to link them to services.  The mentees need to do the work to move forward, but the mentors listen, help make a plan forward and hold them accountable.  And to be their cheerleaders.  Because we all need cheerleaders and people who believe in us and help make the way ahead more possible.

And then tonight- after seeing the big picture, we met Wayne from St. Matthew's  Lutheran for the "hot dog ministry."  Under the overpass near an encampment of folks without homes.  About 100 folks in this encampment.  Every single day of the year, a different team of folks show up with a meal to serve to whoever comes- folks without enough money for food, those staying in shelters who want a better meal, those living in their cars or those in the encampment.  We handed out hot dog after hot dog to folks while other street outreach teams handed out toiletries and checked blood pressure. 

It was obvious that the folks cooking and serving knew these folks.  That they were a community with them.  And they did this even though they were there illegally- their permit to serve food in that location ran out over 3 weeks ago and may not renewed.  But people are hungry.  So they keep showing up- and I think they would be willing to be arrested if it came down to it- in order to keep feeding people that Jesus loves. The hot dog ministry started in 2008 when two college students felt convicted by their faith to feed those in need.  They started giving out free hots dogs on a vacant lot once a week and it has grown into a daily ministry. 

Wayne has been doing this ministry for the past 6 years.  He's a retired professor of pharmacy and family medicine and has made this a part of his life every Wednesday evening from 5-6pm.  And it is obviously something that matters deeply to him and, as he shared, comes directly out of his faith in our loving, healing Jesus.  Wayne has an ease of conversation with the folks there- they are friends in different circumstances, especially "Hat."  Hat cares for those newly homeless by showing them the ropes.  He also is a man willing to put his faith into words- he prayed mightily for us and for all those sleeping outside while in our prayer circle before we left.  It wasn't all perfect- there were folks that came who were battling addictions and clearly were not winning that battle and it was hard to see some of our brothers and sisters in such rough shape.  And all we did was eat some chili dogs together- nothing fancy, just food and a food line.  But it was given in recognition of another's humanity.  In recognition that our guests bore the same face of Jesus that we do.  It was a small thing, but it spoke to something larger.  We were a community.  And when one suffered, all suffered in some way.  And our shared humanity was more vital than our comfort in ignoring the needs.  And our shared humanity meant a student giving up his socks for one whose feet carried him through a hard life. 

Today was a day full of big things.  Of folks who were dreaming big dreams and helping us see the big picture of a way forward.  And it was full of small things- food pantries and hot dogs and mentoring.  And it was deeply hopeful- full of hope that things can change on a big scale and that the reality of Jesus' kingdom can break in- a kingdom where ALL people have what they need to live.   And it was also full of the hope that comes when human relationships are built and another's humanity is recognized.   It was a deep reminder that being brothers and sisters is hard, complicated, inconvenient and exhausting, but it is also where joy is found.  In community is where stories are shared.  Where we find purpose.  Where we learn about God in ways we couldn't on our own.  Where we practice the kind of love that God has for us.  And the kind of hope God has for us.  And where we learn to live into the future that God promises.