Be Thankful For What We Have

A frost warning is on for our area tonight. I grabbed the last tub of tomatoes off the vine. If the warm July temperatures had held, I would even have more. There were marble sized tomatoes starting. 

Washed, drying and color coded for ripening in brown paper bags. 

And more peppers. The pepper plants are so healthy they look like overgrown bushes, profuse with leaves. And they are still flowering with more pepper buds. I have frozen so many peppers. 

Washed and drying. I then cored and seeded them, let them drain on a cooling rack and put them in ziplocks for what I am guessing will be weekly stuffed peppers. I am thinking of stuffing the baby ones with cream cheese, onion and sausage for appetizers at some point.  I have bags and bags of pepper strips on my freezer door, too. 

My dear husband remembered to grab the potted mums and put them to bed in the garage. I guess we are ready. 

I was asked to speak about my work on the county's Homeless Task Force last night. I said yes about a month or more ago and then the closer the date came, I started getting nervous. I tend to forget I don't really like to talk in front of groups I don't know and I forget I don't like to drive at night.  But, of course, it all went just fine. And then once I start talking, I can't stop and I don't want them to bring out a hook.  I wrote my speech that morning and tried to remember to look up at the crowd. 

I was speaking to a ladies church group who are focusing on the Corporal Works of Mercy. (Matthew 25:35-46) I was the "shelter the homeless" month. I gave a brief speech about the goals of the group, the challenges, and what we are looking at for the future. Basically we are just trying to put our finger in the holes of the dike since any type of solution will require huge amounts of cash and expertise that we don't have.

I think in a small rural community it is hard for people to realize the extent of the problem. Our homeless are hidden.  They are sleeping in vehicles, visiting 24 hour establishments, sleeping in campers or tents when weather permits, and "couch surfing", staying on friend's and relative's couches until they are forced to move to another location. A teacher I know has a student who is part of a family with 4 children and a mom who has been living in a camper on a relative's property. They are hooked up to power but have to go into the house for water and restroom.  

There are so many reasons people are homeless. In our community many stand alone rental houses were sold when housing prices rose. Many rentals became Airbnb locations since we have nearby vacation spots. Landlords can make more just renting in the summer to tourists than year round to families.  Working poor have been priced out of the market with lack of units and higher rents. Apartments that used to accept assistance like Metro have become private. Landlords don't have to meet housing standards and do the repairs that metro requires because people are willing to pay full rental for units with issues.  And then we have a segment of people who are just unable to navigate life and housing on their own. 

We do have "warming" shelters in my area. Basically cots in the meeting room at the police station where people (including families) can spend the night in bad weather. And it is a catch 22 as they might not seek shelter at a police station, yet the police station is safe and there are people there 24/7. We have two locations with showers available. We have a donation program for a program at a local laundromat for washing of clothing during a certain day and time. We have lists of food pantries and church that provide free meals. 

I shared the story of a woman that my own church organization helped last winter. She was a couch surfer, in her 50's and disabled, who had qualified and found a metro approved unit with affordable rent. She told me how uncomfortable it was to use someone else's bathroom to shower. You had to be careful not to use their shampoos or soaps, or personal items. She always felt in the way. The first thing she was looking forward to was to showering in her own shower in her own apartment.

I don't know where I am going with this. Except tonight is a night I am worried about people who don't have a home in my community. Do they have blankets? Do they have a place to go? Did they have dinner tonight?  

I should mention the ladies group had each member bring laundry detergent to donate to a woman's shelter in our area as part of their corporal works of mercy program.