Help For Humans ~ HelpForHumans.org - Backpacks For The Homeless

It turned out it was a homeless person taking shelter from the sleety rain under the bridge. I was also reminded of a homeless man who died of hypothermia during the flood last year. I talked to the rescue squad member who pulled him out of the water, who told me that the mans hand was wrapped so tightly around a metal bar that they had to pry it off, before they could pull him into the boat.

There are thousands of churches in Chattanooga. Considering Christ's message while he was here, it is really a sad testament that anyone should ever die here from hunger or from the cold, or even that anyone should BE hungry or cold. All those hundreds of thousands of Christians going to church each weekend, and there are still people going hungry and freezing to death in this town. It occured to me that day, that it doesn't do much good to feed people one day, and then have them freeze to death the next night under a bridge.

Backpacks for the homeless means buying a used backpack for $1.50 at the thrift store, purchasing low cost life sustaining items to fill up the bag with and carrying it around in your car until God shows you someone who needs it. It DOESNT mean going to wal-mart and buying a bunch of new stuff. Spending a large sum of money on ONE backpack is the antithesis of this idea. The crux, the beauty and the fun of this idea is to shop at dollar stores and thrift stores for used goods, which will allow your dollar to go further, thus allowing you to help more people. You can also easily purchase most of the items needed to stock a bag on your regular grocery run to Bi-Lo.

It was never my intention, to do this alone. The only way this can truly be a great ministry to the poor, is if lots of people do it. If every Christian in Chattanooga, constantly carried a bag with food and blankets in the trunk of their car, no one would ever be hungry or cold in this town. It is cheap and easy to do. How many times have you seen a homeless person sitting by the side of the Hamilton Place exit with a sign in his hand? I have, and it made hopelessness well up inside of me. It made me want to get out and say hello, but I didn't have time in the traffic. I didn't want to give money, because I didn't want to support alcoholism or drug addiction. This ministry is a cure fo the unanswered desire to reach out to that unreachable person. I feel that I can surely put my car in park long enough, even in traffic to throw this person a pack.

Being a web Junkie, the first place I went was EBAY. I knew, without a doubt, that I had to have wool blankets. That brought to mind army blankets, which are plentiful and cheap. Wool is necessary because it dries quickly, is extremely warm, and will keep you warm, even if it is wet. After not too much looking, I was able to buy 20 wool army blankets for $2.70 each. The next step was to decide what else to put into the bag.

For winter inclusion, a definite must have is a tarp. You can't buy these used, but you can get them cheaply at wal or k marts. An 8x10 foot tarp combined with the blanket can provide shelter and/or warmth in even the coldest or wettest weather. If it is freezing, zero or below, you can roll up in the tarp with the wool blanket, and most assuredly survive. In wet weather, it can be used to make a lean-to, to keep the rain off. On sunny warm days, it can be used as a ground cover, or shelter from the sun.

So, it came down to this in my winter bags =

Other things you might possibly include could be empty garbage bags, a wash cloth. Be sure to leave out anything containing alcohol. This would include mouthwash, deodorant, or disinfectants. Lots of people have asked me what to put in for summer. I will still include the blanket and the tarp, both are still useful in the summer. You might think of replacing the warm clothes with more food. More food is always a good alternative. Remember to put in food that is high in protein. While it is a nice idea to give candy bars or crackers, this kind of food does not go far to fill the void. It's only a temporary fix, and this is not what they need. Neither does vegetarian food do much for the average homeless person. While many of us might object to the use of animals as food, it has been my experience that given a choice, most homeless people will go for the meat every time. So I choose to fill my bags with protein and fat containing foods, thus the beef stew, tuna in oil and sardines. I throw in the canned fruit because many of these people are suffering from a vitamin c deficiency. Also, while these backpacks are only $1.50 at the American Family Thrift Store, I have found that you have to be careful to look for backpacks whose zippers and straps are not broken and don't have any holes.

Safety is a concern. If you are a woman, it is very possible to do this ministry and still be safe. Remember, never go into unsafe or dark places alone. But we often encounter the homeless in places like the shopping mall or the coffee house. In such public places, I think it is entirely ok to feel safe giving one of these bags to a homeless person. If you see a homeless person on the side of the road, I would feel safe pulling over to the side of the road, tossing out a bag, giving a wave and going on my way. Remember, always, use your good judgement, listen to the spirit and let it be your guide. If you do feel uncomfortable around someone, there is no reason why you have to stop or get drawn into a conversation. Drop your pack or hand it to the person, smile, say "God Bless" and walk on.

This does not have to be something just for Christians. If you are not a Christian, and you still want to pursue this practice, leave out the Bible. Help is help, no matter your beliefs.

And remember, don't just throw money at this idea. Don't buy new. Allow yourself to experience the joy of futzing through the resale shop. You can make 100 backpacks from the resale shop for what you would pay for 10 from Walmart. The idea here is to provide the most help, to as many people as possible without putting more garbage in cans, while reusing and recycling. If you want to do it, use your common sense and make your dollar go as far as possible. Search for free things if possible, pack your pack for the season, and remember to imagine what it would be like to sleep under a bridge when it's 10 degrees outside.

One night, about two months ago, I was about to go out to grab a sandwich at Quidoba. As I was walking toward the door, the holy spirit whispered in my ear "throw a backpack in the back of your truck." Being the obedient servant I am, I said "Yeah, whatever, that's crazy" and went on my way. I had four backpacks ready, in my spare room, to be given away. I went, ordered my food, sat down and ate. After eating, I walked outside. It was about 38 degrees, cold, and raining. As I walked past the corner of the building, there, standing under the slight shelter of the eave were two people. A man and his wife, who had just driven up from Atlanta to "get out of the city." I stopped to talk to them, and asked if they could use a blanket. They were both shivering with hoods pulled up tight against their faces. The man shook his head yes. I told them to wait, drove home and got two of my backpacks. It was at that moment I realized that this is something that God has really meant for me to do.

Many people don't want to help the homeless. We've all heard the reasons.. They're just going to sell it and buy drugs. Why doesn't he get a job? I work, why should he live for nothing? Well, you know what? All of that is true. They should get jobs. They should check into rehab. They should do a lot of things. The fact is though that when Christ said that the first would be last and the last would be first, what he was really saying is that we are ALL GUILTY. The 60 year old man who took my first backpack that night, standing on market street in the rain, grabbed me and hugged me tight with both arms and he was crying. Another good reason to show love and compassion to the homeless is because Christ loves them, just as much as he loves us. It's the people who suffer and come out of the darkest places who are most appreciative of the light.

Yesterday, a homeless man climbed up on the edge of the Market St. bridge and threatened to kill himself, within eyesight of the spires of two churches. He was up there for hours, refusing to come down. When the negotiator finally got him to come down, he did it under conditions that he be given a warm jacket and a subway sandwich. It's a travesty that this man should want to die within eyesight of two churches over the lack of a sandwich and a coat. Sometimes it doesn't take much to improve ones outlook on life. Sometimes the hand of human kindness reaching out can shine a light into even the darkest place.

If you have questions or suggestions please email.


	The idea for Backpacks For The Homeless came to me when I was watching Andy Fazio of Food Not Bombs feed people in Miller Plaza in Chattanooga. I was watching them eat food brought by Andy Fazio and a couple of churches. As I watched them eat, thought about how cold it had been the previous week, almost zero degrees. I began to think about what it might be like to live under a bridge when it's zero degrees outside. Also that same week, I had driven with a friend and parked under the Hwy 27 overpass next to the river. We sat there talking, watching the water and eating subway sandwiches. I had my door open, it was dark outside. Suddenly this pile of garbage bags next to me rolled over and sat up and looked at me.