This week Jay and I serviced the community and as we drove around Orlando looking for people to help we came across two men within blocks of one another so our efforts were quickly accommodated! We met Mister 1 at the gas station as we were driving we spotted him sitting in the corner near the bushes with a few bags. We pull in and as I made contact with him he stood up and I approach him and ask if he was homeless and hungry, he said yes so I proceeded to get a care package from the gas station. We provide our homeless community with a banana, apple, gatorade, something warm to eat for lunch and $5 for dinner. After giving Mister 1 his package I asked how long he had been homeless and if he knew of any resources that could help him get off the streets? Mister 1 said he has been homeless for 3 years and knows of the local shelters in the area but is ok with living on the streets. He said he was a native of Florida and was from the Orlando area all of his life and knew of places and people if he wanted to get off the streets. He said he enjoys his freedom and does not want the controlled environment of the shelters in the area.
After speaking with Mister 1 we drove a few blocks to see Mister 2 who was holding a sign asking for money so we pulled over to assist. We approach him and tell him who we are and what we do and ask if he wanted assistance, after his acceptance we provided Mister 2 with a care package and get to know a little about why he is homeless. Mister 2 tells us he was put up for adoption as a child and when he was old enough he ran away from foster homes and orphanages because he didn’t like them and feels he has been homeless his entire life. He said he was Native American and his parents both died at 62 years old and he was turning 60 this week September 24th, 2020 and wondered if he would live longer than his parents. I asked him where he slept and got cleaned up at and he said the rain water and if he wanted to he could pay $10 a day to stay at the salvation army but he thought that was a waste of money since you could only stay there for a certain period of hours per day so he preferred to keep his money he earned from pan handling and sleep and get cleaned up on the streets. After speaking to them both we were thankful they shared their stories with us and we were glad we were able to brighten their day. We are always so thankful for all who donate which allows us to provide this service.
