The face of homelessness is young, old, in between
By Carrie Coppernoll
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Published: January 8, 2009
From left, Steve Gilley, Wayne Bradbury, Carrie Coppernoll, Josh Iles and Teresa Rupe serve dinner at City Rescue Mission in Oklahoma City. PHOTOS BY JOHN CLANTON, THE OKLAHOMAN
Editor’s note: Carrie Coppernoll’s yearlong series "A Year of Giving” focuses on volunteering. It is published Thursdays.
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Jan 7Carrie Coppernoll shows us what volunteering at City Rescue Mission...
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The City Rescue Mission
City Rescue Mission is a shelter providing emergency assistance and long-term recovery programs for homeless adults and children. Volunteer opportunities include tutoring and mentoring children and adults, data entry, housekeeping, emergency repairs, medical and dental work and kitchen duties. For more information, call 232-2709 or go to www.cityrescue.org.
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Many faces
I thought the face of homelessness was a grizzled old man who’d spent years on the streets. Turns out, the face of homelessness is also a tan-haired boy barely tall enough to see over the counter.
I served baked beans in the shelter’s dinner line as part of my series "A Year of Giving.”
The first people to make their way through the City Rescue Mission meal line were families in the Bridge to Life program, designed to help parents get back on their feet. Then came the volunteers. Then women. Then men.
Bearded men hid under layers of sweatshirts, jackets and torn overalls. One man smiled down at the food line with powder-blue lips. Men my age avoided making eye contact with anyone. Men my grandfather’s age gazed into space.
Some of the adults are regulars, said Steven Gilley, a kitchen volunteer who served beef tips next to me. But he’s seeing many more new faces as the weather and economy turn cold.
Looking for hope
The regulars and the new folks don’t just come to the mission for food, kitchen manager Wayne Bradbury told me. They come for solace, camaraderie and hope. Bradbury feeds more than 1,000 meals a day, but, he said, "Man cannot live by bread alone.”
As I found out, children cannot live by bread alone, either.
Related Topics:
Social Issues, Homelessness
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I'm inclined to agree with you. My wife and I have a toddler, and I can't imagine what it must be like to wander the streets of OKC in freezing weather looking for food and shelter. I agree it is abusive to tow a child around during freezing weather.
For the grace of God, I'm not in those shoes. I guess I don't know what I'd do if I were. I'm sure I'd find a way to give my toddler and family the shelter and care even if it meant leaving them in good hands while I looked for a job.