The Spirit of Giving

This is the time of year when everyone looks to give to others. The holidays have a dramatic effect on people and I am no exception. I celebrate Christmas and my birthday is coming up very soon. Recent tweets by Jeff Shuey and Lotay Yang have inspired me! My mind is racing, contemplating what effort I might be able to do in celebration of my birthday and Christmas?! I would give anything to be able to organize an effort for a van to be donated to Cross and Crown Church so they can help the homeless! But that sadly is expensive and probably not as realistic a short-term goal at this time. So then what would be?! Perhaps I could organize a Christmas party and/or gifts for the homeless–maybe local businesses might be willing to donate? Gift certs and gift cards, free meals, gas cards, auto repair, clothes, shoes/boots…??? Maybe I could open a special PayPal account? I want to do something special for everyone! What can I do?!

A big thank you to Cross and Crown Church

Each and every Saturday of the year the volunteers with the Ministry of Hope at Cross and Crown Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois, serve a feast for the homeless and low-income of the area. Approximately 50 to 70 people enjoy the hot breakfast and lunch each week. Many partake in the opportunity to attend a worship service.

The volunteers and pastors of Cross and Crown are a gift from God to the homeless. They live from their hearts, offering smiles, joy, friendship, hope and support to all who need. They serve delicious meals, give clothing, bikes, and more. They give transportation to and from the church in a church member’s van. The Ministry of Hope is NOT even part of the church budget–all costs come out of their own pockets!

The Ministry of Hope volunteers are absolutely amazing! I honestly don’t know how such a small church can do so much for so many! Some may remember that it was this same church that was vandalized around Christmastime. There was an outpouring of support from communities all around, including an awesome new Christmas tree to replace the one that was damaged by the vandalism.

I felt glad that this church was able to celebrate Christmas and feel the warmth of the community help that we homeless feel when we go to the Ministry of Hope on Saturdays. I hope to return the love and kindness someday by finding a way to help them myself, perhaps by finding them a new or used van of their own to give us rides in to and from the church. It would even grant the church the ability to give us rides to the church on Sundays so that we may attend the regular worship service–something many of us wish to do but can’t get to the church on our own.

View a pdf file about the Ministry of Hope.

Helping you help people like me

People frequently ask me how they can help the homeless.  There are millions of ways to help!  Here are just a few…

• Post in your church bulletin, on community bulletin boards, on Craigslist, etc, asking for room and board of a homeless person, house or other work in exchange for rent until the person has income.
• Offer resume help.  Look it over and give suggestions or help design a new one. Everyone is qualified to do this–it could be your own resume next.
• If you are spiritual, offer to say prayer.  Saying prayer on the spot can even do wonders for a person’s attitude!
• Give clothing, shoes, and accessories needed for job interviews.
• Buy the person a phone card to put minutes on their cell phone, if they have one.  Offer your own cell phone to make a phone call.  Tell the person about GOOG-411–a free phone directory service by Google, by simply calling 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411).
• Help the person set up a free email account online and teach how to use it.
• Help the person sign up and use job sites such as Hot Jobs.
• Assure the person is warm/cool enough during the day and at night according to climate.  Long underwear is always a hit in winter months in colder climates!!!  Check for a hat, scarf, and gloves.  Also wool and warm socks!  Hand warmer packets are good, but remind people that they can burn (especially people who have nerve damage).  Ask if they have a warm enough sleeping bag and blankets.  In warmer months, ask if they would like shorts, or for women perhaps skirts and casual dresses.
• Give camping essentials like a tarp to put on the ground to protect from dirt and moisture; a flashlight; batteries; eating utensil; 1-man tents or a large tarp with pegs to hold in the ground; a mini kerosene cooking stove (there are some that are single-use).
• Give transit tickets for getting to appointments, social services, or soup kitchens.
• Offer help getting laundry done.  Give them supplies. Some laundromats offer their own debit card that the machines use instead of coins.
• Offer non-perishable food like peanut butter (tip: Goober’s brand is peanut butter and jelly and needs no refrigeration), granola and cereal bars, canned goods, potato chips and “shoestrings”, juice and milk boxes or small bottles, water bottles,  powdered drink mixes, fruit rolls, foil-packaged meat and other food products, kipper snacks, beef jerky.  Ask if there is access to a microwave so you may buy microwave-ready foods, including everybody’s favorite, popcorn.  Ask about food allergies or dietary restrictions before you buy!
• Ask about health needs. For medication assistance, refer to programs for help and info like PatientAssistance.com, Partnership for Prescription Assistance, Rx Assist, Medicare Pharmaceutical Assistance Program, Rx Hope, National Conference of State Legislatures State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs.  Ask if the person has blood pressure and heart problems if they could use an automatic blood pressure monitor, diabetes supplies, or other health needs. Also think to ask if the person has a special diet or nutrition needs, including vitamins.
• Give store gift cards and certificates. Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreens, and other retail–even mall type stores like Kohls or Penneys would make a nice treat. Grocery, restaurant and coffee shop gift cards are also very good. If the person has a car, or gets rides from someone with a car, offer a gas card.

I hope these suggestions help.  I will try to add more from time to time and add these to my site.  I will also try to make list of pharmaceutical companies who have prescription assistance programs, as I am also in that need right now!  Please feel free to comment to this post, email me, or send me a tweet on Twitter if you have any other suggestions, questions or comments.

Free Stuff in Chicago!

According to a report From Red Eye’s Chicago Now, there are freebies to be had in Chicago!

Headwear Association at 1000 N. Lake Shore Drive by Oak Street Beach is giving away 100 sun-protective hats at noon today!

The Museum of Science and Industry at 5700 S. Lake Shore Drive has free general admission today!

Dunkin Donuts is offering a free 10-ounce latte on Sunday for Father’s Day!