Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week

November 12th marked the start of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.

Today, we want to focus on the homelessness aspect.

In the United States 580,000 Americans are homeless on a typical night. 1 in 6 children live in poverty and 44 million people are at risk of suffering from hunger. With Thanksgiving coming up, and colder weather around the corner, now is a great time to begin gathering canned goods and other warm materials to donate to those in need.

So, imagine that you've lived for years. Laughed, cried. Created memories. Now, imagine, for whatever reason, that you lose your job, and by extension- your home. You lack a strong support system. You are forced to forego the traditional 21st-century experience, and instead live on the streets. I can think of few things more stressful and all-encompassing than fighting homelessness. But imagine; you sit alone, surrounded by thousands, and as you struggle through one of the most difficult human experiences, those thousands of people who pass you by each day rationalize their complex moral quandaries regarding your existence, by pretending you don't exist. Nearly all of them walk right by you, rain or shine. After months of no stability, and thousands of people treating you like you aren't there, I think your mental state would deteriorate too.

With all this being said, if you’ve never experienced homelessness or hunger, or felt its effects, take time to empathize with individuals who do go through this struggle. Every human, despite their status, deserves to feel human. Even if the only thing you can muster to say is, "I'm sorry, I don't have any money," consider saying it regardless. You never know what a lifeline to someone could be who feels like they have lost everything, and no longer exist.