It's been a while since I started putting these together. The main holdup has been that money is tight. I'm renting a house now, and when I started I was paying the entire amount myself. I have one roomie moved in which has been a great financial relief, and will have another moved in soon.
However, people living on the street can't wait for help. They're suffering right now, and especially need help staying dry and warm in Oregon's rainiest season. It's said that April showers bring May flowers, but man...those showers...they can be brutal.
For this reason, as you can see, Care Package 4.0 has different contents than 3.0. It's tailored to seasonal needs, containing an umbrella, a poncho, a water proof mylar bivvy sack and hand warmers. There's also a Soylent liquid meal replacement in there.
They make great emergency food because they're shelf stable for a full year, they require no preparation and no cleanup. These care packages don't permanently solve any of a homeless person's core problems, but they do offer immediate relief.
So they are tailored to maximize the immediate relief that they provide. Relief from the rain and cold, and relief from hunger. I'd have liked to include power banks, shampoo, toothpaste and so on like Care Package 3.0 but the containers Target had were smaller than before.
Accordingly I couldn't fit as much. I also can't afford as much being that I am only just keeping my own head above water, but then we all feel that way, almost no matter how we're doing. If we let our fear that there isn't enough to go around stop us from giving, nobody would give.
Ten of them in total, as per the usual. Now that I know where and when the local grassroots charity Hot Soup for the Homeless meets, I'll have a much easier time of distributing these. I may give them five, but then personally distribute the other five.
After all, the supplies inside are only half of the relief. The other half comes from seeing that people still give enough of a shit to try to help you. That the world is not the bleak, brutal place it can appear from the lowest points in our lives, and that people are still basically good.
Anyways I'll do a followup post when I get around to handing these out. Every upvote helps me afford more supplies for the next round of care packages, so if you like what I'm doing, consider supporting it so I can keep it up. But also, I hope you're inspired to do this yourself.
When life is good to us, and delivers us an abundance, we can show our appreciation and recognition of that generosity by spreading it around. Not so much as to put ourselves out on the street too obviously, but every person who is doing well enough to be living indoors ought to be thinking "alright, now that I am taken care of, what about others?"
Anything at all you can do is an amazing achievement, because most people do nothing. What excuse can we give, if we have plenty for ourselves, but then have not even the smallest help to give when we come upon somebody worse off?
Never be caught empty handed, without anything to offer. You don't have to give much, you don't need to bankrupt yourself, anything at all is meaningful and useful. Do research what people experiencing homelessness need, and purchase supplies judiciously to maximize the benefit you can deliver per dollar, but don't despair if you can't afford to give much.
Like I said, half of the relief simply comes from discovering not everybody is desensitized to the struggle of the homeless. Not everybody has a cold, dead heart sitting like a lump of iron in their chest. The spirit of gentleness is still alive in you, isn't it? That fire still burns brightly in your chest, doesn't it?
Be invigorated, then! Don't just talk, do. It's not difficult to set aside some of your earnings for a project like this, and it will enrich your heart in ways that no fancy possession or vacation could ever hope to. That's an investment the value of which cannot be quantified, and which will still bring a smile to your face when you're old and grey.
Stay Cozy!
@alexbeyman,
Hat off for this work dude! As a full time STEEMIAN you are doing a great work! I mean no matter what's the price of STEEM, you are doing your charity works as it is! Respect that work friend!
Cheers~
I can understand this totally from my own experience since I have done a couple of humanitarian tasks for the homeless. Maybe it is not the solution but at least we are alleviating it day by day and that does make them happy!
very few people care about the homeless, the fact that you do it means a lot and they really appreciate it, you can tell by their faces!
the profits in Steemit can help A LOT in these cases, you just have to not be selfish and use this money for someone else and not for you.
"someone else" who really needs it very much
It amazing how taugh it must be now for you with Steem much lower and you still share what you make with others. Belive it or not, you always motivate me with posts like this. Just yesterday we had a snow in NY. Finaly tomorrow it should be around 60 which should be more helpful for people living on the streets. I always keep some change in case I see someone asking for anything. We never become poor by giving.
Do homeless people really need chargers and something like that?
I thought it should be warm clothes, some food. I'm thinking what would I include to my own health package.
They need to be able to power their smartphones, so they can access public wifi, so they can put in job applications online. Very few businesses accept paper applications anymore. The packages do include food (Soylent) and a poncho and bivvy sack for warmth and protection from rain though. Fitting a set of clothes in there would be difficult, then there's the issue of gendered clothing, sizes, etc.
How about searching for potential jobs for homeless people in your region and looking at the whole situation. They might don't even have a smartphone.
So you can print information with tips and put it in the box. There will be info about places where they can find help, free food, shelter or temporary job.
I think it can help a lot.
Even spreading of those flyers with information can help much more than limited care packages (Just my thoughts, I'm not sure. You have much more experience with helping homeless people).
I hope you be in much better financial situation soon so you can help more and more people in need. There are so many ways anyone can contribute. Admirable Alex
Wonderful project @alexbeyman!
Thanks @bashadow for dropping us a link in the #newbieresteem group.
I wish there was more I could do to help with the care packages, I have resteemed and will pass it on to a few groups I belong to, I think that what you are doing is a very good and humanistic thing, until I can help more you do have my heartfelt thanks for the aid and comfort you provide to those who are facing a difficult time in their lives.
That is bad ass.
This is an amazing thing that you are doing for these people! How do people issue donations for this? How can other people come together with you to help?
I cannot thank you enough for doing this in your community. The world needs more people like you in it, for the sake of our generations to come. With shit so damaged and people so self centered, it is incredibly hard to find a truly pure soul among the wreckage that once was humanity. Hats off to you for what you are doing @alexbeyman!
I am thrilled with this post, in the busy you still have time to share with others. An empathy of the steemit members who are practiced in the real world. I pray that you stay healthy and always be able to do this.
sometimes people forget things like this.
I note this is the second post you write to share with the homeless, I do not see in anyone else's post. a dedication and example we need to practice.
thanks for the example given and hopefully this can still continue.
greetings from indonesia to all stemian Australia
@muhammadabi
Thank @alexbaymen for vote my coment.
I feel very happy to be friends with you. as a technical person I learned a lot from your writing. thanks for the support and attention to me.
but one thing that I want to want from you is a vote on my post .. sorry if it is less pleasing.
thank you and best regards
I often upvote you. But here is some advice. On Steemit, it is considered bad manners to openly request upvotes. Most people, if you ask for upvotes, will be irritated and ignore you after that. The way to get upvotes (and follows) without asking is simply to write complex, thoughtful comments and articles. That will get you noticed.
thanks for the extraordinary reply from friends. this made a lesson for me. I've never asked for an upvote. posted. I never write, vote me or resteem. I really appreciate your input. and if allowed this reply I will make ide for my posting. that it is not very good to beg for a vote in steemit.
thanks for explanation and enlightenment @alexbeyman. I am very happy to be friends with you.
regards
I am happy to help. Many things about steemit manners are not obvious to people who have joined recently.
You have taught me the true philosophy of steemit. I hope you are healthy and happy with @amandarichard. regards
Thank you
Wonderful wonderful and wonderful i should say.... You really are man of novelity and you possess a great heart.... Charity is a step towards your own success..
Do you have a gofundme page?
This is great! I found your post through @bashadow, I too want to do this in my town, I have started getting things for the care packages, I would love to see if maybe there is anything you need help with I started the @stophomelessness, and although haven't gotten the initiative started just yet would love to maybe collab with you! Love what you are doing!
Collab how? Do you live in Oregon?
No I live in Indiana and meant like sending care packages your way also! Or items to put in the packages. Get the word out with you basically. It is an issue that needs more attention and I love that there are others out there who would like to see people who are in need, get those needs met.
That's a wonderful idea, but why not hand out those items in your own area? Oregon is not the only state with homeless people. Why not take matters into your own hands, where you live, and start to make and give out your own care packages?
That's really great..
If everybody was like this, the world would be a much happier place
these acts make this world alot better and happier
Wow dude! Great job! Even though most people will tell you they support projects like this, there are sadly only few people out there actually doing stuff like that. I for my self worked at a homeless shelter (in my country you can choose between military service or civil service and of course I decided to do civil service). If you see good hearted people struggling in life mostly only because of one bad decision you kinda really start to see your "problems" are none at all.
Bless your heart! You’re a great person for doing this.
No, I am adequate. Doing something small does not make one great, it only seems that way because most do nothing.
Exactly right. Most people just don’t care.
You indeed have a good heart for reaching out to the needy, may God bless you beyond messures.
Let's distribute them to some of the folks living alongside your bike trail ;-)
Wow, great work.Keep it up bro.
Wonderful work and very noble I am always helping the poor in my country
I call on everyone to help the poor because he is humane and noble
Thank you you are a really wonderful person
Inspiring
We are constituted so that simple acts of kindness, such as giving to charity or expressing gratitude, have a positive effect on our long-term moods. The key to the happy life, it seems, is the good life: a life with sustained relationships, challenging work, and connections to community.
If Soylent works I'm gonna order a couple, because when I'm on my maniac hard work streak I just don't have time to eat sometimes... And it's not good for health.
The thing Soylent is best at, which I discovered during a hellish 5 day flu, is that it's the only thing I can stand to eat (and keep down) while nauseous. It's totally inoffensive and goes down without a problem even when my body won't accept any other food.
Omg, what's that alien flu that made you not eat anything except Soylent lol.
Thank god I only had vague symptoms of flu but didn't get sick during the last year.
Alex - As a young boy, you are a good example to all of us... I know you are not a very rich person... But you are doing your best to help poor people... God bless you Alex...
+W+
Young boy? I'm 34.
Alex - Old boy you are :)
+W+
@bashadow talked about this article on the newbieresteem discord channel and decided to come and see.
It's really very nice of you to do this kind of thing for the homeless you know. And it's still more touching to know that there really are people like you who are willing to help the neediest.
This is an example for all people!
Thank you for everything you've done, and keep going! :D
A great thing your doing with these packages
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This is so nice and very thoughtful of you. There is one particular homeless man in a town back home that everyone will try to help. He does not accept any of it though. If you sit whatever it is next to him, he gets up and throws it away. He will not ever take clothes or shoes. Very rarely does he accept the food. Everyone still tries though. You have really motivated me to do this for the homeless near me. Great job!
You deserve $500 for this post not $5 ! I'm so happy to see this. You have my full respect for this project
this is such an important factor. When people hit hard times and end up homeless it becomes really easy to get frustrated and think you don't matter. From a system stand point - we really don't matter but when you get reminders like this that to individual humans, the homeless really do matter and have support well that means more, honestly. If more people took your stance we would see the homeless epidemic go into a momentous decline.
Its a beautiful thing youre doing! Great job! Upvoted and resteemed! :)
resteeming in the hopes that generosity can become contagious
Wow, those last few paragraphs tugged those heartstrings, massive respect for doing this. the world needs more people in it like you 👍 Upvoted + resteemed
just realised i can't resteem after 7 days... but the thought was there.