When you don't have a lot, you are thankful for everything. Two of our Capernaum Place residents, grateful for the abundance they have in their lives, a warm home and plenty of food, decided to share their 'holiday food box' with others less fortunate.
Unconcerned for their own safety, they heated up the meals, separated them into single servings and traveled to a bridge in Lawrence where a small group of homeless people live. They handed out the meals and were about to leave when a woman joined them from under a makeshift shelter. She asked for some of the food they were sharing and started to tell them her story.
The woman explained that as a drug addict for many years she recognized her life was going nowhere, she was depressed and had lost the energy or the will to survive and had decided to commit suicide. The two visitors sat with her, fed her, and talked about the challenges in their own lives. They explained that they knew first-hand that there really were people who cared because so many had helped them when they needed it.
Marie, who was distributing food that evening, shared that less than a year ago she was homeless after leaving an unsafe situation; she was also eight months pregnant! Scared, and on her own, Marie was referred to Lazarus House and soon moved into one of our transitional housing apartments (Capernaum Place) right before the baby was born. The homeless woman listened closely and heard in Marie's tale a message of hope for a second chance. She agreed to be driven by them to Lawrence General Hospital emergency room to begin the detoxification process from drugs.
A week later Marie reached out to Hazel Navarro, Capernaum Place social worker, to ask if it would be possible to get clothing and toiletries from one of the thrift stores. The woman they brought to the hospital was transferring to a nearby 30-day treatment center and didn't have anything to wear. Touched by the story, Hazel delivered the much needed clothes the next day.
As soon as Hazel entered the room she was wrapped in a heartfelt hug; this formerly homeless woman was clean, smiling and optimistic about her continued sobriety. Hazel recalled, "She thanked me repeatedly, but I had done nothing. It was our two residents that convinced her to get help. It made me think about how often the guests we serve at Lazarus House show their appreciation and thank the staff for help. However, it is really the wonderful people who donate food, clothing and money that deserve the recognition and should be able to see how much their gift benefited someone else."
Multiple levels of giving and acts of kindness all came together to aid this woman in need: The general community who held food drives for our 'holiday food boxes' and the many volunteers who assembled the boxes for distribution; the two residents of Capernaum Place who shared their dinner leftovers and story of hope; and, the individuals who gave clothes to the Lazarus House thrift store which wrapped a woman in despair in comfort and the knowledge that people cared.
These gifts of love came from many paths and were connected by many different levels before miraculously reaching under a bridge to pull a homeless woman from despair. These levels of love began with you . . . .
