. . . Longtime, no hear. We hope you missed us last week. We just got caught up with all sorts of stuff. . .  | | Sr. Mary O'Neill shares a few words with dinner celebrants as she and Sr. Norma Carney accept our first-ever Dorothy Day Award. |
If you weren't at the Dorothy Day Dinner on the 17th, you missed a really nice event. About 120 of us gatheredto remember and celebrate the life of DorothyDay, and to give thanks to a great group of dedicated women who have devoted their lives to serving "the least among us." It was a great mix of those who have much and many who have nothing sharing food, fellowship and fun. If that wasn't enough, we were able to raise enough money to keep Our House open for another couple of months! Click here for more about the dinner including photos and other good stuff. 0 0 0 0 0 One of our great joys is that more and more folks are stepping up to the plate [literally] to help us provide meals for 50 to 60 people who walk through our doors when there's nowhere to get a meal. Of course, that has given us another need - we need a chest or upright freezer in which to store donated soup, chili, and other food until the time of need. If you've got one you'd be willing to part with, please call us at 845-391-8890. 0 0 0 0 0 Now that we mention it, we're also in the market for a twin mattress for a friends who has been sleeping on a box spring for the past couple of months. If you've got a gently-used one you can spare, please give us a call at that same number - 845-391-8890. 0 0 0 0 0 Speaking of stuff - we've got a lot of stuff we want to part with. That's why this Friday and Saturday from 9 to 3, St. Ruth will be hosting a yard sale here at the Hope Center, 85 Grand Street. Come by and help yourself! (If you've got stuff you'd like to part with, you might bring it over and we'll sell it for you . . . |
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Saved lives and pebbles in the pond
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Reuben: Our House actually saved my life.
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"Our House actually saved my life 'cause I was sleeping under a bridge," said Reuben as he told the story of how he came to the drop-in center run by your ministry. "It's not easy but it's somewhere safe and warm."
Reuben's a soft spoke middle aged man who is always willing to help out. In fact, he helps keep Our House running smoothly and safely through the night. "It's alright except for the snoring," he smiles.
Our new friend is on disability which means he has an income, but not enough of one for him to afford a decent place in which to live and still have enough money left over to buy the very basic necessities. That seems to be the way it is for people who make it through what seems to be a rigorous screening by the Social Security Administration. If they're "lucky" enough to qualify for benefits, they get $700 or $800 a month and they're allowed to earn a bit more working one or two days a week.
I don't know how Social Security came up with those numbers. I'm sure there's some logic behind them just as there is some certain logic behind the basic shelter allowance offered by Social Services to those who have fallen on hard times. In Orange County, the basic shelter allowance for a family of three is $421 per month; the fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $998. How, one asks, does that make sense?
I am reminded on one of the verses in Sunday's gospel reading about phony-baloney religious leaders (Matthew 23:1-12): "They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them." We - you and me . . . our state and nation - have laid some heavy burdens on those least able to bear them and seem unwilling to lift a finger to make things better. We look down our noses as the down-and-out, blame them for being in the situation they're in, throw them a bone in terms of support and services then pat ourselves on the back and take the best seats at the banquet table.
It's frustrating to be in the midst of the struggle and not be able to "fix" things. There's no reason why folks like Reuben should be sleeping under a bridge and think they've taken a giant step because they get to stay at a place that's not supposed to be in business.
But that's also a part of the craziness - we're glad we're in business, we're glad for every one of the 50 or 60 people who come through the doors that your contributions help keep open. And, we're reminded by Dorothy Day that "We can throw our pebble into the pond and be confident that its ever-widening circle will reach around the world."
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