“You don’t got no gloves?”
Tuesday morning, 7:45am, 57°F. Three things a southern Californian college student never wants to hear. A bit too reminiscent of the torturous high school days. However, on the 29th of October 2019, that’s what I had to overcome. The only thing not making me go back to sleep was the constant reassurance and fact that it was all for a greater purpose.
As part of my class, I was a part of a community engagement organization called Miracle Messages. Miracle Messages is a social services organization that works for the homeless to reconnect them to their families and/or friends by scouring the internet and making many phone calls on their behalf. On this day, we were going to Cardinal Manning Center: another social services organization that provides a shelter for the homeless, trains them and helps them apply for jobs so they can then leave the streets and be able to provide for themselves. We went to the shelter to record new cases and serve some breakfast on the side.
I braved through the cold and joined my professor and my other classmates at the set rendezvous. We then split up into two different cars to get to Cardinal Manning. As we drove, and as I was still waking up evident by me rubbing my eye, the settings and scenery continuously changed. We drove by a moderate neighborhood, then the Financial district next and then a couple blocks was a sizable homeless settlement made clear by the many encampments under the interstate highway. These rapid transitions in scenery are sort of unique to California as a whole. However, they evoke a sharp feeling of uneasiness as you see them in their numbers, wishing you could help yet not knowing exactly how. As the sun rose above us, I was personally faced with thoughts of not knowing exactly where my place is in their situation and how I could ever be of aid.
Once we arrived, we took out the food from the back and set up a table at the rear of the center. By this time, the other car had arrived, and they helped us bring the rest of the stock in. We then had a quick rundown of our goals before we started serving, and our professors stressed on the importance to “remember to be respectful and polite. We’re here to record new cases so constantly bring it up while you serve. Oh, and it might get a little crazy.” He was right, the line seemed never-ending. One other person and I opted to help serve while the others went out to record new cases.
One man requested with satisfaction, “Could I get a bagel with some cream cheese in there… yeah, that’s right!… Oh, oh, and some orange juice, please!”.
Another murmured, “Could I get that one over there (pointing at a pumpkin muffin) and some OJ please”.
One man immediately pointed out, “A cream cheese bagel and some juice, please… boy, you don’t got no gloves?”
I froze! Not knowing what to do, I mumbled out sorry and tried to explain we didn’t bring any gloves. I kept my head down and used a tissue to pick up the bagel and prepare it for him. How could I forget common decency and actually pick up a bagel with my bare hands and offer it to someone to eat? I thought all the harsh thoughts that would run through my mind were someone to have done that to me. From that point on, I used a fresh tissue for everyone else and did my best to not touch anything else with my bare hand.
It was the one moment where I forgot my golden rule: treat others the way you would want to be treated. But then… why had I dismissed a motto I live by daily… especially when serving food? Working with Miracle Messages made me realize that we should never impose on our homeless clients to get in touch with their families or friends but rather give them the liberty to decide that. It is essential for us to all to realize that our homeless neighbors are first human before they became anything else. Employing that truth every day is key to looking past the negative social contract that they have been placed under by treating them with the same respect you would give anyone else. This is an important choice for us to make. I ponder over the incident till this day and still feel ashamed that I treated a fellow human with such condescension as it did not even cross my mind to be using gloves.
Every day and every night, 24 hours, at the lowest of temperatures. Three things our homeless neighbors power through every single day, yet we mute them. Their state is definitely not reminiscent of anything as it is a worsening condition as the days go by. Their physical and emotional health continues to deteriorate, yet we continue to mute them. The only thing, at the end of the day, that should prevent us from going back to bed is the discomfort that we should feel for people who have the sidewalk as their bed and the constant worry of where they would get their next meal. The 29th of October 2019 made it clear that when we aid our homeless neighbors, the first step is to go in with our gloves on and be “respectful and polite.”
