Help Needed in Monterey
The Helping Project is a pledge our family took to help everyone we see that needs it for a year… and to write about what happens.
On our way back home from a long weekend vacation, we stopped in Monterey to grab some slices of pizza. Pulling off the highway, but not accessible from our lane, was a guy with a sign on the median. Hopeful to help and maybe offer more than just money, we decided to grab him a slice of pepperoni and hand that over with some cash on our way out.
After lunch, we spotted someone else pushing a shopping cart full of stuff and talking to his dog when we were pulling out of the parking lot. So, now we needed to deliver the pizza++ to the median person then turn around (everyone we see who needs it!) and offer another donation.
Well, the median guy was no longer there and we couldn’t see him up or down any of the nearby sidewalks. So, I pulled a u-turn and Aimee rolled down the window to ask the person with the dog if he wanted some pizza. He wasn’t actively asking people for money, but he looked like he had all of his belongings in that cart and being able to ease his food concerns for a few hours seemed like a good idea. He gratefully accepted it and even turned to his dog and said, “We’ve got food, buddy.” Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get out of the car to talk to him more and see how he was doing or figure out what kind of help he actually needed.
This episode doesn’t end there, though, since at the next intersection (as I was planning to pull another u-turn) there was a third guy with a sign asking for help. With a quick turn into that driveway and a cross-lane u-turn (I’ve got some mad minivan skills), we pulled up and offered him some money. Again, we couldn’t speak with him for long since we were in the mall driveway, but could at least wish him well. After this, we got back on the highway and were on our way home again.
Our good intentions with the pizza didn’t pan out precisely the way we planned, but we still were able to help a couple folks. I’m still not fond of just handing over money since a) it’s an easy out in terms of what help is needed and b) it’s not sustainable for us, but given our young family with safety needs, we couldn’t really park the car and walk to talk with these folks straight on. I suspect, given the milder climate and lower cost of living, that there are many other people-in-need around the greater Monterey region. When we get our care packs together (details coming in the near future), we’ll have to keep this area in mind.
Humans helped +2 = 17
