1. Hot Chocolate: Ann brought hot chocolate and it went over huge. People were so grateful to have a warm and tasty drink. It was really a blessing and we need to continue to do this.
2. Donations: Thank you to people at New Horizon's Christian Church for the socks, gloves, beanies, panchos, sweaters, and jackets. Kudos to Dan & Peggy, John & Lynn, & Kristine.
3. Used Clothing: This time around we brought some used clothing (jackets, shirts, vests, spandex jumpsuits, etc...). It went over huge (we really didn't bring jumpsuits, in case you didn't get that I was joking). So next time, let's clear out our closets of winter clothing (in decent condition) so that we can help out roofless folks through the end of Winter.
4. A Different Vibe: We went to a couple of different locations toward the Northern part of Downtown and it was definitely a bit more hairy as it was not well lit and there were quite a few tents propped up. It seemed that there was maybe more drug use going on in these areas. It certainly had a different vibe...
5. First Stop: Our first stop was amazing. We went to a typical place that we always go to and we saw some familiar faces and stayed for about 20-25 minutes maybe, just talking and handing out hot chocolate and granola bars and clothing. It is really great to get to know people and see them again and again. Well, our hope is that we would not see them again because they get off the streets, but while they are on the streets, we will intentionally build respectful relationships/friendships with those we encounter and do what we can do to bless them. Everyone was very thankful for the socks and beanies especially, not to mention the additoinal clothing. One guy kept asking for more and more granola bars because he was hungry. One woman talked about how hard it has been trying to get off the streets and she claims to now be sober for 50 days. This particular lady has a case of chronic homelessness because she has literally been on the streets for years (from our personal experience with her) and not just a few weeks or months due to circumstances. She is becoming my friend and it is wonderful to see her because she is such a joy. If you pray, please pray for peace over her and also for Ed who was feeling sick last night. And we did see Butt-Nugget again, the dog we saw in November.
6. Panchos: Good idea Lynn. These will be helpful for weathering coming storms.
7. Scripture: I shared with one woman how encouraging it was for me to read Matthew 6 yesterday. She was thankful and I think it encouraged her to hear about briefly. This made me think too that it could be cool to photocopy some scriptures for people maybe at some point.
8. Foolish Father: A man named John told me that his sons think he is a fool. I told him that I hope that this can be redeemed so that one day his sons will think otherwise of him. Chances are, he has some serious life changes to make in the coming days and months ahead in order for this to occur.
9. Prayer: For those who come with us who are of the praying mindset, it is okay to pray with people either then or later. People are hungry for granola bars and they need clothing, but many are also longing for prayer. We are a group where some of us might pray and others do not, and that's cool.
10. Chemical Sprayer: It was confirmed again last night that we need to get a chemical sprayer backpack in order to use for both Winter (hot chocolate) and Summer (lemonade). Of course, this chemical sprayer would not have been used with chemicals before, but would be ideal because it is a backpack and has a little hose to simply spray liquid into a cup. I'd like to purchase two so that we can take them out to different locations each night.
Here is one without straps and it only costs $15 at Home Depot. This one could be good to keep in the back of a truck or car and then simply fill cups from the trunk.
And here is a 4-gallon backpack from Home Depot for only $75.00. 
Would anyone like to pitch in funds in order to make a purchase as above? Please comment below or e-mail me. It would be great to have two backpacks, but one is a great place to start. If we get eight people to donate ten dollars, then we are there. Or if we stick with the smaller 4 gallon sprayer, that is only $15.
Let's continue the work. Great job everyone!!!!
4 comments:
You can put me down for half of the cost of one of the back backs.
We could also use donated large sized lemonade and hot chocolate tins.
As the wise wife pointed out, maybe these backpacks may not be designed for hot liquid. More research will obviously need to take place. Whatever the case, we are moving forward with collecting funds so that we can get something. If it's not one of these, we will find something else and hopefully before our next event in February.
As discussed I share the concern for whether hot liquid will work. I know from experience that they work for iced beverages from past outreach with The Way. Since we have more hot months that will need cold drinks than vice versa in Sac. they still get my vote. Dehydration is a bigger deal than cold extremes here. When we went out with The Way with warm drinks we used to bring a couple pump action thermos things like the one I had last night. The link below shows something similar to mine, but a little larger if we need another hot beverage thing. http://www.totalvac.com/parts/TH250SS.html?zmam=6843742&zmas=1&zmac=7&zmap=TH250SS
I have $33.51 on my desk from someone that donated toward our efforts and it can be applied toward the drink purchase. A family member also told me today that she will be sending a check. Anyone else interested in putting together funds? I throw in some money of our own too. Let's do this!!!
House of Grace- I think you are right in purchasing the backpack for colder weather. I think it would be good to invest in a couple of the hot drink dispensers also because hot chocolate runs out so quickly in the colder months and we can also use these for Turkey in the Park and any other events we do in the Winter.
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