Arcade Moment: The Midnight Moment Outreach to the Downtrodden

Published in May, 2011 in News.
Try to imagine what it is like to sleep on a hard grimy floor in an environment that stinks of urine. Aside from the stench, you are vulnerable to any person that happens upon you as you sleep. There are predators, and for this reason your “pillow” contains your most valuable possessions and the rest of your bags are nestled tight against you.
Still imagining? Think about what it must be like to wake up having none of the common comforts that most people have. There is no toilet, no shower, no Mr. Coffee, no privacy, just your belongings. Even though you need to use a bathroom, the reality is that there are very few and the distance between them makes walking difficult. Businesses selectively make their restrooms available and they are not hospitable to the downtrodden. Think hard about this one until you squirm a bit; you are not at all vital to society or you would at least have a regular restroom to use; the most basic human function.

Now, exhaust odor mixes with the urine stench as the street below becomes alive with noisy traffic. Being in the Arcade and all, you are smack in the middle of what is known as the “Financial District” of downtown Providence. As you step out onto the sidewalk, you are facing the front of the luxurious Hampton Inn. The sidewalk is filled with busy people scurrying about, with briefcases or back packs — purposeful.

You are sore from sleeping on a hard floor; you are hungry and the weight of your belongings is already starting to drain you. You have no pep. You avert your eyes as you plod along because if you look you will see the smugness, the judgmental stares, or worse, they look right through you.

You might head to a spot that serves breakfast to the homeless or perhaps you know of a place where you can at least freshen up a bit. You usually really have nowhere to go. No matter how you spend your day, however, your goal is always survival: getting fed, avoiding extreme temperatures, protecting belongings and having a place to rest your head.

Now, envision a life without a single person that genuinely cares about you. You have peers, acquaintances, some you even call “friends.” Sadly, they are mostly survivors like you; living day to day, seeking their own creature comforts, almost dog eat dog. You do not have two nickels to rub together or a rock to stand on.

So, where will you sleep tonight? The urine soaked floor? A sidewalk, or in a patch of woods, standing up…”

Will you find shelter if it rains?

The Midnight Moment Outreach to the Downtrodden
1643 Warwick Avenue  PMB 171
Warwick, RI 02889
(401) 837-0861
midnightmoment2@verizon.net

“One measure of likeness to Christ is sensitivity to the suffering of others.”

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In Memory of Ernie Marot

Published in May, 2011 in News.
Ernest B. Marot, a lifetime resident of Pawtucket, died Tuesday, April 26th. He had run the Pawtucket Soup Kitchen. We wrote his experiences and gave him our Rainbow Award Nov. 2009 (page 4). Also, this February (page 11) we wrote of his continuing volunteer efforts.

Ernie was the Faculty Chef for Providence College for 18 years, retiring in 1993. He then went on to a lifelong dream of feeding the hungry by founding the Pawtuckey Soup Kitchen, running it for another 18 years. He was awarded the Jefferson Award (NBC Channel 10) and is in the Pawtucket Hall of Fame. He is known for helping others. He has run a program to help get Christmas gifts for homeless children and raised about 1/4 million dollars for the Meeting Street School, a school for disadvantaged children.

He leaves his wife and three of his five children. He has 8 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.

Burial was at Notre Dame Cemetery. It was suggested that gifts in his memory be made to the Pawtucket Soup Kitchen or ALS Association in Warwick.

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Street Sights Staff Members Receive Awards

Published in May, 2011 in News.

Melissa Howard and Louisa Smith

By Stan Kapelewski

On Wednesday, April 13th Serve Rhode Island had their VolunCheers 2011 event at Twin Rivers in Lincoln, Rhode Island to recognize all of the outstanding volunteers in the State.

Melissa Howard and Louisa Smith received the award for their incredible volunteer work at Street Sights. Cassandra Tribe received the award from the Beacon Hospice for her friendly visits and vigil work with terminally ill patients.

Congratulations! Thanks for all that you do!

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Stepping Out

Published in May, 2011 in News.
By Cassandra Tribe
For 33 years, Sister Mary Riley has been a part of the annual Good Friday Walk to End Hunger and Homelessness. For many, she is the face of the walk, a tireless organizer and source of energy for this effort. Originally started as a Roman Catholic effort to raise money and awareness, the Good Friday Walk has grown to be an ecumenical endeavor that embraces many faiths. Gathering at nine different churches across Providence (and even in Coventry) participants walk to the State House for a rally.

The walkers were sponsored and they raise between 25 and 40 thousand dollars a year. The organizers state that not one penny of the money raised goes anywhere but directly to help programs like meal sites, food pantries, clothing closets and other outreach programs. All of the organizers, bus services, refreshments, speakers and everything else involved in making the walk happen are provided through donations of time, services and supplies. This year, recipients of funds include: Amos House, AIDS Care Ocean State, River United Methodist Church food pantry, meal site and clothing closet in Woonsocket, a high school in Haiti and several other programs. Continue reading ‘Stepping Out’

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You Gotta Have Sole

Published in May, 2011 in News.
By Erik Gould

Not so long ago Nicholas Lowinger had a revelation. He says, “not too many people think about donating shoes, and when they do mostly what they donate are very used shoes.” Nicholas is in the seventh grade and for as long as he can remember, he has been giving clothes and other items to anyone who needs them, especially to other children. According to his mother Lori, Nicholas has always been that kind of kid. Together they visited shelters and homes throughout the state making donations and visiting with people. It was on one of those visits where Nicholas met a little boy who needed new shoes, but all Nicholas had that day was a pair of boots that were too big for the boy. Nicholas wished he had some that would fit the boy better. That’s when he knew he wanted to provide new shoes for needy children.

“A lot of people think that just because someone is homeless that anything  you give them they will be happy. But just because someone has a different financial status from you doesn’t mean that they don’t also like to get new things once in a while, just like you do.” Beyond just having something new, he goes on to explain that for everybody, shoes are a very personal piece of clothing, “Everyone wears their shoes differently,” and  wearing shoes that do not have a proper fit can cause back problems and all sorts of other health problems. Continue reading ‘You Gotta Have Sole’

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Come Home

Published in May, 2011 in Editorials.

By Cassandra Tribe

On May 1st, 2011, President Obama announced that Osama Bin Laden, leader of the al Qaeda had been killed. With this announcement, one of the most painful decades in American history was brought to a close.

Since Bin Laden authorized the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., we, as a country — as a people — have suffered from lives defined by fear. Despite the fact that after 9/11, al Qaeda and Bin Laden’s influence waned, they remained important to us as a symbol of terrorism that we sought to bring to justice in an attempt to heal our pain.

We — the people — have had to choose whether supporting the war on terror, with its high costs in money and lives, was more important than our own well-being in difficult economic times. We — the people — have suffered form the political and economic strain that the war on terror has placed on our country and relations with other countries, but we have done so with understanding and by choice.

This pursuit of Bin Laden has also served to unite us all and give us a common boogeyman, a monster whose horrors were so great they made the ones in our personal lives more bearable. While there is great rejoicing that the leader and symbol of terrorism against the West is no more, we must also be aware that there will be a period of strange grief to follow. Without a larger-than-life boogeyman to overshadow personal suffering, many will feel the true depth of their lives and losses for the first time. It will be harder to stand behind increases in military spending and increased military commitments when the reality that so many in this country are starving and homeless is at the forefront of our thinking.

Whether or not you believe that Bin Laden was captured and killed when the government said he was, or if you believe it is a gross manipulation of the voting public, we have to recognize that what has been a common unifying and distracting symbol for all of us has been destroyed. The war against terror is far from over, but we would do well to redefine what the primary terrorist that we pursue is.

As a country, we need to focus our efforts to fight the terrorist within. The one whose suicide attacks take the form of homelessness, hunger, and unemployment. The one who rallies their soldiers with messages that promote greed, hate, partisan self-interest and apathy.

Care must be taken that we do not race to find a new boogeyman abroad to distract us from this battle at home. We ahve fought and suffered overseas for long enough. While there is still more work to be done to end the reign of terror that al Qaeda began, it is time to bring our energy home and work on the battle within.

It is time to come home. it is time to take care of our own. it is time to heal the wounds that began long before that day in September.

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Where Are All The Complainers?

Published in May, 2011 in Opinions.
By Christopher Clark
After experiencing homelessness myself, it seems there are some homeless people who just love to complain, and they will do so over the most trivial matters. What appears to be missing is how these issues are supposed to be solved. There doesn’t even appear to be any desire to improve matters at all. In fact, these people know that their complaints will do nothing to improve circumstances; but they will go on and on chattering comments in condemnation.

Homelessness can be exhausting but listening to these protestations of fellow homeless people can be equally tiring. Those who are the objects of criticism are generally in the same or worse predicament as the ones passing judgment. Often they are in the same desperate situation. Why does this occur? Do desperate situations lead to desperate desires to complain? Continue reading ‘Where Are All The Complainers?’

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You Are What You Eat

Published in May, 2011 in Columns.
By William Harter
Are you satisfied with what you see in the mirror? Have you tried to diet and just can’t lose weight or gain it back too soon? Are you often tired or out of breath? Maybe you need to change your way of eating.

Does your breakfast consist of coffee with two or more spoonfuls of sugar? Or maybe a donut or pastry? No wonder you are tired by mid-morning. A carbohydrate-only diet forces your body to react and process those foods fast, taking energy from you and letting you down a few hours later. You had few proteins and vitamins. Two hours later, you want a lift and reach for more coffee and junk food. Again, the wrong thing.

Try a 4 oz. fruit juice, high fiber cereal or eggs and low-fat yogurt or milk for a few days and see if you still need that “10 o’clock pick up.” The first few days your body may not like the change and still want the “10 o’clock junk” but you can train yourself. Keep at it! Continue reading ‘You Are What You Eat’

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Up In The Rafters

Published in May, 2011 in Creative Works.

By Daniel Herard

Is it up in the rafters,
In a cloud in the sky;
I looked up and said, “Who Am I?”
All I know is that I want to be free
As free as the breeze
As it passes through the trees
Without any warning,
Without any care,
But all I know is that
I do not dare to
Follow the path of my ancestors.
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DCYF Cutting Funds

Published in May, 2011 in News.
By Melissa Howard
Teacher layoffs, programs being cut, people are finding new ways of cutting cost. The Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) said that they could save cost through home- base services. The plan is to move many of the children out of shelters, group homes and residential treatment programs.

DCYF’s new ‘system- of- care’ model is a philosophy emphasizing family preservation using home based services. With the budget crisis as it is and protesters going to the state house to protest Chafee’s spending cuts, the state’s child-welfare officials are embracing a plan they say will cut $25 million from the DCYF’s budget starting July 1. Continue reading ‘DCYF Cutting Funds’

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Hope

Published in May, 2011 in Creative Works.
By Benjamin Ferreira
Words fall like the rain washing over me.
Cold and cleansing…Bold and refreshing…
Sensory perceptions forming our reality
But is there another side to what we see?
How many coincidences will it take
To shake us awake from a world that is fake?
When something speaks out to you,
Deepens your thought & quickens your heart,
When your hairs stand up & it’s all you can do
To hang onto the moment & not fall apart
In those moments of joy, so awe inspiring
Confronted with beauty, so jaw dropping
They’re gone so quickly, so easily forgotten
The pain & the struggle are right where they were
Take the time to remember, even if it’s verboten
Even when things move so fast that they blur
It’s easy to give up & to give in to despair
When you’re lost in yourself & nobody’s there
To answer the door, as you knock in the rain
Say these words to yourself, despite the pain
For it only goes so deep, so don’t stop to weep
Never surrender…Never give in…
For the Kingdom of Heaven lies within
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I Refuse

Published in May, 2011 in Creative Works.

By Jenifer Bleeker

Through the rain of odds that wet me, I refuse
I refuse to dissolve, like a rock, I am insoluble.
The whirlwinds of suffering, I refuse.
I refuse to be carried away…
Like a mountain I stand.
In the angry rivers of tears, I refuse.
I refuse to drown…like a fish I keep swimming.
In the darkness where light is scarce, I refuse.
I refuse to be blind…
Like an owl I keep seeing.
Though I keep falling, I refuse.
I refuse to surrender, so I crawl on.
Though I fear, I refuse.
I refuse to be stripped of my courage.
I refuse for my happiness to be molested.
My peace cannot be raped.
My joy cannot be painted red.
I choose to be happy…
No matter how much it hurts.
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Getting Help at PICA

Published in May, 2011 in Profiles.
By Tom Deighan

The Providence Intown Churches Association (PICA) helps the homeless. Serving food is one of their many programs. They also have a Homeless Outreach program and a SSDI Outreach and Recovery program as well. The Executive Director is Diana Burdett. During time spent there, I had the pleasure of meeting Diana. She is very committed to helping as many people as possible.

PICA began when clergy from several inner city churches decided they could better minister if they worked together. In the early years of PICA, it was a leisure and learning program for retired people. As more churches joined in, they expanded the ministry to include the hungry and homeless. Today, there are seven churches in PICA: Grace Episcopal, First Universalist, Mathewson Street, Beneficent, Gloria Dei Lutheran, the First Baptist Church of America and All Saint’s Memorial are the current members.

The Daily Food Pantry serves approximately 5,600 people each month. The Friday evening meal site serves an average of 200 people a sit-down dinner. Nearly 300 people use the Homeless Outreach Service each month. Continue reading ‘Getting Help at PICA’

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The PeaceLove Program: A Mental Health Advocacy Program

Published in May, 2011 in Profiles.

By William Harter

“PeaceLove is a growing community of mental health advocates and artists creating conversations about acceptance, understanding and hope,” states one of the PeaceLove fliers. Their goal is to forge a positive image of mental health. Peacelove feels they are taking on one of the last stigmas, mental illness, with which our society has yet to to terms. They strive for mental and emotional wellness.

The center is located at 200 Main Street in Pawtucket, across from the bus terminal. “It is a 4,000 sq. foot building of pure creativity,” Matthew Kaplan, Chief Executive Officer claims. It originated there in December 2009 with a ‘Paint4Peace Program,’ a free expressive arts class open to all.

Various organizations have symbols that are used to bring awareness to their cause. The Heart Association has the red heart, cancer has its symbol, the Irish have the shamrock and PeaceLove has Poppy Day. Kaplan wants to make this the symbol that will signify mental health. Continue reading ‘The PeaceLove Program: A Mental Health Advocacy Program’

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Sisters

Published in April, 2011 in Creative Works.

By Estelle E. Goulet

What is this bond that keeps us near
That makes me call you sister dear?
That keeps us close across the miles
and wants you near when there are trials
If we were strangers that would meet
on some busy crowded street
Would you by chance glance my way
or a friendly greeting say
So it’s not your face or cheerful smile
That keeps us close in spite of miles
It’s not your wit or grace unique
Nor your mind that brightly speaks
A bond much more than looks or words
Something in our blood, a gentle surge
Of love, which lets us share these common traits
and never shakes this bond of faith
That makes me call you sister dear…

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The Trauma Experience

Published in April, 2011 in Opinions.

By Tom Deighan

This is a story about irrational fear. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is the label for it.

In 1995, my life changed drastically through an incident of big rocks being thrown through the front window of my apartment. My bed was in the other room. I did not realize at first what had happened. All of a sudden loud voices and noises caused me to be fearful. It wasn’t until later that the diagnosis came.

My friend Eric had warned me that he had grown a beard. At Logan Airport, returning from Oregon, his beard scared me. Actually it was an episode of terror.  It was hard to equate 20 years of friendship with this reaction. Continue reading ‘The Trauma Experience’

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The End is Near

Published in April, 2011 in News.

By Melissa Howard

Starting on March 15th, there was action taking place on the steps of the State House, letting people know that the winter homeless shelters will be closing. From April 15th to May 31st.

There will be a number of people looking for a safe and warm place to sleep at night. Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy Project wanted to let our State lawmakers beaware of
this issue.

RIHap wants to make people aware that there will be 136 people out on the street once these shelters close and they will not have a place to go. With the shelter systems full already, there will be no room for anyone else. Continue reading ‘The End is Near’

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Branches of a New Beginning

Published in April, 2011 in Creative Works.

By Sean Trott

We say the conditions of our shelters are poor
but yet they remain unchanged
We need action not words for our state to be rearranged
We need suitable housing with available funding
and money to spare
We need more people to witness homelessness firsthand, in order for them to care
We need speakers to speak highly of our community,
not to put it down
Because in the homeless community,
Harrington is the best place in town
It smells good, it’s clean,
and they let us watch movies on a flat TV
The staff is great; they treat us like people,
and they respect me for me
They shake my hand and always answer me with respect
It goes a long way, when all you’ve ever known is neglect
So what do we do now in this crucial time of need?
I propose we forget the existing trees
and plant a new kind of seed
Let’s grow a fresh tree that will work on all branches
And leaves of success, will blossom
in the form of chances
Because chances are what homeless people really seek
Until they receive proper chances,
their future appears bleak
Uncertain and confused they are left to feel hopeless
Why do we look down on these people
who suffer being homeless
These are the strongest people I will ever know
There is no extent to surviving
that they would refuse to go
Imagine one day you wake up and everything is gone,
the house, car and money
I bet then you would take a step back and say homelessness really isn’t funny
Let’s be true, you couldn’t make it out there
coming from your place
Now look at a homeless person
and see the determination on their face
These people, these human beings are soldiers
in a war of the true American way
The rich get richer and the poor become homeless,
day after day
The American dream is only available to those who are born in the right circumstance
And those born into broken homes…let’s face it,
maybe 1 or 2 even have a chance
But yet they wake up every day and choose,
not to die, but to live
And all they ask is,
Does someone have a chance they could give?
Give them a chance to show us what they can really do
Because in my eyes they are much stronger
than not only me, but also you
They cannot be defeated; they continue to fight
in these horrible conditions
Change will come when people in our position
start making better decisions
Help these people instead of
forgetting that they even exist
Because they are out there every day
clinching their fists
Ready to fight another day,
hopefully another night to survive
Wondering which shelter, if any,
could they pick out to hide
Well I tell you I am a new force that
will make change in this world
And I (God willing) with time,
will show you these oysters hold pearls
Outside rough, and inside we are all beautiful,
but not the same
How good does it make you feel when someone remembers your name?
I was told as a teen that supported my Homeless mother
That there is no limit to the lengths you go to protect your sister, mother and brother
I suffered and sacrificed a life of my own,
with no second thought
Because people deserve homes and these fights
have to be fought
Well my story is out there and it’s a success story
in my eyes
I will fight for the homeless, through every single sunrise
So I ask you today to allow homeless people
the chance to really start living
Let’s take a chance and plant the tree that grows the Branches of a New Beginning

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Libya’s Civil Unrest and U.S. Gas Prices

Published in April, 2011 in News.

By Dennis Boisvert

As thousands of foreigners struggle to flee a war torn Libya and as fighting escalates in that country, the price of gas in the US is going up even though Libya’s oil out-put is less than 2% of the world’s daily supply.

OPEC, The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, is ready to make up that shortage and on March 8, agreed to do so. So supply and demand are met but gas prices keep going up. It is fear and the turmoil in the Middle East that is sending the price of oil up. What had started off as a popular uprising sweeping across the Arab world has turned into a Civil War in Libya and this has increased political instability and uncertainty in the Middle East?

Protests against Gaddafi’s rule started on February 15 with two hundred demonstrators in front of police headquarters in Benghazi with arrest of Fathi Teabil, a rights activist. That sparked widespread protest. Continue reading ‘Libya’s Civil Unrest and U.S. Gas Prices’

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I Will Survive

Published in April, 2011 in Columns.

By Joseph Perry

Shelter constituents say: A lot of things had to go wrong that created the mess in our lives.

Case managers to constituents: I don’t want you to go from one problem to another.

Shelter constituents must be able to turn their lives around and reveal the best of who they are and what they aspire to be.

Constituents must put mistakes behind them. They can’t change the past and can’t change any thing that has happened, but they have the opportunity for a fresh start. It depends on whether they are willing to learn. A few more life lessons won’t cure their problem, but will create improvement. Continue reading ‘I Will Survive’

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