It's feeding time on Sunday.
Hot meals are harder to come by on the weekend. Mostly because everybody wants to take a little time off from the homeless, or else they might feel insane within a year. This shit is just absolutely amazing though because the park where they're feeding is just like Phoenix Park back home in Lex. Oh jeeze, it's 12:30 and Cracker just informed me that we are not gonna eat until after 3. Sometimes, I really have to just take a deep breath and go with the flow. In Portland. Where it is rainy and cold.
Actually, today really isn't too bad. It's a little cool and windy, but it was fantastic down by the waterfront on the Willamette River. It's no wonder they call Portland the "City of Bridges" by the way, they have 8 bridges in this place! And our first night downtown in Chinatown introduced us to the nickname "Beervana". You could hear a woman puking at any hour of the night, money guaranteed. Also this city reeks of beer on the weekend, haha. I have to say it again...I can NOT believe I am on this crazy journey!!! Thank god for my husband and my sister Mary Jane.
I'm watching these people prepare for lunch(Potluck in the Park) and I'm completely blown away by the size of this production! You don't see things of this caliber in Lexington and this shit don't happen at we're from, the Southern Florida swamps. Back where we're from in Florida, there is one homeless shelter. They are the only place that serves a hot meal for lunch and dinner. Their shelter comes with a lot of rules and minimal options for the chronically homeless. The community views the homeless with a critical eye and the homeless endure some of the cruelest treatment not only by the community, but by law enforcement. My husband and I have been homeless, living in a tent and always stressed about our stuff or the law kicking us out. It sucks down there, and it's almost impossible to get on your feet because the cost of living is so high.
It's areas like my home that I'd really like to see motivated to really help the homeless which is why I say I'm on a bit of a mission. We are going to be home in Lexington until we decide our next mission.
Anyways, back to Portland.
Something else that's different is that a lot of people are homeless with their pets. Usually dogs, but it wouldn't surprise me if I saw a homeless guy walking a pig down the street. What's even more amazing is the quality and health of these animals. We've seen some very nice lookin' Pits up here on the streets, and I even noticed a Boston Terrier that's of AKC quality (though I still don't understand what people see in those weird-looking little guys...) What's even more amazing is that the dogs (or pig if he's walkin' around here somewhere ;) are allowed inside of some of the soup kitchens! The first time I saw that, my jaw hung open! Again, it's something you don't see back where we come from.
Another difference is the dismissal of marijuana.
They just don't care if you smoke it here (yeah, some of my friends are wondering why I'm going back, haha!) I can't tell you how many people I've passed on the street here who are openly smoking a joint - one right outside the doors of the mission where they feed! Again, you don't really see that shit where we come from.
Okay, Cracker was just talking to the women who hand out the meal tickets. Wait until you hear this...
Potluck in the Park begins serving meals at 3pm in O'Bryant Square on Sunday afternoons.
You start picking up your mealticket at 1pm.
In 10 minutes they serve 100 people. That's 600 people, needing a hot meal, served in an hour!
Hot meals are harder to come by on the weekend. Mostly because everybody wants to take a little time off from the homeless, or else they might feel insane within a year. This shit is just absolutely amazing though because the park where they're feeding is just like Phoenix Park back home in Lex. Oh jeeze, it's 12:30 and Cracker just informed me that we are not gonna eat until after 3. Sometimes, I really have to just take a deep breath and go with the flow. In Portland. Where it is rainy and cold.
Actually, today really isn't too bad. It's a little cool and windy, but it was fantastic down by the waterfront on the Willamette River. It's no wonder they call Portland the "City of Bridges" by the way, they have 8 bridges in this place! And our first night downtown in Chinatown introduced us to the nickname "Beervana". You could hear a woman puking at any hour of the night, money guaranteed. Also this city reeks of beer on the weekend, haha. I have to say it again...I can NOT believe I am on this crazy journey!!! Thank god for my husband and my sister Mary Jane.
I'm watching these people prepare for lunch(Potluck in the Park) and I'm completely blown away by the size of this production! You don't see things of this caliber in Lexington and this shit don't happen at we're from, the Southern Florida swamps. Back where we're from in Florida, there is one homeless shelter. They are the only place that serves a hot meal for lunch and dinner. Their shelter comes with a lot of rules and minimal options for the chronically homeless. The community views the homeless with a critical eye and the homeless endure some of the cruelest treatment not only by the community, but by law enforcement. My husband and I have been homeless, living in a tent and always stressed about our stuff or the law kicking us out. It sucks down there, and it's almost impossible to get on your feet because the cost of living is so high.
It's areas like my home that I'd really like to see motivated to really help the homeless which is why I say I'm on a bit of a mission. We are going to be home in Lexington until we decide our next mission.
Anyways, back to Portland.
Something else that's different is that a lot of people are homeless with their pets. Usually dogs, but it wouldn't surprise me if I saw a homeless guy walking a pig down the street. What's even more amazing is the quality and health of these animals. We've seen some very nice lookin' Pits up here on the streets, and I even noticed a Boston Terrier that's of AKC quality (though I still don't understand what people see in those weird-looking little guys...) What's even more amazing is that the dogs (or pig if he's walkin' around here somewhere ;) are allowed inside of some of the soup kitchens! The first time I saw that, my jaw hung open! Again, it's something you don't see back where we come from.
Another difference is the dismissal of marijuana.
They just don't care if you smoke it here (yeah, some of my friends are wondering why I'm going back, haha!) I can't tell you how many people I've passed on the street here who are openly smoking a joint - one right outside the doors of the mission where they feed! Again, you don't really see that shit where we come from.
Okay, Cracker was just talking to the women who hand out the meal tickets. Wait until you hear this...
Potluck in the Park begins serving meals at 3pm in O'Bryant Square on Sunday afternoons.
You start picking up your mealticket at 1pm.
In 10 minutes they serve 100 people. That's 600 people, needing a hot meal, served in an hour!
posted from Bloggeroid
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