New Poem--about the Homeless and Hungry

[All names in this poem are fictional]

The Deep-down Loneliness of the Homeless and the Hungry

Again and again I have noticed the deep down loneliness

Of the homeless folks who dine with us . . .

Liz, now walking with a cane, sneaking around the church

Looking for a cranny where she can spend the night,

Her mind a jumble of sweetness and anger.

Stanley, dressed impeccably, looking like an insurance salesman,

Wheeling his cart full of his possessions. I wonder

Where does he sleep? How is he able to clean up,

Present himself as if he is some upper middle class white collar guy . . .

Jimmy, looking much older, talking to himself,

Friend to my blacksheep cousins—could have married one of them!

Erin, who eagerly hugs Cathleen, then comes to the kitchen while we are cleaning up—

To hug her again.

He looks like he should be able to make it,

But something mysterious holds him back.

I look at the beautiful children, daughters and sons of the Homeless or Hungry,

Wonder about their futures. Right now many of them are happy, carefree.

One reminds me of my beautiful grandsons!

Where will they be in January, when Lake Erie sends us feet of snow and blasts of bitter

Cold? I think: I could help these innocent ones . . .

Jack sitting all day near the wall by McDonalds, with his homeless cart,

What does he do, how does he spend his time?

Another Jack, looking like an Indian,

His hair pulled back in a ponytail,

Sometimes very sweet, sometimes staggeringly drunk.

Most have their routines, lunch at the Salvation Army, supper at St. James or St. Mary’s,

Sometimes enough coins scrounged for McDonalds,

Mornings and afternoons at the Morley Library,

Nights at Project Hope, or in some car, in an alley,

An abandoned building, on somebody’s porch,

In a tent by the Grand River, in the woods behind the power plant.

So little comfort in their everyday lives, lives we can barely understand.

I hope we bring them good food two nights a week,

Some companionship, some kindness,

Some beauty,

Maybe a laugh . . .

Wish we could do more . . .

Bob Coughlin / September 15, 2016

A Small But Brilliant Experiment to Address Homelessness

Since I work with the Homeless in Painesville, Ohio, I'm always looking around for programs and approaches that address this seemingly intractable problem. Today I saw a great short video on Facebook about an approach taken by a church in Nashville, Tennessee. The Green Street Church of Christ has allowed Homeless to erect tents on their property. And recently someone volunteered to build six micro homes on the property.

Here is this inspiring story:

Kay Coughlin--A Productive and Very Generous Person

In a couple days I will receive a donation from my Aunt Kay Coughlin--thirty scarves she crocheted for the homeless of Painesville. I will give then to Kathy Philipps of the St. Mary's Karpos Ministry (Karpos is involved in feeding, clothing, and sheltering the homeless).

Aunt Kay has been making crocheted afghans, scarves, and other such thing for years. She may be the most productive and generous person I know. Her daughter Kelly sent me an email telling me the extent of her work:

I talked to my mom, and asked her about how many afghans she has crocheted.   She said she made a total of 500 until 2010 . . . . Since then she has made 35 a year = 175 -- so a grand total of 675 (of which she still has 30 in the other room of her house ready to sell and give the money to the church).   

• The 500 she made prior to 2010 were all made and given away as either gifts or donations.

• The 175 she has made since 2010 she has sold and donated all the proceeds to her church, St. Mary Magdalene, totalling over $2000.

Now this doesn't include baby blankets, baby outfits, mittens, hats, scarves, tablecloths, and many other items she has made throughout her lifetime.  She has also made lap blankets for nursing homes and tiny blankets for babies for Birthright over the years (the numbers above don't count those either). Now she is on to scarves, making many for my niece Candace's 2nd grade classes . . . .  She is making scarves for the church to distribute to the poor and has made 100 this year; she is making another 30 to donate to your charity. 

What can you say but "Wow!" and "Thanks!"

Bitter Cold Nights for Homeless in Painesville, Ohio

Last night was a tough night to be homeless in Painesville, Ohio. Some friends and I were privileged to be able to help them, at least a little. On the winter's coldest and snowiest nights, my friends open up an emergency warming center for the homeless in St. Mary's gym. Some of the main people doing this include Kathy and Dan Philipps, Brian Rice, and several others, including Maggie Rice, Ed Zivkovitch, and gee--I don't know all the names of the helpers.

Last night Ed and I stayed overnight as the people in charge. Kathy Philipps, Linda Coughlin, Brian Rice, Krista Zivkovitch, Kathy Flora and others gave us a big hand before the overnight began and again in the morning as we were packing up and cleaning up the facility.

I took a few pictures so people could get an idea of what this is like. The pictures cannot tell the whole story, and I didn't feel it would be proper to take close-up photos of our guests. All in all we had 15 guests, three of those women. The age range was considerable, but luckily there were no young moms or children. There is another facility for them, Project Hope, about 2-3 miles to the west of St. Mary's.

Pope Francis has weighed in on homelessness and priorities in the world's richest nations

15 cots on the perimeter of the gymnasium

The Pope's view on the mission of the Church

My cot and sleeping bag

The gym is behind the Fr. Hanzo Family Center.

At. St. Mary's in Painesville, we take seriously the Works of Mercy, and we do our best to feed the hungry (via the Karpos Ministry, Wednesday and Thursday nights, and a food pantry). In very cold and snowy weather we shelter the homeless. And we try to "clothe the naked" (so far no one has come naked--ha ha), by offering gloves, coats, hats, shoes, and other clothing--as far as we are able. It is my belief that our pastor, Fr. Steve Vellenga, should get some credit for allowing and facilitating these ministries. Some pastors would have no part of it, despite the exhortations of Pope Francis.

You can't encounter the hungry and the homeless without wondering why this can happen in wealthy America, in wealthy Lake County, Ohio. I believe we must address the structural and institutional reasons for these scandals. Meanwhile, we at St. Mary's take a Catholic Worker approach (rather than the social worker and institutional approach of the Salvation Army or Project Hope). We do what we can to meet radical needs, and we do it without judgement.

Snowmageddon in Painesville and Mentor. Impact on the Homeless

Yesterday parts of Mentor and Painesville, Ohio had a tremendous lake-effect snowfall. About 14 inches fell in Northeast Mentor, Painesville, and surrounding areas within a few hours. The result was absolute paralysis in these snowbelt communities that normally shrug off the snow. Painesville was in total gridlock. I know this firsthand because I, and many of my friends, were trying to get to St. Mary's Church in Painesville, where we feed the homeless and hungry every Wednesday and Thursday. We typically serve about 150 meals (and the range can be 100 to 200) each day. There are lots of homeless and hungry people in Painesville, the county seat of prosperous Lake County, Ohio.

I left Lakeland College, on the Kirtland-Mentor border, around 2:30 PM for the 12 mile trip to Painesville. I arrived there at 5:20--almost three hours later. I was almost crazy at that point. My car was running out of gas; my phone battery was drained; and I had to go the bathroom very very bad. All my companions in the Karpos Ministry to the Homeless were in the same situation. Kathy Flora was driving in from Geauga County, and was stopped by a stalled train. Kathy Philipps was stuck in her commute from John Carroll University, where she teaches theology (and this was important, because Kathy is the program director, and has the keys to the pantry). Ken Fitzsimmons and Krista Zivkovich had shorter commutes, but even a short commute took forever. Pam, Cheryl Rice, and Brian Rice made it in from Painesville Township--not many miles away, but a very difficult drive yesterday.

Somehow the crew cobbled together the meal without access to the food pantry. About 50 of the homeless and hungry were able to get to the Fr. Hanzo Center for the meal. They were all very grateful, in good spirits despite the difficult day. The food preparers and servers, my beloved friends, were also in good spirits. Each had a hilarious story to tell about the trip to St. Mary's. There was a wonderful sense of community last evening--we all felt so blessed to be there.

Linda did not come to the Karpos meal last night--she was watching our grandchildren in Mentor. But she did go to the Project Hope shelter for the homeless in Painesville later that evening and worked until around 10:45 PM. Linda told me that many of these homeless were tired and discouraged. It was a very tough day to be homeless, to make your way through over a foot of snow. But thank God the shelter was there for them!

Below are some photos taken in Mentor, at my daughter's house, and in Chardon/Hambden. I tried to take a couple pics in Painesville--but my phone had run out of juice.

Colin, shoveling snow in Mentor

Hambden Township

Chardon, Ohio

Cleveland Pear trees outside our window in Hambden Township

Colin--Mentor, Ohio

Bridge Building in a Time of Great Divisions

Bridge Building

There’s a little German poem, “Die Menschen bauen /  zu viele Mauern / und zu wenig Bruecken.” Translated it means, “People build too many walls, and too few bridges.” These days people are bitterly divided by so many things: politics, race, religion, social class, place of residence, and so on. The divisions are heartbreaking and seem impossible to overcome. But you probably know a few people or institutions that bridge these walls. We need to follow their examples and look for every opportunity to find common ground with those who are different from us. Jesus himself demonstrated that approach many times in his life, once with the Samaritan woman at the well, and at the end of his life when he blessed the so-called “Good Thief.” A first step is to look for the goodness in all people and find programs and people that are bridging these walls.

One place many St. Mary’s [Painesville, Ohio] parishioners have found common ground is in our Karpos Ministry to the homeless and hungry. This ministry is now in its 5^th year and feeds more than 100 people every Wednesday and Thursday evening. The volunteers are not all St. Mary parishioners. Some of the key volunteers are not Catholics. The entire political spectrum is represented, and there is ethnic and racial diversity among volunteers. Ages range from school children supervised by their parents to a man in his mid 70s, who comes from a neighboring parish. The Karpos volunteers have a common mission and their commonalities are much more compelling than their differences. In the end, the Karpos volunteers love one another and show the Love of the Lord to the homeless and hungry that they serve. Living out the Works of Mercy has helped Karpos build bridges, to each other, and to the poor among us. Examples like Karpos are all around and show us a way toward bridging the terrible and dangerous walls found in our world.

[From time to time I'll try to write about people and institutions bridging the great divides in our world.]

The Homeless and Hungry in America: A Meditation for Lent; Remembering Chuck Matthei

As part of the Karpos Ministry at St. Mary's Church in Painesville, Ohio, we try to feed the hungry and homeless. This winter we have offered many homeless people emergency shelter when the temperatures were bitterly cold. And if someone needs a coat, hat, gloves, or socks, we provide for them. We do not have huge funding; no paid employees; no big organization. What we do have is faithful and dedicated volunteers and the support of our church and our pastor. Some of our volunteers are Catholics, members of St. Mary's parish; many are of different faiths. All passionately believe in living and fostering the corporal and spiritual Works of Mercy.

Today in the mail I received The Catholic Worker newspaper--the one published by the Catholic Workers on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The March-April 2014 issue has a beautiful woodcut with the words of the Moroccan poet, Abdellatif Laabi:

"In these days of abstinence, it was a source of pride to me to be hungry and to disturb a little the shameful peace of those who starve our people."

A thought-provoking remark in the season of Lent. Who is it that allows, even fosters, the great hunger and homelessness we see in Painesville and throughout our country?

Abdellatif Laabi's remark makes me think of Chuck Matthei (1948-2002), the great Peacemaker, who once told me that he fasted every Friday in solidarity with the hungry of the world. Chuck was a kind of saint. He felt he was called to such extraordinary action. We are probably not called to that. But we all are called to the task of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and sheltering the homeless--and trying to cure our society of these problems.

Here is a site with a short bio of Chuck and some photos: Remembering Chuck Matthei.

My old friend Wendy Rawlins Tuck is currently researching and writing a biography of Chuck.

Chuck Matthei

Staying at an Emergency Homeless Shelter Last Night

Last night we opened an emergency shelter for the homeless at St. Mary's Church in Painesville, Ohio.* At St. Mary's, there are some amazing people dedicated to living out the Sermon on the Mount and the Works of Mercy--the central focus of my Christianity.

Was it necessary to open the shelter? Think of this--this morning the temperature in Painesville dropped to -3 (that does not even consider wind chill). When I got back home to Chardon this morning my car thermometer read -13. These temperatures could easily cause people to freeze to death.

So we took in 13 people last night, 10 men and three women. They ranged in age from perhaps 35 to maybe mid 50's--it's hard to say, because homelessness takes a toll on the body and one's appearance. The folks who stayed with us were polite, respectful, and very helpful. This morning they worked together to clean up the gym where we all slept, and had it spic-and-span in a half hour. Everything was cleaned up perfectly and ready for the regular gym activities

I talked to many of the guests last night and I am struck by one thing in particular--they are all very much like me. They are average, intelligent people. I can't quite figure out the reason for the homelessness. One fellow, an immigrant from the former Soviet bloc, speaks about 5 languages fluently--Croation, Slovenian, Russian, German, and English. He is very bright. Some days he walks over 2 hours to work (he has no car and Lake County has such a poor system of public transportation). So we don't totally understand the homelessness and hunger we encounter, but we try our best to address these problems (especially in this brutally, dangerously cold winter).

There are wonderful people who are homeless; and there are wonderful helpers at St. Mary's--Brian, Cheryl, Joe, Shiela, Linda, Rose, Kathy P., Kathy F., Chuck, Bea, Ken, Pam, Jan, Christa, Ed--and others who don't come immediately to mind. This church is a beacon for the whole Diocese of Cleveland--and even for the Catholic Church in America. And by the way, many of the helpers, like Cheryl R. and Kathy F., are not even Catholic. I think Pope Francis would be pleased that our church and our friends have taken on this mission.

*[I wrote, ". . . we opened an emergency shelter." Well, the shelter has been open for about 14 days of this hard winter. I'm guessing the force behind opening the shelter was Kathy Philipps, founder of Karpos Ministry, or maybe it was a joint decision with other people involved, not sure. Whoever made the decision got enthusiastic support from many people in the parish and in the community. I have been able to spend 2 nights there.]

Instruction and Exhortation from Isaiah--What We Do at St. Mary's Painesville

Reading 1IS 58:7-10

Look at this exhortation and instruction from the prophet Isaiah. This is a central tenet of my Catholic Christianity:

Thus says the LORD:
Share your bread with the hungry,
shelter the oppressed and the homeless;
clothe the naked when you see them,
and do not turn your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!
If you remove from your midst
oppression, false accusation and malicious speech;
if you bestow your bread on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
and the gloom shall become for you like midday.

[We are trying to do this at St. Mary's Church in Painesville, Ohio,
with our Karpos ministry to the homeless, hungry, and ill-clothed.]

Emergency Shelter at St. Mary's Church in Painesville, Ohio

I saw this nice article in our church bulletin yesterday. I had the privilege of staying overnight at the shelter with 16 guests on Monday night, January 27, 2014. The next morning it was way below zero!

Karpos Ministry for the Homeless and Hungry—St. Mary’s Church, Painesville, Ohio          

            The unusually cold spell in Northeast Ohio has everyone dreaming of hibernation in a warm place. The bone chilling winds and grey laden sky have zapped our spirits. But there is a spirit of hope that has come in an unexpected way with unexpected grace to St. Mary’s. As the polar vortex roared into Northeast Ohio, it put our many homeless Karpos friends, resilient by any measure, into its dangerous and life-threatening path. As the search went on to find ways to ensure their safety it became evident that a response was needed—and fast. Through the quick action of Father Steve Vellenga and the Social Justice Commission, an emergency shelter was established in our gym. This quickly became a safe haven filled with hospitality for all those who needed a place to shelter from the frigid temperatures. For those of us who were able to spend time together during these days and evenings, it brought transformation of heart and a broader feeling of community. It was good to be together, and hear each other’s stories. As the temperature dropped and the snow fell, we played cards and chess, watched movies, and shared meals and snacks together. As members of this renewed community ventured out into the elements the wind was not quite as bone chilling and the sky not as foreboding.

            A small miracle was experienced at St. Mary’s in an unexpected way, at an unexpected time. This is often the way that God works. We came to deeper understanding of how God has dwelled through the ages with those who have been seeking refuge. Let us continue to keep our hearts open to such possibilities and to recognize God’s presence in our lives!

Thank you to everyone who helped with set up, serving, socializing, sleeping over, and praying, and to Father Steve for his hospitality. Thank you to the Painesville police and city manager for their support and assistance, and to our guests for sharing their time with us.

[from the February 2, 2014 church bulletin, St. Mary’s Church, Painesville, Ohio]

Emergency Shelter for the Homeless in Cleveland

There is a fantastic report on Channel 5's website (newsnet5.com) on sheltering the homeless in Cleveland. It is at this link: Video Report on Sheltering the Homeless in Cleveland

God Bless these folks!

Many Homeless Are Sleeping Outside Tonight in Lake County Ohio

Every Thursday I help serve meals to the homeless and hungry in Painesville, Ohio, at St. Mary's Church (a service of Karpos Ministry, founded by Kathy and Dan Philipps). Painesville is not a huge city (about 20,000 within city limits), but it is the county seat of Lake County. Over all, Lake County is one of the more prosperous counties in the state of Ohio. But the hunger, homelessness, and poverty in this county--astonishing. We probably average 100 meals (with a high of about 180) on Thursday nights. Meals are also served on Wednesday nights. And since St. James Episcopal has stopped serving meals, we have expanded to Tuesday nights. Many of the people we serve live outside. Some live in tents along the Grand River. Some sleep in alleys or empty buildings. The jail in Painesville will allow folks to sleep in the lobby during extreme weather. Lucky ones can stay for a while in the Project Hope home (25 Freedom Road, Painesville Township, Ohio 44077).

Tonight the temperature will fall to 15 to 20 below zero, with wind chills much worse than that. Can you imagine living outside in this cold--in the richest, most powerful country in the history of the world? One cannot help but think of Jesus' exhortation to feed the hungry and shelter the homeless!

Some contacts:

Project Hope: http://www.projecthopeonline.org/

Cleveland Food Bank: www.clevelandfoodbank.org

Karpos Ministry and St. Mary's: http://www.stmarypvl.org/72