The Last Breakfast

 "Coffee?" 

"Please. Triple triple."

"Cocoa porridge or chicken vegetable soup?"

"Both."

Yesterday morning, I was privileged to help with the Last Breakfast at Camp Pekiwewin (Pekiwewin means Welcome Home), a place for the homeless of our city that was created by volunteers from Black Lives Matter and many other groups. When our city shut down the Expo Centre shelter facility at the beginning of the summer, many people stepped up to close the gap. They started by erecting a tepee and sacred fire which were soon surrounded by a small city of tents, situated at the foot of Walterdale Hill and Bridge, across from the city ball park in clear sight of downtown commuters. It survived on volunteer power and donations from the wider community offered by many people who understand the importance of caring for those living on the margins.

I only made it down to camp three times, twice to serve porridge and coffee and once to drop off a donation. I was impressed by the young adults who were in charge and their strong sense of service and social justice. They showed the City of Edmonton that caring for the homeless is not optional, but essential, insisting on the dignity of all those living in the tent community and demanding their rights to a place where they felt safe. 

In effect, Camp Pekiwewin shamed the City into taking action sooner than later to set up shelters for colder weather, and woke many Edmontonians up to the usually hidden fact of homelessness. Now that winter is arriving, the camp is in its last days. Yesterday's meals were the last to be offered by volunteers, and today there will be a closing Round Dance for the community as a whole.

And make no mistake, it was a well-organized community considering that we are in pandemic times. Everyone did their best to live by covid-19 protocols given the roughness of the situation. The people onsite knew each other and looked after each other. One fellow appeared at the kitchen window five or six times yesterday morning, taking away bowls after bowls of porridge, clearly serving his friends -- there was no way a beanpole like him could eat that much, that quickly. Most folks were polite while waiting in line, ensuring that the person ahead of them had picked up all their food before stepping up to the window. There was plenty of good-natured banter, and considerable dismay that this was "The Last Breakfast." The residents are now expected to go to one of three shelters the city has arranged, and the community is saying its farewells to each other.

I couldn't help but feel the weight of sadness in the air, that these friendships and Camp's sense of community is being divided up. Though I definitely wasn't one of the regulars, I felt the camaraderie and sense of purpose in supporting the common good just by the way everyone welcomed and kibbitzed with a relative stranger, and put me to work organizing the kitchen or dishing out porridge. The volunteers, some of whom practically lived onsite, figured out what the community needed and worked very successfully to create it. Social work, medical care, security, food, and clothing were provided by a large group of committed Edmontonians who volunteered their time and resources, and who clearly had a stake in the common good provided for at Camp.

And now, while many of Camp's residents will go to the shelters, I suspect others will retreat into more isolated camps in the River Valley once again. They are the ones I worry about the most. In February during a dog walk, I happened upon a fellow who had built himself a tiny plywood shack in the ravine not far from here. He was friendly, and clearly used to roughing it. He might be able to survive winter, but will he be able to avoid covid-19 with the numbers rising in our city? And if he does get sick, will he be able to access the help he needs? God, I hope so.

This morning, the snow is really coming down. Our health officials tell us the virus is really ramping up. The temptation for those of us living in relative comfort and security is to settle down for a long winter's nap. The challenge, especially in these days of pandemic, is to continue to work for the good of all those around us, to remember to support the foodbanks, the inner city agencies, and the many volunteers and service organizations that help our low-income brothers and sisters. Maybe I can't serve porridge at Camp again, but there are other opportunities to donate or work for the good of those who struggle...

Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society

The Bissell Centre

Boyle Street Community Services

Edmonton Food Bank

Hope Mission

Homeward Trust

The Marian Centre

The Mustard Seed

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul

Cold Hands, Warm Hearts

It's really cold out this morning, and I'm thinking about the homeless people in Edmonton. How are they managing to find warmth today?

In my comfortable existence, I know that I need to do something to help those who don't have a comfortable existence. So the Ecumenical Prayer group that I organize once a month gives most of its free-will offerings to Hope Mission, an ecumenical and "not-for-profit social care agency founded in 1929" here in Edmonton. It offers meals and shelter to those who have nowhere else to turn.

Our Ecumenical Prayer group has definite ties to the Taizé community in France whose brothers live with and serve less fortunate people in communities around the world. In keeping with their charism, we do what we can to support the ecumenical efforts of Hope Mission.

And as part of our support, we've started Team Taizé to walk in Hope Mission's Cold Hands Warm Hearts Fundraiser, which takes place this year on Leap Day, February 29th. It's a 2- or 5-km walk-a-thon to raise funds for the vital work that Hope Mission does, supporting its programs that offer food, shelter, warming vans, addictions counseling, and other supports to those who are living on the streets of Edmonton.

I've had a lot of really enjoyable experiences being part of different fundraising teams, so I'm inviting you to join Team Taizé, and come walk with us to support the homeless members of our human family here in Edmonton. Click here to join our team or make a donation. And even if you don't want to do either of those things, just come and walk with us, in solidarity with the homeless of our city. Our walking together will raise awareness, and hopefully, help a few more people to get out of the cold.

Simple Christmas idea #15 -- Give gifts to the homeless

Support a local good cause...

In my dizzy state over the past year, I've only been to the Clothing Room at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul a couple of times, just for short stints. Physio has helped me realize that the vertigo's spinny-ness has dissipated, though my head still feels unbalanced. I'm back to driving, though not during rush hours, and am basically living with a sense of imbalance, since it's just not going away. So this week, it's time to return to the Clothing Room, and that makes me happy!

My mom has been keeping me up to date on my favourite homeless friends when they've come in. One of them has been praying for me, which is really neat, because I often pray for him when the weather gets really cold. I can't imagine life as a homeless person, but Dave has dropped little bits of his life story for me to collect over the last few years. He's a chronic alcoholic whose addiction keeps him from settling into a home, and he carries all his earthly goods a backpack which, according to him, frequently gets stolen by others on the streets, and needs to be replaced. He always seems to need gloves this time of year, frequently losing his, but he also admits to sharing his stuff with buddies who sometimes don't give it back. It seems that ownership is a much looser concept among our homeless brothers and sisters than it is with me, which makes me wonder sometimes -- who is the poorer?

Dave has a great sense of humour, and, I suspect, an even stronger sense of shame at times. But to me, he'll always be my first homeless friend, the man who taught me that homeless people are not to be feared or pitied, simply because we're all human beings who need to be loved, and because there's a fine line between Dave's life and my own. In reality, those lessons are a greater gift than anything I've ever given to Dave. His friendship is one of the lights in my life. He has made me more aware of the fact that none of us has any control over the families or situations into which we are born -- where I used to take that for granted, now I see how fortunate I've been. Dave? Well, he's just doing the best he can with the cards he's been dealt. I admire his resilience, because I don't know that I'd cope very well in his place.

There are those who say that charity creates a huge inequity between giver and recipient, and that we shouldn't be handing things out for nothing and creating dependencies. While I agree with that in principle, in reality, I don't want Dave to end up with frostbite, as he has in the past. The homeless in our cities need homes, but I am powerless to provide them with that basic necessity -- and some of our people actually seem to prefer life outdoors (except when it's really cold). What I can provide is some financial support to Housing First and other agencies that find homes for our brothers and sisters in need, and I can buy gifts for my homeless friends: socks, gloves, little soaps, shampoos, toothpastes and other toiletries, long underwear, toques, scarves, and other things that will get them through the winter.

It's easy to give money to help people far away, as with the microloans mentioned in Simple Christmas Idea # 13, but it's also important to support local initiatives. Last year our church gathered gift bags of helpful items to be given to those in need by the Inner City Pastoral Ministry. I haven't heard whether it's happening again this year, but even if it isn't, I can gather the same sorts of items and give them to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul this week. 

Mary, Joseph, and the holy child were homeless as they began their family life. We can all be so-called wise ones, bringing gifts, and receiving blessing. How can you gift the homeless or agencies that support them where you are?