08/07/2020
This Covid thing has left many people in greater need than ever before. Let me tell you a true story, and at the end please tell me how you would respond, or what you would do.
On July first I reassessed my motives after I refused the first inquiry for me to take less for a large tent I was attempting to sell on Facebook Market Place. Several others contacted me with the same request. There were no full price offers. Before I chose any offer, I wanted to contact the first lady that had approached me to ask what price she was willing to pay.
She explained she had no money at all, was homeless, living with her 2y.o. daughter and boy friend in a car, here in Vancouver, Washington. I realized my tent was too large for her purposes, even if I gave it to her.
(If you remember, at the end of June and locked down, most of us were wondering if we would ever see the sunshine in the Northwest again!) I prayed for my response to her, not wanting to enable, yet desiring to help her in some tangible way.
I asked; "If there was one thing I could do for you, what would that be?" She said she needed a place to live. We discussed all of the public service options listed in the Life Pax social service card. She had applied for housing, but was very far down on the list. She said they were all soaked from rain. I told her I would try to help her, and get back to her.
I called 211 myself and got cut off while I made my inquiry. (I had agreed to accept a call to participate in a survey about their services before the call began.) I retried three more times to contact them, without any answer, nor a return call as was promised by their recording. They have not gotten back to me after a months time for a survey.
What I decided to do was meet the immediate need of this lady, her boy friend, and the young child. I suggested I would arrange 2 nights at any hotel that was open. I found the Red Lion willing to accommodate my prepayment for a room for them.
She was grateful. I delivered to the hotel desk a single rose, a note inviting them to my online church services, and a new stuffed toy for the child.
The reason I write this post, is that for many years Life Pax has distributed thousands of small meals, with social service information, and a personal message of hope. If you were the leader of Life Pax, how would you meet the real needs of the less fortunate in a tangible way? I'm thinking in this difficult time there may be someone out there that may have ideas on how to improve this outreach. I look forward to hearing you ideas.
Linda Drury,
Life Pax
