Last month I stopped in at a Vietnamese restaurant to have Pho soup because I was too tired to go home and cook. My waitress was this young, sweet little gal, very energetic, smiled broadly and was eager to take my order. I asked if she had a nice Christmas and she said yes, she worked. She said she is saving her money to buy a car. Apparently her last car got totalled when she loaned it to a friend, and she had no insurance to replace it. Hmmm, I said, I never lend my car to any one and I always have insurance. She said, so optimistically, she was getting a lot of exercise walking wherever she needs to go. I asked her how far away from work she lived, and she told me she lives at the homeless shelter. My heart melted.
It's been so cold here, I inquired if she had a warm coat and she said she had a quilted jacket.
The next day, I went to the homeless shelter and donated 4 wool coats and some blankets and pillows I had placed in a box for year end donations. They were very grateful, the statistics for homeless people are staggering and rising all the time. The homeless shelter helps people get jobs, training and skill development so that they can get out on their own. They also have a shop where the homeless can get clothing for job interviews. A lot of families live at the shelter. There is child care provided for children while mom and dads go to work or are in training.
This little gal is just 21. I don't know much about her, but somewhere in the conversation she did say her boyfriend was in jail and they lost their apartment because she doesn't make that much money.
I tipped her $10. |
