“…My 11 year old daughter Jessica hasn’t been 11 for very long. We had her birthday party here a couple weeks ago, and she has been wanting an iPod Touch for quite a while. It’s ‘the thing’ you know? They’re very useful and very fun. Most of her friends have one. For her birthday, instead of gifts, she asked for money, so she could save up for this thing she’s been wanting. She got gifts of money from some of her friends. After her birthday, she had $70. saved up; quite a chunk in this household. She knew more time would pass for her to earn more money to add to this so she could buy the iPod.”

She came to me a few days ago and asked to talk to me. ‘Mom, I don’t want to use my money to buy the iPod’ she told me ‘I want to use it to buy blankets for the homeless.’ I asked her how this came about ‘I had a moment with God’ she said. We continued the conversation, and I could tell she meant it…”

“…Monday, we went to the store to buy the blankets my friend Michele (who works with homeless people) said were a good choice. While we were getting ready to go, my 8 year old son Joshua said ‘I want to use my money to buy blankets for homeless people, too.’ He had $15. saved up.

Just like that, the very next day, God answered my husband’s hope.

Joshua asked me if he could put one of his dollars into the Salvation Army bucket at the door. Then, together, with $84. and some change, they got 8 blankets.

Tomorrow, we will meet Michele with the blankets at the place they keep items needed to help care for homeless people in Greensboro…”

What was her husband’s hope? What did Betsy learn about her heart, God’s heart and her children’s hearts? I encourage you to read the whole post.

I look forward to picking up the blankets and to giving them out to homeless people. I will tell the people who receive these blankets about the children who saved and spent their own money to buy them.

“He who gives to the poor will lack nothing…”

Thanks, Betsy. Love you all.

Current Needs List: Updated Monday, 11/28/2011 Tuesday, 12-13-2011

Our current needs list (made by homeless people, with help from GPD):

• blankets (The kind you would want if you lived outside in winter!)
• sleeping bags
• firewood (if you can deliver; we’ll go with you; we will continue to have a need for firewood all winter long)
• air mattresses (twin, full or queen; real mattresses, too, if you can deliver; used is OK; we’ll go with you we now have 3 actual mattresses committed, so at this point we just need air mattresses — thanks!)
• tarps (to go over tents; need concealment colors only, please — olive green, gray, brown or camo — no blue, orange, bright green, etc.; must be in good shape, no holes)
• tents — any size, new or used
• heat sheets (survival blankets; we hear they’re literally life savers!)
• camp stoves and propane
• thermal tops & bottoms (NEW; mostly mens XL & XXL, some XXXL; )
• NEW men’s thick white athletic socks and/or winter wool boot socks
• NEW men’s fleece caps and warm, heavy gloves (lightweight knit gloves don’t stop cold well)
• men’s boots, any size, new or used (work boots, winter boots, etc., boots for living outside, if used, good condition)
• men’s HEAVY winter coats; XL or larger, the larger the better (if you live outside, you layer, so the coat needs to be the biggest thing)
• toilet paper
• bottled water
• hand sanitizer in bottles or wipes
• chapstick (mostly for guys, not girly kinds, please!)
• instant and ground coffee (powdered sugar & creamer packets are great, too!)
• peanut butter
• saltine crackers, Ritz crackers, etc. (to go with peanut butter)
• tuna fish, vienna sausages, beef stew, chili, pork & beans, beanie weanies in pop-top cans
• canned pasta (ravioli, spaghetti & meat balls, beefaroni) in pop-top cans
• nutri-grain bars
• individually packaged snacks (Little Debbie, cookies, Lance crackers, etc.; something sweet or salty)
• AT THIS TIME, WE DO NOT NEED ANY HYGIENE ITEMS, ANY FOOD OTHER THAN THAT LISTED ABOVE, AND NO OTHER CLOTHING ITEMS THAN THOSE LISTED ABOVE.

On clothing items, larger sizes are always better. Guys can wear something that’s too big, but not something too small. Ladies can wear men’s clothing, but not vice versa.

Please drop off donations in the StreetWatch collection box (inside the lobby of the building) at Greensboro Police Department Watch Operations, 2602 S. Elm-Eugene Street (same building as Water Dept.; see map below). If you’re donating large items (tents, stoves, air mattresses, etc.) — anything too big to fit in the collection box at the Police Department, please contact us by email at outreach@streetwatchgreensboro.com and we’ll arrange to get those items directly from you or to meet you at our storage unit. If you have firewood, we’ll meet you at the camp it’s going to. If you’d like to make a financial contribution, please email us at the address above and we’ll tell you how.

THANK YOU & GOD BLESS YOU!!! ~ Michele Forrest & Audrie Keen, StreetWatch co-founders

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But there’s the unspoken: mental illness, alcoholism, addiction, trauma, family dysfunction. Obtaining or maintaining a job or housing is difficult (and out of reach for some). A number of folks I’ve seen just this week are newly released from jail or prison. Their chances for jobs and housing seem to rise and fall with the economy.

I think of the words a homeless friend once said to me, “If we could get a job, we’d have one.” And another, referencing Greensboro’s wealth of free meal sites and dearth of affordable housing, “We appreciate the food. But you can’t cover up with a chicken wing.” True word.

>> Related post: “Urgent needs for our ministry to unsheltered homeless people: Please help!”