“I am the mother of a seven year old boy in Greensboro who has a new mission: to help the homeless in his community. Today was the grand opening of his Etsy Shop, Elliot’s Ninjas: Helping the Homeless one Ninja at a time. He is saving half of all sales to benefit StreetWatch and the Pathways Shelter. Today he has already had his first two sales and is inspired to keep painting ninjas for his mission. I just thought you would like to follow along with his progress. Each week I plan to take him shopping for those needs you have posted on your website and take him to the location where he can give…

This started because Elliot has been wanting to give to the panhandlers he sees in Greensboro when he’s out on the town with me. (We homeschool.) It also happened because one night, while we were eating out at Cafe Europa, he wrapped his leftover bread in a napkin and wanted to give it to a man that we had passed at the library on the way in. We told him that there are so many other ways to give, and that he should think of a different way to help. So this is what he came up with. So far, he had a very good weekend and is exited to keep going.”

From Elliot’s Etsy shop:

“[These] 4 x 4″ watercolor painting[s are part of] a series of ninja themed art by Elliot. Half of the proceeds from [each] sale will benefit the homeless that Elliot sees in his city every day.

Elliot is often out and about in his city and is deeply concerned about the quality of life of the homeless men and women that he sees every day. In his words, ‘this horrifies me.’

Elliot feels called to help by giving. When you purchase a ninja painting, you have helped a homeless person and inspired a child to keep working for the benefit of families and individuals living on the street.”

>> Elliot’s Ninja Art is available for purchase online here. His watercolor paintings sell for $3.00 each.

P.S. I can’t wait to meet Elliot! ♥

Homerun for Homelessness

When: Sunday, May 20, 2012; Gates open at 3pm; Opening pitch at 4pm
Who: Greensboro Grasshoppers vs. Lakewood BlueClaws
Where: NewBridge Bank Park, Greensboro

Join Partners Ending Homelessness for a great day at the ballpark and learn more about PEH partners. Visit exhibit tables highlighting the Servant Center of Greensboro, Room at the Inn’s Nurturing Center, Greensboro Urban Ministry, and StreetWatch. Learn more about the services they provide and how you can get involved.

PEH partners Keith Barsuhn, President of United Way of Greater Greensboro and Bobby Smith, President of United Way of High Point, will throw out the first pitch. Lisa Dames will sing the National Anthem.

Visit the Partners Ending Homelessness table inside the stadium. Partners Ending Homelessness encourages public understanding of the causes and conditions of homelessness and leads a strong and stable system of care for individuals and families to reduce homelessness in Guilford County. The Partners Ending Homelessness serves at the lead agency for the Continuum of Care.

New Home For Now
By StreetWatch  |  View on Facebook

We stayed to help them get set up. I’ve learned a lot from my homeless friends about how to set up a tent to live in it. Pallets go down first, so the water runs under the tent and not in it. If there are slats missing, find scrap wood and fix it, so that the bottom is even. Then, heavy layers of padding go on. Old quilts and comforters work well. Carpet remnants are good, too. Next, the tent goes up, and then you start working on the inside. More layers of blankets on the floor keep out the chill and the moisture from the ground below, and then add padding to the sleeping area. For a couple sleeping in a tent, two sleeping bags can be unzipped and then re-zipped together to make one big sleeping bag. When it’s cold, you sleep inside it. When it’s hot, you sleep on top of it. Boxes of clothes and personal belongings go inside the tent on the sides. You sweep the area in front of the tent and put down a rug or carpet, or a layer of gravel, to cut down on tracking dirt and mud into your tent.

Note: We’re thankful to the StreetWatch donors who make it possible for us to help unsheltered homeless people have a place to stay out of the rain, a place to keep some of their belongings, a place to lie down and rest. We’ve bought many, many sleeping bags and tents recently. The requests still keep coming every day. Please consider making a donation to our ministry. Thank you.

P.S. We’d love to tell you more about our friends, but they like their privacy and we totally respect that. If you knew them, you would love them, just like we do. ♥

He’d been offered a sleeping bag by the guy at the day center, so I told him that our StreetWatch team could come out in the morning and bring him a tent, a tarp and one of the bags we usually give out, which has food, utensils, water, hygiene items, toilet paper and socks. And then I asked, “What else can you think of that you need?” He paused for a moment and then said, “I don’t know. I’ve never done this before.” All I could think to say was, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” I was so overwhelmed with sadness for him.

They just keep on coming…

“…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!”

 

Mark

 

If you’d like to help Mark, here are some things he mentioned that he needs:

• dishes, glasses, utensils
• pots and pans
• TV
• towels
• lamps
• welcome mat

» Keep reading “I’m in MY house” at StreetWatch on Facebook.

» Previously:  (Video) StreetWatch: Mark, back at the homeless camp, looking for work

Mark Stinson

This is a guest post from my friend, Mark:

Hello,I’m Mark Stinson I was once a Homeless man here in Greensboro,N.C.. But now I’m living in and Oxford house and I’m sober an Off the street’s. Thank’s to the Help from my now Loving friend’s and family of StreetWatch G-Boro.. I’m also a memember,and love speaking on behave of Them and homelessness. If I can be of any help please let me know. mstinson60@yahoo.com Thank You!

Mark is also on Facebook. And he appears in this Fox8 video on Facebook (no longer available on Fox8 site). The woman who appears in that video is also housed now.