Mission of My Soul

Left to right: Me, former Tent City resident
Lisa, and Linda of "Be the Change"

Linda and I waited at Boston Market as the meals were being prepared, mapping out a route between local motels and other locations where former residents of Lakewood's Tent City were being housed.

"What's the deal with ten people living in the woods?"

"I heard four or five. They're in tents over by the intersection. Did anyone find out about the new couple?"

"Joan's meeting up with them later. Bringing them food and sleeping bags."

Shortly thereafter, we were joined by Dr. Norma and several members of Be the Change. They loaded the still-warm meals into their truck. Our first stop would be the Capital Motel.

With only scant information on the people housed there, we tried to locate the lobby. The hallways were dimly lit; mezuzahs were affixed to the door frames of each room. Linda approached a man in a yarmulke with the names of residents. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to locate them. We agreed to return in the evening.

Our next stop was the Grand Motel, which was just up the road. We were fortunate to see Nancy, also a former Tent City resident, serving as the manager. She was able to help us get a headcount, set up a table, and find the folks we were seeking. As I was about to turn and lend a hand unloading the food, I saw a woman come down the stairs, and I recognized her immediately: Frances, the first Tent City resident I'd ever met. Before long, others joined her; we filled the table with the meals, water bottles, and utensils.

Motel manager Nancy assists with a headcount
of residents who will receive hot meals.

Next was a brief drop-off at Lakewood Town Square, followed by a stop in Brick. Finally, just as it was beginning to get dark, we reached an apartment complex in Jackson. Irene and her husband Rob greeted us warmly, and directed us to each unit.

Two of the men were just arriving home from work, and as we handed them their meals, they talked about one of their neighbors who had taken a sick day. As if on cue, he emerged from his apartment, and I recognized him as another former resident named Chris. We talked for a bit, and I learned he received a grant to study in Puetro Rico. We visited another couple, Lisa and Will, and then parted ways soon after.

On my way home, as the air grew noticeably colder, I thought about how wonderful it had been to see everyone. It was comforting to know they had a roof over their heads, and they had food in their bellies; some had jobs and new opportunities. But something still felt off. Perhaps it was seeing them outside the context of the community that gave me pause. Or maybe it was the thought of the "new couple" Linda and Joan had mentioned earlier that afternoon, who were homeless and scared with nowhere to sleep and only the clothes on their backs.

My family asked me how things went, and I replied that it was good to see everyone, but I was feeling tired and therefore would be getting take-out for dinner. One of my kids asked, in typical childlike fashion, "if you're so tired, how come you do it?"

I thought on that for a moment. There were many reasons, of course. Because while it's about providing food to the hungry in a physical way, it's also about feeding a different sort of hunger - one that I think lives in all of us. Because everyone, regardless of circumstances, deserves to know that they're thought of and cared for. It's about the fact that even though the powers that be in the township of their former community treated them as "out of sight, out of mind," they still matter.

That was my answer to him. "Because, those people matter."

He was satisfied with that, and went back to his toys and badgering his brother and other kid business.

But, since in that simple question he reminded me of why I do what I do, I was glad he asked.

Familiar Faces

Tomorrow I'll be accompanying some friends with pre-Thanksgiving food distribution to former Tent City residents.

Some are in hotels. Some, as part of the conditions of the encampment's closure, qualified for a year of free housing - and that year, mind you, is close to over. A few are still on the streets or elsewhere in the woods. I heard about one couple that has obtained housing and is now determined to give back by providing the homeless with propane and other supplies.

You'd think anyplace must be better than a tent in the woods. But when a community - a family of sorts - is torn asunder, any sense of victory is bittersweet at best.

I've been wondering - how do you gauge a homeless "success story?" Is it determined by housing alone, by employment, by their ability to give back? At what point do we ascertain that a once-homeless person is officially a productive member of society, or not counted among the "less fortunate?" And, if they're not progressing, or if they're backsliding, at what point do we draw a line in the sand between generosity and enabling?

There are no simple answers.

I firmly believe that, regardless of circumstances, no human being should have to go without food, clothing, or shelter. While self-reliance and autonomy are the ideal, there are some for whom it's either an excruciatingly long road or an altogether unattainable one. It doesn't matter if they are to blame for poor choices they've made, if they're the victims of a system that is stacked against the economically disadvantaged, or a combination of these things. And especially in the spirit of the holiday season, I don't feel it's my job to judge them.

The continental United States was hit by an arctic blast that resulted in record snowfall and freezing temperatures. At least one homeless person, who was living in a vacant home, has died as a result. No human being deserves that.

Tomorrow, they'll receive a reminder that wherever they happen to be on their life's journey, there are people who care about them enough to ensure that they have a warm meal on a cold night.

In the absence of their former community, it's the very least we can do.

There Ours Shall Go Singing

Performing at the Thanksgiving Fundraiser
for Kean University's "Be the Change" on
November 14, 2014 at 10th Street Live,
Kennilworth, NJ.

There's a lyric from one of the songs I performed last night ("Hands" by Jewel) that proclaims, "We will fight, not out of of spite / But someone must stand up for what's right / For where there's a man who has no voice, there ours shall go singing."

That is exactly what a bunch of us did last night when we came together to raise our voices (and some funds) for Kean University organization "Be the Change."

Accompanied by guitarist Joe Colucci, I came prepared with four songs: (1) the aforementioned cover of my favorite Jewel tune, (2) "City of Ruins" the Springsteen tune that accompanied a video montage of Tent City in the wake of its closing; (3) "Sugar Sand," my newest original song, and (4) "The Soldier," a song I wrote for a former Tent City resident.

What I didn't come prepared with were songs for an encore, and to my great delight, it turns out I actually needed them.

With both Joe and me drawing a complete blank, I announced to the audience that I was happy to take requests. Norma, who'd invited me to sing at the event, asked me to sing "Angel" by Sarah McLaughlin in honor of our mutual friend Doug. Of course, I gladly obliged.

And at the end of the evening, I joined the golden-voiced Gabrielle Rose for an impromptu rendition of "At Last" and an audience-interactive version of "Lean On Me."

The proceeds from the event will purchase hot Thanksgiving meals for the homeless of Newark and former residents of Lakewood's Tent City.

To all who participated: those who attended and donated, those who organized, and those who lent their talent: I need to personally commend you for your time during a season in which sentiments of home and hearth seem most paramount, and during which we are called to be thankful for all we have and mindful of those who go without. Our little corner of the world is much brighter because of you.

You, friends, are the miracle the world needs. THANK YOU.

If You're Not Outraged...

You'll have to excuse my tone for the time being, but upon reading about the folks in Fort Lauderdale who were arrested for feeding the homeless, I am absolutely seething right now.

This, friends, is our America. Where the accursed "affluenza" spares a rich, irresponsible brat from a prison sentence for killing four people after drinking and driving. Where the law permits citizens and police to shoot unarmed teenagers with minimal consequences. But where a compassionate individual can face a $500 fine and possible jail time for, as a friend of mine put it, using his own time and resources to do what our government won't.

I'm angry at people who call themselves "Christians" but align themselves with politics that exalt greed and legislators who blatantly oppress the poor.

I'm angry because even as people came out yesterday and exercised their right to vote, there is little comfort in the knowledge that both political parties are bought and paid for by corporations, the wealthy, and special interest groups. And there's no little blue pill for electile dysfunction.

I'm angry because the media would have our eyes fixated on the escapades of the Kartrashians and their ilk, and averted from our neighbor whose minimum wage job can't even cover the basics of living.

I'm angry because the average American is so engrossed in eking out a living and so fearful of making waves that they have little time, interest, or energy to be spent outside their comfort zone.

I'm angry because there are people who want change. There are some truly ingenious ideas about how to implement that change. But good ideas aren't enough. Because when folks come together with multiple, misaligned individual agendas and no unifying force, even the best and brightest ideas are doomed to fail.

Maybe, just maybe, this is a wake-up call. Perhaps through simply acting in accordance with compassion and humanity, we can be the change we seek. The real challenge is mobilizing concerned people with a clear goal, for a tangible purpose, And while that does not necessarily require power or stature, it DOES require a certain (rare) type of leadership - one that can instill an indivisible and uncompromising sense of purpose and unity.

In the meantime, we should keep feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, befriending the lonely and disenfranchised - without fear and without compromise. Because this is what our place in this world and our shared humanity requires of us.

If you're not outraged, you haven't been paying attention.

So, pay attention. And get angry. It's okay. Be careful to not let it consume you, but as fire burns the impurities from gold, let your indignation and your hunger for what's true and right burn through your fear and sculpt your soul in the shape of justice.

Go forth, friends, and let us continue to be the change we seek.