At first glance, a plate of un-eaten chips may seem ordinary, uninteresting.
This particular plate of ordinary left-over chips resulted from a "Big Sandwich" lunch, and needless to say, I certainly wasn't interested in them. After I finished my meal, I picked up the plate with the intention of throwing the chips in the compost and going on with my day.
But something made me pause.
I stared at the brown, slightly soggy chips sitting sadly upon the plate, and thought about where they would go if I hadn't ordered them. Maybe they would have gone to another University of Portland student, and all my chip-related reflections were meaningless. But then I thought about what would happen if all the food we didn't order went to people who are homeless, instead?
Suddenly, my chips didn't seem so boring. They had turned into an idea: the idea that with a little bit of redistribution, we can all help feed the homeless community. But first, we have to care.
I like to think of myself as someone who is grateful for what I have. I'm grateful for my friends and my family. I wouldn't be the person I am today without the love and support of those close to me. They are my home. So when I imagine them being taken away from me, I begin to imagine what it's like to live with nothing. Then I started thinking about what it really means to live with nothing.
Whenever I travel to downtown Portland, I see so many people holding signs made of cardboard, their life stories gracing the front, wishing someone would notice. It's easy to walk by them and do nothing. "After all, I have my nice, warm bed to come home to and it's not my job to solve everyone's problems." I think we're all guilty of thinking that way sometimes, myself included, but I hope you'll join me in ending that mentality.
Imagine your typical day. You wake up, toss your sheets aside, hop out of bed and get ready for another day. Take one look in the mirror, and messy hair and acne is staring back at you. So you take a shower, come back and pick up your various brushes; brush your teeth, brush your hair. You wash your face, grab some breakfast and head out the door.
Now imagine you're homeless. You have none of those things; no bed to hop out of. You have sheets if you're lucky, and perhaps you're waking up in a door-frame. Or a park. It's fall, and you have no heating, and no roof over your head to protect you from the rain.
Your morning routine of brushing your hair, brushing your teeth, washing your face, and taking a shower suddenly becomes very expensive when you consider that shampoo is around 3 dollars, toothpaste is around 4, and face-wash is around 18. That's a steep price to pay if you have little to no income. And who knows where breakfast is coming from, or if you'll eat today at all.
How do you feel? No family, no friends, no one to help you. You must rely on strangers who give you a dollar or two if they're feeling generous. Some people care, but not most, because in their minds they're thinking "I have my nice, warm bed to come home to and it's not my job to solve everyone's problems." You're starving — for friendship, for kindness, for food. You're starving.
... Now imagine someone hands you a plate of chips.
