Friday, November 18, 2011

Brother, Can You Spare a Turkey?



Sometimes when you try to help others respond to the needs of homeless and at-risk families, the most practical requests are the best requests. I think it’s because people can really get their arms around such requests, frankly.

Take turkeys, for instance. As might be expected, turkeys are a mainstay item in holiday food boxes distributed here at the Mission. If a turkey happens to have, say, 12 pounds of meat on it once you’re past the bones and parts you don’t use, a family of three can use the meat as the basis of a meal for about 10 family meals after their Thanksgiving dinner. That’s right: every medium-sized turkey, if used judiciously, can supply protein for a total of 33 individual meals without skimping.

That’s why food pantries, Gospel missions, halfway houses and our neighbors in need get really excited when they see a turkey coming their way. Yes, it could mean a family or individual gets to enjoy a more traditional Thanksgiving meal. That’s certainly to the plus side of the ledger. But these days, more people think about the turkey’s total nutritional impact. For all the whining many of us did about leftover turkey as we were growing up, for an increasing number of families that bird could supply almost a week’s worth of protein.

I’m not suggesting that everyone goes into the detailed mathematics of food dispersion before they donate a turkey. But especially in seasons where supermarkets make turkeys a loss leader or bonus item, they can easily become a strategic and welcome part of a holiday food basket that often lasts a family in need for a week. Generous people who bring just one turkey to benefit homeless or at-risk families make a huge difference for those who often choose between paying for food and paying for utilities, medicine, or school supplies.

So thanks to all of you who answered “Yes!” to the question, “Brother, can you spare a turkey?” this Thanksgiving. You made a larger impact than you probably thought. (You can calculate that difference by multiplying how many turkeys you donated times 11 family meals or times 33 individual meals like we did above, by the way.) And if you missed your chance to get your turkey into a food box this week…well, Christmas and a fresh round of holiday food boxes are just a few weeks away.

Friday, November 4, 2011

The Beauty of Demolition




If you’ve ever had a life-controlling issue, you know the drill. You also know the drill if you’ve ever had a loved one with a life-controlling issue. Part of recovery is making the decision, again and again, is showing no mercy to what controlled you.
You cut the ties. You torch the bridges. You leave it in another life.
And anytime something reinforces your choice to be free, you cheer. That’s what’s lighting up the faces of the men in our New Life recovery program here on Las Vegas Street. This week we celebrate the expansion of the Life Recovery Center, which houses the program, by tearing down a big sign that says “Liquor.”
The sign is on the building adjacent to the current residential center for the men in the program. In fact, the current building shares a wall with what was once a very popular liquor store in the neighborhood. Starting next week, thanks to a very generous grant, we’re refurbishing the former liquor store into more rooms for the recovery center.
Sweet irony, isn’t it? Poetic justice for a lot of the gentlemen we serve here. You see, their basic decision to stay sober is one they make every day – and it’s not always easy. The chance for them to help replace a venue that fed their addiction with a place that could stabilize their lives and relationships and future? Beyond words.
Let that crane swing, and listen for the cheers on Las Vegas Street. Demolition can be a beautiful thing.