Nathan and Ashley served 26 people experiencing homelessness on Saturday, 2/15.

Last Saturday, we covered our route in the McKinley Park area. There was a children’s birthday party going on at the picnic tables just beside the play structure, and one of our regulars, Bianca, was sitting just beside the party, with a large bouquet of roses sitting in front of her (Valentine’s Day?), as well as various goodies from Starbucks. As we began to serve her, at the next table over, one of the parents of the children handed us a $20 and said, “Thank you so much for what you do. God bless you.” Moments like this are so incredible, as I feel the love from our community, and our community are able to see us in action. This will happen fairly frequently, when someone on the street will hand us money, or even pull over in their vehicles, waving cash out the window. I feel so much gratitude in these moments, as well as hope for the goodness in all human beings.

In total, we served 26 individuals, 6 of whom were women, as well as 4 dogs. We made and handed out 50 sandwiches, poured several cups of coffee, gave out Cup-of-Soup, fresh oranges donated by a UU member, and cookies from Panera Bread. We also hand out several types of hygiene items like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, razors, and even hot wash cloths, all donated by our wonderful UU congregation.

If you are interested in more information, or about finding out about how you can become involved with our team at UUSS, please come by and visit us at the table in the Welcome Hall after the service.