Last weekend I put up a post looking for holiday donations and it would be safe to say that the reactions were mixed. A good number of you were gracious and generous and one was just unhappy and downright mad at me - even mean spirited. And I have the comments to prove it. But in any case I am thankful to those who have contributed thus far.
1) Camera:
On loan, a lovely Lumix SLR w/case (Kim)
2) Phone:
iPhone with cracked screen but possibly repairable (Marsha, CO)
3) Phone:
Possibly one used HTC wildfire running Android (Thomas)
4) Computer:
Still looking for used Mac. Ask around. May be able to buy cheap
5) Cash:
$100 (Thomas)
6) Cash:
$35 (Marsha NY) by helping me turn food stamps into cash (Cash is important because I still need to be able to open a bank account with minimum balance and pay for phone and travel).
As for the person who is not happy, they are not happy because I am asking for seemingly expensive items - and new, they could be - but since landing in New York three months ago, I've seen everything from iPods to $4000 living room sectionals thrown into the trash or placed at curbside for pickup. You never know.
Starbucks throws out all those bistro boxes at the end of every day and Occupiers dumpster dive on a regular basis for some pretty high end chow. The standard of normal is different here and so even begging takes on a different set of financials. I see people just sit with a sign that says, "Homeless, please help" and make $100 a day or more. And they do much better than minimum wage. One guy with a dog makes more than a hundred because people feel sorry for the dog.
But I won't sit on the street and beg. To do that takes all day and there's no time to write, to do Occupy work, to apply for jobs, to do anything but beg. And in time, you'll get good at it. So good at that, and living the successful homeless life, that it becomes a goal in itself - and not where I need to be.
For this effort, I was encouraged by someone I respect to not be so proud, and to ask for help because I needed it. It its working. So thank you everyone. And have a blessed Holiday.
