There’s nothing better than the feeling you get when you know that you have helped someone a great big deal. That’s what I felt when I helped out at the Midnight Mission, a program devoted to meeting the needs of hundreds of homeless people in Detroit.
The Oasis, located on Woodward ave, Highland Park Michigan it’s the oldest continuously operating human services organization in the Michigan area. They have their own building and facilities, all designed to serve and support the poverty-stricken men, women, and children of the greater Michigan. In 1914, the doors to the Oasis were first opened to the homeless men of Detroit. Meals were served once a day, at midnight, after church services were given to these men. But things have changed since …show more content…
After placing them in plastic bags, we handed these personal hygiene items to the homeless on their way out after a hearty meal. We were instructed to put smiles on our faces and greet them with a cordial “hello”. Personally, I didn’t really think I’d enjoy spending my time handing toiletries to a bunch of homeless people for a couple of hours. I didn’t even feel that much sympathy for homeless people at the time. But when seeing the genuine looks of appreciation on the faces of these people, I truly realized that they didn’t have the common necessities of life. They didn’t have what other people took for granted. They were underprivileged and extremely unlucky. I also came to understand that many people, provided with more than the bare minimum required to survive, are spoiled. Soon, I felt more than happy to assist these people who were stuck in an unfair struggle to …show more content…
It is, as one homeless guest tells me later, the one week in the year that homeless people get treated like human beings.
After a half-hour pep talk, our group of 200 is escorted into the main area for the first time. We are a mixed bunch - old and young, male and female, stalwart and novice. Some spend their entire Christmas week here, while for others, like me, it is just one day.
Inside, the warehouse is a rough and ready affair of white concrete walls divided up into several large rooms incongruously spruced up with the odd sprig of tinsel and coloured paper.
Each room has a different activity - live music, television, sleeping, eating, medical services, advice, hairdressing - even an internet café.
Tonight there are around 350 guests of all races and ages but overwhelmingly male (there is a separate women-only shelter
The Oasis, located on Woodward ave, Highland Park Michigan it’s the oldest continuously operating human services organization in the Michigan area. They have their own building and facilities, all designed to serve and support the poverty-stricken men, women, and children of the greater Michigan. In 1914, the doors to the Oasis were first opened to the homeless men of Detroit. Meals were served once a day, at midnight, after church services were given to these men. But things have changed since …show more content…
After placing them in plastic bags, we handed these personal hygiene items to the homeless on their way out after a hearty meal. We were instructed to put smiles on our faces and greet them with a cordial “hello”. Personally, I didn’t really think I’d enjoy spending my time handing toiletries to a bunch of homeless people for a couple of hours. I didn’t even feel that much sympathy for homeless people at the time. But when seeing the genuine looks of appreciation on the faces of these people, I truly realized that they didn’t have the common necessities of life. They didn’t have what other people took for granted. They were underprivileged and extremely unlucky. I also came to understand that many people, provided with more than the bare minimum required to survive, are spoiled. Soon, I felt more than happy to assist these people who were stuck in an unfair struggle to …show more content…
It is, as one homeless guest tells me later, the one week in the year that homeless people get treated like human beings.
After a half-hour pep talk, our group of 200 is escorted into the main area for the first time. We are a mixed bunch - old and young, male and female, stalwart and novice. Some spend their entire Christmas week here, while for others, like me, it is just one day.
Inside, the warehouse is a rough and ready affair of white concrete walls divided up into several large rooms incongruously spruced up with the odd sprig of tinsel and coloured paper.
Each room has a different activity - live music, television, sleeping, eating, medical services, advice, hairdressing - even an internet café.
Tonight there are around 350 guests of all races and ages but overwhelmingly male (there is a separate women-only shelter