2017 Jill Shoemaker

This summer, I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to pursue my passion for humanitarian work through the Hal Tayloe enrichment fund. Having grown up near an economically challenged demographic, I have had exposure to poverty my whole life. Since I was young, I have volunteered for and led lunches for the hungry at St. John’s Episcopal Church, which made me fully aware of its effects on families, children, and our community. I always enjoyed giving back through community service, yet when I came home to a loving family, food on the table and a roof over my head, I couldn’t help but feel guilty. I had always felt like there must be something more I could do because while I was “helping the needy”, all I was truly doing was serving salads and washing dishes. While these were important jobs, I knew I wasn't making a lasting impact. What I wanted to do was relatively simple: to truly make a difference in the community around me. I had had many ideas and plans about how I could make a difference individually, but because of a lack of funding, time, and resources, none of them have ever been attainable. However, the generosity of the Hal Tayloe fund allowed me to make one of my ideas into a reality. Thanks to the grant I received, I was able to design, assemble, and personally distribute 96 care packages to homeless throughout the east coast.

Throughout my years of volunteering, I’ve helped to assemble many care packages with different organizations. Unfortunately, these care packages would typically be as minimalistic as a plastic bag with a toothbrush, an apple, and a five-hour energy, often seeming irrelevant to the needs of the people who would receive them. Knowing these were the kinds of supplies the homeless would typically receive, I made a point to make every item I distributed useful. The care packages I designed were durable backpacks filled with a bagged meal, a personal hygiene kit, clean socks, a water bottle, an umbrella, and a blanket. Providing them with backpacks will give them something sturdy and permanent to store their belongings in, something to use as a makeshift pillow, and something they can simply call their own. The bagged lunch I supplied was unique as well because of the quality and nutritional value in the meals. Most homeless people can easily find something to eat, but rarely have a quality, healthy meal available to them. In attempt to combat the high carb, nutritionally lacking and frankly unappetizing food they typically received, my lunches contained a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread, a protein bar, fresh fruit, chips, and homemade chocolate chip cookies. The supplies I provided in the hygiene kit were all beneficial to their comfort and health and could be used in any setting (for example, they might not have access to a sink and running water to brush their teeth, so I additionally supplied small bottles of mouthwash.) Lastly, these packages were unique because they contained blankets. While blankets are obviously more useful in the winter, some questioned if I should supply these considering my project took place in the summer. However, while it may have been warm outside, many of the recipients sleep in shelters, where they don’t have clean bedding. Blankets can also be used to provide shade from the hot summer sun, or can even be used to sit on when the pavement is too hot.

My project focused on two main objectives. Obviously, the first was to distribute material goods to those who needed them. The second was to simply spread compassion. Most of the people I encountered were not only deprived of a stable home or paycheck but also of the simple joy a smile and pleasant conversation can bring. Ultimately, the goal was not only to provide supplies and make someone smile but also to hope that they shared that same smile with someone else down on their luck. Through the course of my project, I was lucky enough to witness just how drastically an act of kindness can change someone, but I also witnessed how heartbreaking poverty can be, especially when you see it up close. I could choose to tell dozens of stories from my experiences this summer that capture this, but below I've chosen to share the two most poignant examples of this message.

The first time was at my first distribution date at a breakfast and Bible study for the homeless at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in downtown Newport News. I arrived there about an hour before the study and breakfast officially began to help prepare the meal, and was asked by the leader of the organization and reverend of the church, Father Bruce Cheney, to attend the bible study as well. After a prayer, the bible study began by Father Bruce asking the group the question, “Do you feel like you have a home?” Initially, I was shocked. The question struck me to be extremely insensitive considering the entire group was homeless. We began to go around the circle, saying our name and our answer to the question. I watched in awe as every single person answered “yes”, because they all believed the word “home” isn’t necessarily defined a roof over your head. To quote Robert Frost, “A home is a place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in”. A home can certainly be a place, but a home can also be a family, a group, a person, a state of mind, the church, or anywhere where you are accepted and loved. I was genuinely surprised that every person there was so positive, but I eventually realized that their positivity came from their gratitude for receiving a home cooked breakfast, and to also be surrounded by a group of people who all seemed to truly accept each other. All of the things that made them positive originated from the kindness and compassion of the church staff, the cooks preparing the meal, and simply the people doing the small things like setting the table or buttering the toast. Every act of compassion displayed was appreciated. Towards the end of the Bible study, I was asked to speak about my project, my message, and the backpacks that would soon be distributed. After sharing my story with them, I was warmly welcomed with applause and scattered prayers through the group. Every person there seemed so incredibly grateful for a simple backpack. As I passed out backpacks and served the meal, I felt like I made friends with every person in that room, a sense of community that was so overpowering it moved me to tears.

The second time was during my last day on a trip to New York City, where I not only witnessed how kindness can alter someone's mentality but also what poverty can take from a person. I brought ten backpacks with me to distribute in the city and had given out nine to local homeless throughout the week, so I was determined to give my last one to someone before I returned to Virginia. After about twenty minutes of walking, I came across an elderly woman sitting on a suitcase with a cardboard sign and a cup of change. Her facial expression, demeanor, and aged skin told me she had seen a lot of tragedy and was in great amounts of pain. When I approached her, she initially seemed so surprised someone was taking the time to acknowledge her, like she hadn't had a conversation in weeks. The soft smile that came onto her face made her seem like a completely different person. I initiated small talk and offered her my last backpack, which happened to be bright purple. She took the bag and I watched her soft smile turn into a wide grin. She chuckled and said, “You know, purples my favorite color. You know, when I had a home, my bedroom was all purple. The sheets, the bedding, the walls, everything!” That moment opened my eyes and completely changed my perspective. The sound of her voice saying “When I had a home” kept ringing through my brain. At one point, this woman had enough stability in her life where she could worry about things as trivial as the color of a room, and now her concerns were where she could sleep and how she’ll get her next meal. We tend to think of homeless people having either become homeless because of drug and alcohol abuse or having grown up homeless, but this simply isn’t the case. Perfectly good, kind, hardworking people are able to lose everything in the blink of an eye; something I believe we should all keep in perspective when we turn our noses up at people we see on the streets.

From everything I have learned this summer about sympathy, taking action, and the human nature, I have drawn one main conclusion; everyone can be more compassionate. It was truly incredible to witness strangers undergo such drastic transformations from miserable people begging for change to someone actually almost happy after simply sharing some basic supplies with them. At first, I thought it was the backpacks making people so happy, but it wasn’t; it was the mere joy of a simple, kind human interaction. However, this is not something unique to the homeless, because any act of compassion can completely change anyone’s day. No one’s life is flawless, and we can all use more kindness from others in our lives. Whether it be receiving a birthday card from a family member, your friend taking the time to listen to you if you have a problem, or your teacher letting it slide and not giving you a zero, we can all benefit from acts of kindness from others. However, it works both ways, as we can all be more compassionate towards others as well. It seems cliché, but as a whole, we all want a more peaceful and loving world, so we should all “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” It doesn’t have to be anything large, but we can all do small things like giving someone a compliment, helping someone if they drop their things, taking out the trash for an elderly neighbor, or even just smiling at someone who isn’t having a good day. This is something we can all do at no cost. No act of kindness is too small, and no act of kindness is too large. I am eternally grateful to the Hal Tayloe fund to have given me this opportunity to spread love and compassion to those in need using nothing but a simple backpack.