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Show Social Policy Lunch at St. Vincent de Paul Not wanting to suc:cumb to the "Ivory Tooer" syndrane, at the inititation of aoother League member, Kate Park, I decided to talk with the horreless men and ~ n who were having lunch at St. Vincent de Paul on a rold day in As Kate and I ai;:proached the ~cember. building I saw perhaps thirty ~ l e waiting in line for the gates to open. I oould see their breath as we walked by; sore were starrping their feet arrl rubbing their hams to stay warm. introduced ourselves to the We manager of the lunch program and waited for people to get their fcod. 'Iwo khakicolored army tents were set up on the premises as "dining halls", both unheated and dark inside. Several chairs had been placed around the perimeter and dam the center. There was no table. As we entered the tent with the first people in line, I sat down across fran a man and wanan aoo asked if they minded my joining than. I assured than I wasn't after a newspaper story and didn't want to interrupt their meals; I was simply interested in anything they felt They said they like talking about. didn' t mind and I was welc:x::xre to have a seat. The ~ n had a scarf bundled around her head and was eating quickly. She and her husbaoo had cx::ne to Salt Lake City fran California in search of work. Her husband was not with her at lundl because he had just picked up a terrporary job, His for which she was very grateful. meager incane at least penni tted than to live in a notel instead of their car. She said her afterooon would be spent haoo washing their clothes in the rootel's sink. I told the wanan I had been struck by the sight of a ~rson in a sleeping bag in front of a downtown building late one night. I related I couldn't tell if the person was a man or ~ n because s/he was covered by the sleeping bag. The wanan responded with a a:mnent I'll "'Yes, that's probably always rerrember: the first thing Joe (her husband) told rre Cover your when we started tramping. '!hat's where you head or you' 11 die. lose the nost heat and you've got to cover your head. You'll die otherwise." The man sitting across fran me had a different set of problems. He oouldn 't find ~rk and was reduced to being a rubber tramp (som=0ne who lives in a car) . He sold his blood plasma at least At the once a week to get sare cash. time we talked, he was disoouraged because his girlfrieoo had just been picked up by the police for soop lifting. She had been accused of walking out of a store with a pack of cigarettes. He was afraid bail ~uld be at least $50, making it irrp:>Ssible for him to get her released. We chatted for several minutes, eoough time for rre to realize once again hoo many people in our city just don't have enough resources to survive well. I couldn't help ~ndering if they would ever find a way to feel secure in life, aoo what the rest of us 'M3uld need to oo to help out. As we left, the wanan carefully cleaned her plastic SIXX)n and took it "I 've learned to save with her. 1 everything," she said. 'Everything is gold." Sheryl Gillilan Social Policy Clair We ... COPY Financial Planning Counseling Services STAPLE PRINT BIND REDUCE COLLATE TYPE LAMINATE • ENLARGE PUNCH Berthe Elaine Keith 8 AM - 5:JO PM Mon. - Fri. Certified Financial Planner MEL AND HELENMAR PETERSEN 684 "H" Street Salt Lake City, Utah 84103 Salt Late Voter 1451 South 2300 East Suite 1 Salt Lake City, Utah 84108 Phone : 583-4200 (801) 364•5461 (801) 364-5462 -6- |
