86
There are 86 homeless high-schoolers at Beaverton High. I haven't been doing any digging to find this information out. There was no tearing through demographics or long nights of caffeine fueled research to come to this conclusion. Instead, a lady stood up on Sunday to deliver this information to the church I attend last Sunday. The whole crowd gasped. 86 is a lot more than the 44 reported from last year.
Every year, the church I attend feeds homeless youth during the holidays. They provide grocery bags weekly to get them through the time when free lunch is not available to them, being sure to include things like floss and chunky soup to them along with a $10 gift card to Fred Meyer. While I am thrilled with their efforts, I don't have what I need to contribute to them this year.
What I would like to give is simple. I would like to provide feminine hygiene products for the ladies who are going through their period during the holidays. I would like to buy a few cases, enough for all those ladies to have the supplies on hand for the most unforgiving time of the month. The reason is simple. I've created tampons or pads out of toilet paper before, been left with a hundred toothbrushes and no tampons, and been so thankful when the simple thing middle class ladies like myself take for granted (asking a girlfriend for a tampon or pad under the breath with a smile plastered to the face) has not been an option. It seems ironic to me that where I work, these necessities of being a lady are handed out free of charge in a building where no one who needs free products really goes.
And yet, I can't buy a case of these things because I am balancing on the edge right now myself. So, I made a list in my head on Sunday. Fred Meyer, Trader Joe's, Winco, New Seasons, and Walmart. I have to talk to the lady at church, but I want to see if I can get donations for this from these places. I may not have any money, but I can ask for my ladies who may be too embarrassed to ask for themselves.
Why go through all the trouble, you may ask. Why worry when there will be a $10 gift card in each bag? Well, the reason is simple. $10 doesn't go very far, especially not at Fred Meyer. Ladies have a few more expenses thrust on them by virtue of their anatomy, and covering those would put them on equal footing with the men who are getting the same amount. She might want to buy something else, something that could help her feel a little bit human (lipstick brought the ladies in the concentration camps back to life... but maybe comics or a cool pair of socks makes her heart sing) instead of taking care of basic hygiene. By covering the basics, the $10 helps to say I love you in a way it can't without seeing to the needs of female humanity.
I don't know if I will succeed in this small mission this holiday season. But maybe I can. I think that's going to be the gift I give this year. Trying to make the world a little more livable for the ladies whom have no home to call their own. What are you giving the world this year for Christmas?
Every year, the church I attend feeds homeless youth during the holidays. They provide grocery bags weekly to get them through the time when free lunch is not available to them, being sure to include things like floss and chunky soup to them along with a $10 gift card to Fred Meyer. While I am thrilled with their efforts, I don't have what I need to contribute to them this year.
What I would like to give is simple. I would like to provide feminine hygiene products for the ladies who are going through their period during the holidays. I would like to buy a few cases, enough for all those ladies to have the supplies on hand for the most unforgiving time of the month. The reason is simple. I've created tampons or pads out of toilet paper before, been left with a hundred toothbrushes and no tampons, and been so thankful when the simple thing middle class ladies like myself take for granted (asking a girlfriend for a tampon or pad under the breath with a smile plastered to the face) has not been an option. It seems ironic to me that where I work, these necessities of being a lady are handed out free of charge in a building where no one who needs free products really goes.
And yet, I can't buy a case of these things because I am balancing on the edge right now myself. So, I made a list in my head on Sunday. Fred Meyer, Trader Joe's, Winco, New Seasons, and Walmart. I have to talk to the lady at church, but I want to see if I can get donations for this from these places. I may not have any money, but I can ask for my ladies who may be too embarrassed to ask for themselves.
Why go through all the trouble, you may ask. Why worry when there will be a $10 gift card in each bag? Well, the reason is simple. $10 doesn't go very far, especially not at Fred Meyer. Ladies have a few more expenses thrust on them by virtue of their anatomy, and covering those would put them on equal footing with the men who are getting the same amount. She might want to buy something else, something that could help her feel a little bit human (lipstick brought the ladies in the concentration camps back to life... but maybe comics or a cool pair of socks makes her heart sing) instead of taking care of basic hygiene. By covering the basics, the $10 helps to say I love you in a way it can't without seeing to the needs of female humanity.
I don't know if I will succeed in this small mission this holiday season. But maybe I can. I think that's going to be the gift I give this year. Trying to make the world a little more livable for the ladies whom have no home to call their own. What are you giving the world this year for Christmas?
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