This Monday night the San Diego State University (SDSU) Help the Homeless Club joined the Streets of Hope San Diego to serve San Diego’s Homeless by passing out food, clothes, toiletries and more.

“These people living on the streets are people with stories, with feelings, with love and are completely discarded by society; participating in Streets of Hope reminded me of their innate right, as humans, to be treated humanely. “

We appreciated all the SDSU volunteers who came out to help. Their team, led by Cailyn, truly loves the homeless and they really want to help -as their name reflects.

We asked someone in the group to volunteer to write a little bit about their experience and Noah offered. Here’s what Noah wrote:

“It’s a cold February evening in San Diego, and it’s Monday. The last thing you want to do is leave the comfort of your home to venture downtown and make sandwiches for those without a home to call their own. But, you made a commitment and therefore feel some obligation to follow through. You end up riding in a car with complete strangers from campus to the Smart N Final parking lot and before you know it, you are spreading mustard on a plain slice of whole wheat bread as part of the sandwich assembly line. The time has come where your sandwiches are complete, and the line of homeless people eagerly waiting for their Monday night meal has formed. Some come every week, some arrive by chance; all are here for the same reason: a meal to call their own. Once the meals are handed out to those lined up, the remaining bags of food are distributed via foot to those on the streets. Groups go out on their own and hand out meals and smiles to people walking in search of a place to sleep for the night or to people who have already set up camp for the evening, attempting to stay warm and safe. When the food bags are depleted, it’s time to head back to the Smart N Final parking lot and discuss the experiences of the evening. Some tell stories of catching up with people they see each week, some tell stories of meeting a new face and the joy they brought via their interactions; all have stories to tell.

It’s easy to donate money or clothes to an organization, especially because most of us are in a position to do so. What takes more effort, but keeps you humble, is interacting with the people living on the streets within your own city. Those of us fortunate enough to go home with a roof over our head each night or those of us unaware of food insecurity forget homelessness is a human issue. These people living on the streets are people with stories, with feelings, with love and are completely discarded by society; participating in Streets of Hope reminded me of their innate right, as humans, to be treated humanely. So, the next time you walk by one of these faces, remember they are human: give them a smile or a “hello,” something to reassure them you see them as an equal, rather than an inferior. Thank you, Streets of Hope, for allowing me and my fellow ‘Help the Homeless’ club members to partake in the work you are doing for our community: we look forward to returning!”

Thanks Cailyn, Noah and the rest of the SDSU Help the Homeless Club volunteers for joining us and making a great evening serving they homeless with us. We hope to see you again and we applaud all your efforts in helping San Diego’s homeless.