You don't need permission
You don’t need permission to help people.
You don’t need much to have a positive impact on your community. You don’t need to wait for the perfect solution or for “the people in charge” to do something about a problem.
All you need to do is something that makes things a little better than they are right now.
Let’s unpack this a bit.
A storm is coming…
This weekend New England got hit with blizzard.
They were expecting lots of snow, lots of ice, and single-digit temperatures that feel like below 0F (about -17C). And wind. Lots of wind.
My brain immediately went to the numerous unhoused people in my area. I’ve been seeing more and more of them lately, as the economy and job market get worse and aid is harder to get.
I was (and am) genuinely worried that people are going to die, and I wanted to do something right now to help prevent that.
Just do something
The perfect solution would have been… I don’t know. Homelessness is a complex issue.
Getting folks into subsidized housing? Finding everyone immediate emergency shelter? Not everyone would want that, and even if they did, it takes time and political power I don’t have.
Instead, I went to Walmart (I know, I don’t love it either) and purchased a shit ton of tents, sleeping bags, hand warmers, and backpacks. It was shockingly cheap to load up on supplies, and keeping people alive outweighs my moral issues with Walmart.
Then, I drove around to areas where I often see unhoused folks panhandling.
I ended up equipping 8 people with supplies to help them deal with the incoming storm. One dude only had Crocs on his feet, so I swung into Old Navy to buy him boots. Another guy needed a good coat. TJ Maxx came through.
It never feels like enough, but I helped a good number of folks weather a bad situation a bit more comfortably.
You don’t need a lot of money
Obviously, even at Walmart prices, tents and sleeping bags add up quick.
I’m in a fortunate position that I can do this (earlier this year I wasn’t), but you don’t need a lot of money to make a difference.
The first guy we ran into is someone I’ve helped before, Michael.
In addition to the hand warmers, I handed him a care pack with a travel toothbrush kit, hand sanitizer, deodorant… and socks. I won’t soon forget the way he lit up at seeing those socks.
Unhoused folks go through socks very quickly.
In the winter, they help keep your feet your warm of course. But they also prevent blisters. Feet are often an entry way for infection in the unhoused. Clean socks can literally save lives.
For less than $100, you can put together a bunch of care kits that can have a huge impact on people’s health and well-being.
Or you could cook some home-cooked meals, and drive around and hand them out. Or dig up some old coats and gloves and pants and hand them out to folks.
Focus on people
One important thing about helping others is to center the receiver, not you as the giver.
I always asked folks if they wanted what I had. I told them what was in the care kits, and then asked about other needs.
Do you want a sleeping bag? Do you have a safe place to sleep? I have spare tents if you need one. Do you need a backpack to carry your stuff in?
A lot of folks already had tents, or were sharing one with someone else and wanted me to hold onto what I had in case someone else needed it more.
Learn names
I made a point of telling folks my name, and ask them theirs.
While I was out, I ran into some old friends I’d helped out a few weeks back. I make a point of writing down names so I remember them later.
The unhoused are so often ignored, looked through, and stepped over as if they don’t exist at all.
Everyone deserves love and human connection. You can give people that. It costs nothing, and it matters a lot.
Just start
Whatever problem you care about, think about the simplest, fastest thing you can do to start today, and just start.
Don’t wait. Don’t ask permission. Don’t put it off.
Just get out there and start doing good.
In troubling times like these, it not only puts a little more good back in the world. It makes you feel good AF, too.