We at Food For Thought are very excited about Tent City starting today! Located downtown between the police station and the courthouse, it is an annual event to raise awareness of homelessness in Toledo. It is an opportunity for those of you who have not interacted with the unhoused in our community to come downtown and learn how you can make a difference and impact the lives of others.
This has been a very tough year for so many Toledoans—perhaps you are one of those people. You may have experienced a job loss, foreclosure, loss of a loved one, poor health diagnosis…something that completely changed your world. Although this may be the case, there are so many others right here in our dear city that have so much less and have lost so much more. “Realize at your lowest point, you will still be at a higher point than someone at their lowest point.” That is why so many of us volunteer our time and energy to help out those that truly appreciate the small things that the rest of us overlook—a hot shower, a warm, nutritional meal, a soft bed to sleep in, a comforting embrace—because we have all these things, and more.
The staggering statistics are that Toledo is the eighth poorest city in the United States. Let me repeat that—the EIGHTH poorest city in the ENTIRE United States. Poverty and homelessness isn’t something that happens only in places like Detroit and Cleveland, it’s happening right here in our backyard. The reality is that it can easily effect any of us, especially in these difficult economic times we are facing. “First the electricity got turned off. We got that turned on. Then the gas got turned off. And once you start to get behind…You get to the point where you get behind on your rent as well and soon we were evicted. We came home one morning and found most of our belongings in our front yard.” All of us have missed a payment or two at some point in our lives. For some, it’s more than once or twice, and if a child is sick or the family car breaks down, then what? If you’re living paycheck to paycheck, (as the majority of us are) there’s nowhere for the money to come from. Many of us are that one paycheck away from poverty ourselves. So if you won’t help the needy, why should anyone expect help if they become needy?
Schedule of events:
Friday
6:00 Opening ceremonies
7:00 Mayoral Candidate Forum
8:00 Live Local Entertainment
Saturday
8:00-4:00 Project Homeless Connect–haircuts, podiatry, dental and medical services, flu shots, food, clothing, birth certificates, ID’s
12:00 Lunch will be provided by Food For Thought
5:00 Community Barbecue Dinner
6:30 Council & Judicial Candidates Forum
7:00 Live Local Entertainment
Sunday
8:00-10:00 Reverse Celebrity Pancake Breakfast
10:15-11:15 Community Worship Service
11:30 Closing Ceremonies
Last year Tent City delivered over $50,000 in medical and other services over one weekend. Previous guests have included former governor Dick Celeste, Lee Fisher, Robert Kennedy Jr., Sherrod Brown, Ann Brunner and John Mellencamp.
Feeling that little tug on your heart strings? There are so many ways that you can help! Although volunteers have been signing up for months, you can still drop-in and they will find a way to plug you in. Last minute volunteers are appreciated and welcome. There is no better experience to understand who the unhoused really are than spending time and getting to know them. No time to head downtown but want to make an impact? They are still in need of jeans, gloves, socks, boxers and long underwear.
Please search your heart this weekend and decide to take some time to come out to Tent City. It may change your life and your renew your spirit. I hope to see you there.
