So last night was pretty cold here and The Deckhand brought a homeless kid in for the night and got him in touch with his family - he is on the way home now.
And once again - I had an idea.
I want to make homeless care kits in 5 gallon buckets with lids. They are waterproof, you can sit on them, you can store things, you can carry them around. You can decorate them. All in all - a 5 gallon bucket is a thing of beauty when you're homeless or near homeless.
Restaurants go through them like mad and of course they are available at the Home Despot for a couple of bucks with the lids. Ideally they should have some basic things in them:
a rain poncho - not expensive, handy, makes a shelter or sorts if needed.
a space blanket - not expensive but more than a poncho, these things actually work and can be wrapped inside an outer layer or blanket to keep you toasty.
TP in a zip bag. Because sometimes you have to go. My ultimate goal would be a bunch of these http://www.peepoople.com/... which are not only biodegradable but safe for compost.
a toiletry kit with disposable razors, a small container of shaving cream, a small mirror, brush and comb, toothbrush and paste. In another zip bag. Maybe a bottle of acetomenaphen or aspirin. Some antibiotic ointment.
Ladies should be offered an additional pack with feminine products.
That still leaves a lot of room in a 5 gallon bucket. A set of silverware. A nice mug. Some instant soup and some instant coffee. Those hand and boot warmers that are 2 for $1.00. Some extra bags to keep photos and keepsakes dry. A notebook and a pen.
A safe dry place to put some food for the night and not have the animals in it.
A dry place to sit on a rainy day.
A place to keep medication.
Easy to carry.
Easy to replace.
Something to own.
These are the kinds of things I think about when I see the strangers drifting through town looking cold and hungry. The kids on the Riverwalk with their tunnels in the bushes and pieces of concrete barrier, fighting with feral cats for space out of the wind. I've been told there are tunnels all under the town where people live as well. Being shanghaied was a fact of life here 100 years ago. Now life shanghais us here on the edge of America.