Tom looked up at me from his makeshift bed between the cold pillars of a concrete bridge. I was wet from a recent rainstorm, but that didn’t deter him from leaping forward to give me a welcome embrace. “It’s good to see you”, he said. I was relieved to see him looking so spry. After all, Tom had spent the best part of two years sleeping rough. This night was to be a turning point.
Tom’s bedroom, if you can call it that, consisted of some cardboard matting to sleep on, a pillow, some warm blankets and a few plastic bags – each filled with his humble, worldly goods. He gestured for me to sit down.
I passed him a hot meal I’d taken from our food van: “I hope you like chicken with mash!” He peeled off the lid and steam rose through the cold, damp air. Tom’s was one of over a thousand meals my Foundation served to those experiencing homelessness and hunger that day. As he ate it, I could see him warming up from the inside.
Tom was just 39 years old and a victim of these modern times. He suffered mental illness and struggled to find his place. As we sat together I ask where he belonged: “I’ve tried in life, but it’s been hard. True, I’ve done things I’m not proud of… but I know I don’t belong here”.
As we spoke, the heavens opened up again. Rain tumbled down so heavily that it soon flooded Tom’s ‘bedroom’, leaving his blankets wet and useless. Thankfully, one of my Foundation’s vans was nearby, packed full of dry sleeping bags.
Together we shifted Tom’s things to higher ground; a man’s life moved from A to B in a matter of moments. It brings to mind the proverb: There but for the grace of God go I.
We also picked up the conversation: “I still have dreams”, Tom declared! “In spite of everything you see around me I dream of a better life. I dream of finding a home to sleep in. Of getting breakfast in my own kitchen, instead of a soup kitchen. I’d love to find some work too, but it’s hard when you sleep rough.”
Your support can enable my Foundation to turn the dreams of people like Tom into a reality. In fact, my team had been working for weeks with Tom, assessing his needs and learning about his capabilities.
Indeed, everyone who comes to my Foundation for help has unique circumstances which need to be understood if we are to break their cycle of poverty. For instance, Jennifer turned to us having escaped a brutal relationship with only her life and her little dog. She was homeless and distraught, but with our help that’s all changed. Jennifer is now on her way to living the life she’s always dreamed of: studying, taking care of her wellbeing, and getting a secured job.
A bitter wind began to whip through Tom’s makeshift bedroom. He donned a fluffy parka we’d previously given him and quipped: “This is my best friend on cold Winter nights”. Now, it was time to help bring Tom in from the cold.
Thanks to the support of people just like you, my Foundation secured a place for Tom to call home; it had a kitchenette so he could enjoy breakfast. We also enrolled him in a hospitality training course so he could get the sort of work he wanted. What’s more, our doctors and counsellors got to work on a plan to improve Tom’s mental health.
I sat opposite Tom in the cold that night and explained all this. As I did, tears began to well in his eyes. It was as if he knew it was his second-chance; one only made possible because people like you and I cared enough to believe in his dreams.
That moment was a turning point in Tom’s life, but it is the sort of thing that only happens when you choose to support my Foundation. If you give generously we can do so much more than just feed the hungry and clothe those who are cold, we can put them on the path to a better future. So this Winter, please spare a thought for those less fortunate by donating to my Foundation; sure in the knowledge that I will honour your pledge.
God Bless
Rev. Bill Crews
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