Recently, I became extremely inspired. Each year on Christmas, my mother, boyfriend and I drive to the not so great areas of Chicago to find homeless people and provide them with our spare coats, blankets, socks, gloves, etc. We also give out money, home cooked,hot food and hot drinks.
My mother realized that we had run ourselves out of coats and blankets and wrote the letter below to her neighbors. I’ve removed her address for obvious reasons. In turn, I wrote a note to my friends and associates (also pasted below).
What suprised me most was the response from many of my friends and even more suprising, the response from friends of friends and so on. With each response, I became more and more energized and am optimistic that this year is the beginning of something great. We can make a difference, even if only a small one, in a homeless persons life and for me that is the best holiday gift! The gift of hope.
My letter:
Happy Holidays!
I feel very fortunate to be blessed with wonderful family and friends and success in life so that I don’t have to worry about my next meal or the roof over my head. This year, we are especially eager to help those who aren’t as fortunate. While we contribute to the larger charity organizations, the giving that my mother, Dan and I do is much more personal, and of course, more rewarding. There is a great feeling of taking care of our own in Chicago.
If you have any items that you would like to donate, please let me know and I will arrange to pick them up from you.
Coats, shoes, scarves, gloves, blankets, toiletries are great items to give to a homeless person living on the street. We will cook a warm meal and bring hot coffee and chocolate to share with the homeless when we go to warm and feed the Chicago homeless.
Of course, if anyone else would like to spend time on Christmas Day helping with the delivery, you are more than welcome. For me, the experience has been humbling yet heartwarming and I would be glad to share it with you. Sari Levy
Mom’s letter below:
Dear Friends/Neighbors,
Some of you know me, other of you do not. My name is Norma Levy. When I lived in the city and my children were growing up, at Christmas we used to deliver food and goods for an organization called the Little Brothers of the Poor. I felt my children needed to know how fortunate they were and they loved doing it.
Since they have gotten older, my daughter, her boyfriend, and I have been dropping off blankets, warm clothes and food to the people who live on the street in the city (Chicago) on Christmas Day. I know there are agencies who do this, but there are still plenty of people out there who actually live on the streets, mostly addicts and mentally ill.
We are running out of blankets and warm clothes. If any of you have items you would like to donate, I would appreciate it very much. If instead, you prefer to donate cash, I will be glad to purchase extra food or blankets. If I’m not home, you can leave any donations at my front door.
Thank you for your support and I hope you have a wonderful holiday. Norma
By the way, if you wish to donate any warm clothes or blankets, please contact me via email at: slevy@lucidrealty.com or phone at 877 LUCID 99.
Keep up the great work.Everybody needs help sometimes.