|
Sister Donna Marie Wilhelm, ssj-tosf, president of InterAct Cleveland, commented at the recent dedication of InterAct's Community Food Pantry that "governments and institutions are not our primary healers and nourishers. It is dedicated individuals who act, who take risks, and who are the heart of those efforts. Individuals build relationships, work through the difficult issues, join together to appreciate and to celebrate the unique perspective of each religious tradition and institutional perspective. Individuals build up the body of our community, not buildings and institutions."
In that spirit, in the fall of 2000, the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless partnered with InterAct Cleveland to host Cleveland's one-day Homeless Stand Down, and since then InterAct Cleveland has taken the major role in coordinating the event, which has expanded to four full winter days.
Borrowing the name from a military cease-fire term because of the movement's initial focus on homeless veterans in San Diego in the 1980s, Homeless Stand Downs have taken place since then in various cities around the country. The homeless and housed are gifts to each other in these festivals of resupply, reconnection, and respite. Planning for Cleveland's 1,500-volunteer, four-day winter event begins each August. In addition to hospitality and entertainment, it provides about 2,100 homeless women, men, and children warm coats, hats, gloves, boots, and bags of necessities, as well as haircuts, medical consultations, massages, and information from service providers.
Each day's events take place at a different location convenient to public transportation. In 2007, three of the locations will be the Cleveland Convention Center, Pilgrim Congregational Church UCC, and Trinity Cathedral and Commons. (The fourth location has not been confirmed.) For the first time, the event will run for four consecutive days, February 16-19th. The last day is a Monday holiday, when it is hard for the homeless to find shelter. Transportation is provided for those whom doctors refer to St. Vincent Charity Hospital or Care Alliance for follow-up care.
In 2006, 600 new coats and 600 pairs of boots were donated or bought and given away. The sight of all the boots and shoes piled up for distribution in 2005 struck one of InterAct's Jewish volunteers, whose mind flashed to her memory of victims' shoes exhibited at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. She drew her fellow volunteers' awareness to the amazing contrast between that searing image of the worst consequences of human depravity and the generosity and kindness shown at the Stand Down.
A wrap-up in April continues the spiritual reflection that is vital to many of the volunteers and begins the preparation for next year. With Just Neighbors and other events, InterAct's homelessness emphasis yields year-round opportunities for service, dialogue, and advocacy.
|
News 