Outreach Missions Powered by The Community

When I recently ran in the mornings along La Jolla’s beautiful coastal line or walked to my favorite bakery shop after school in the afternoons, in La Jolla, the town where I live and go to school, the chance to encounter someone who sleeps on the sidewalk was sadly high. I found it so difficult for me to move my eyes away from them, not wondering about how they would survive another long December night right before Christmas.     

I am happy to see missions to assist these homeless people are taking place through the town in a collaborative fashion. PATH and Father Joe’s are two NGOs who sent out outreach specialists to offer help by talking to individuals to find out their needs, being from food, clothing, and other basic needs to signing them up for sheltering housing. An organization named Humble Design, founded by local design professionals, gathered volunteers to offer a “Day of Service” to convert empty houses into nicely furnished residences for those who have been living in cars or on the streets to move in. While in my school we have my own club “Stories of the Streets” and another club “Lucky Ducklings” who are committed to make an impact on ending homelessness by offering our tokens of help, from packing a hot breakfast meal to sending socks in cold months to even just encouraging our peers to send out morning greetings whenever they come across the homeless people on the street.