12 Easy Things You Can Do to Help the Homeless

As manager of an emergency food pantry, I am constantly asked "What can I do to help the homeless?"

It is estimated that nearly 3.5 million people are homeless in the United States. 1.35 million of these are children (National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 2004). Contrary to popular belief, many of these people do not choose to be homeless.

Why are people homeless?

Everyone is faced with a crisis at some point in their lives. For some, maybe a spouse suffers from mental illness, or has developed an addiction to drugs or alcohol. Others experience job loss, domestic violence, divorce, injury or illness. Many families are fortunate to have the financial resources to deal with these problems. For those that don't, they soon find themselves out of money and homeless.

Lack of financial resources is the primary reason people are homeless. For those who lack education, job or social skills, it is extremely hard to extract oneself from the cycle of homelessness.

How can I make a difference?

Visiting shelters and volunteering at soup kitchens are one way in which a person can make a difference. But, there are many other ways you can help as well.

Prepare sack lunches. In some communities, soup kitchens are only open in the evening or on Monday through Saturday. Find the shelter in your community who is trying to feed the homeless on the weekends, and offer to make up a bunch of sack lunches. Sack lunches can be as simple as a peanut butter & jelly sandwich, a piece of fresh fruit and a canned beverage

Donate food for the homeless to a local food pantry. Many of the homeless come to emergency food pantries for nonperishable groceries they can tote in their backpacks. Instead of buying a case of 5# peanut butter tubs, why not buy some single serve food staples instead? Pudding cups, fruit cups, 4 oz peanut butter jars, cheese & crackers, 3 oz cans of tuna, and juice boxes are just a few examples of food that is easy for the homeless to carry. Bring your single portion food donations directly to a food pantry that serves the homeless. Your state's Food Bank network can give you the name of a food pantry that ministers to this need.