For years I've passed by Loaves and Fishes at North 12th St. and North C Street in my car. This morning, I had the opportunity to step inside. It was nothing like I imagined. Nothing.
My first surprise was its appearance. Inside, everything was clean as a whistle and organized. They serve more than 15,000 meals a month (unfortunately, more lately), so order and regimen are the priority. Same for the adjacent "Friendship Park." There are four rules there: no drugs; no alcohol; no violence; no threats of violence. Break a rule and you're out.
The staff is literally doing God's work. They believe deeply in what they are doing -- and they do not get any government funding to keep their operation going, even in difficult economic times. They treat each individual with respect. It was inspiring to see their compassion and dedication.
Most touching was the work they do with homeless kids at the Mustard Seed School. Seventeen children were being schooled there today.
I left inspired by the work being done in our city by dedicated community members. Sacramento is moving in the right direction to address the chronic homelessness population here (and thanks to State Senator Darrell Steinberg's efforts with Prop 63 to provide funds), but there's more work to be done. There's no reason we can't be a model for how to tackle homelessness. It's on my radar.
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