I found this website today and love the idea, although the name doesn’t rock me, the concept is generous and wonderful, and as any marketer knows, the name lets people know immediately what the product is for. Maybe “Street-people sacks?” Doesn’t have the same ring, but I won’t complain. I think the good outweighs the name and if we give them out at Halloween, maybe we can remove the stigma by making “Beggar Bags” for kids and anyone who needs a quick snack eh? Anyway…..the idea DEFINITELY nets Lisa an “Asphalt Angel” nomination from me!!

Founder Lisa Dunbar came up with the idea of “Beggar bags” after giving away a box of food left-over from a social gathering at her company’s weekly social hour. The box of hot dogs and buns was enough for dinner for four, and the homeless man who received the box was grateful to get it.

Kudos to both. Good for the man for being grateful and appreciative - it went a long way towards touching Dunbar’s heart obviously. And Lisa was moved enough to take concrete action, create a website, get the products packaged and start getting the word out about a nutritious alternative to loose change. Trust me, change and bills are appreciated, but many people will feel more comfortable handing out these packets. For $5 you get four packs - each one containing a Nutri-Grain bar, a box of raisins, box of gum, a Slim-Jim (meat snack) and Purell Sanitary hand wipes. It’s a great start and I applaud it!

I wrote Lisa and suggested other items, including personal sanitary items - toothbrush, toothpaste, washcloth and towel, but this idea will stand on it’s own without that.

I think what strikes me most about how people are moved to help the homeless is related to their experience with them, rather than an understanding of the lifestyle and the progression. Part of the whole homeless stereo-type is that the homeless are grungy, dirty, drunken beggars. Most are not. That’s like saying cancer patients are all skeletal waifs who can’t walk without a walker, or do anything but lie in bed and moan. The fact is, homelessness, like cancer, has stages. The end stages of cancer are horrific. But in the early stages, most people look “normal.” The same is true for the homeless. Until your ability to work, to shower, to stay clean and fed is gone, it’s hard for anyone to tell you’re homeless.

The cycle goes something like this:

Lose your job. Lose your income. Lose your apartment. Move into your car. Have a hard time staying clean, sleeping, eating and tending to the basics of life. Get another job, but not be able to afford an apartment. Have a hard time getting laundry done, showering, sleeping and eating well, lose the job. Lose the car. Move into a shelter. Really have a hard time getting a job since you don’t have a permanent address, a phone, mail, regular internet access or good clothes. Get more depressed. Consider the numbness of alcohol or drugs to dull the pain of feeling like things are never going to get better. Stop bathing or trying to stay clean at all. Die on the streets.

That’s it in a nutshell. Not only are you fighting to get things done day-to-day, you’re being called homeless, a beggar, a bum, unstable, mental, an addict or worse. It’s a fight to stay focused on your goals, your future and the fact that things can get better. Helping the homeless with snacks, socks, blankets - all fantastic ways to alleviate the temporary pain and all are always appreciated. Really.

But if you’re thinking about, or looking at ways to “seriously help the homeless,” then consider ways to provide laundry facilities, access to public showers and ways to get haircuts, clean clothes and a shave on a regular or even semi-regular basis. Maybe your church, your rec center or gym can offer “after hours” showers. For many of the working homeless a YMCA or club membership at a gym is a way you or your church, organization or social group can sponsor someone inexpensively ($20 to $30 a month in many places) and give a homeless person a place to go to work out, relax, shower and store their clothes and personal items. Often the only thing standing between the homeless and a job is the ability to stay clean.

You may take your shower for granted, but I never do. Go without a shower for a week. Shower only at friend’s houses, or in public showers, not your gym. Carry your towel and toiletries in a plastic shopping bag. You’ll quickly appreciate the availability of water and the simple act of showering with dignity, privacy and time.

Start with one person, one small simple gift. Give back. Lisa Dunbar did. And look what a difference she’s making.