Today we:

• Went to Church’s Thrift Store and had a side field trip:
  • We had some extra time (20 minutes) before our official tour started. We knew there was a popular homeless area beside the parking lot so we decided to go to the Super Save gas bar and buy some water and food to take and drop off if we saw anyone in need. 
  • There was a woman half out of a tent so we called out to her and asked if she wanted any water. She said yes and told us that she also had a cat (could she have more?). We also gave her some pepperoni sticks that we had purchased and asked her a bit about herself:
  • Jessica is 26. She’s lived in Salmon Arm all her life. She struggles with her mental health as well as addiction. She’s being asked to vacate where she currently is and set up elsewhere. She doesn’t know where she’s going to go. 
  • We asked if she was familiar with the Family Center (where we were yesterday) and she had not been. We told her some of the resources she could access there if she talked to Patti. She may try it; she may not. 
  • I wish I had had more time to debrief with the students. They were so concerned about her and how we approached her and what more could be done. They were incredibly respectful and attentive to her story. It cost us $19 and 20 minutes of our time which we all agreed was pretty easy. What was most important: we respected her human dignity by caring. ❤️
• We also went to Church’s and learned some cool things:
  • There are 15 churches who make up the board at Church’s
  • They spend $6000/month on garbage disposal
  • There is a huge need for volunteers, especially in the afternoons
  • The toy section needs to be restocked TWICE/DAY
  • They ship 35K/lbs of clothes to Cote D’Ivoire and Niger

Things to remember for tomorrow: PERMISSION FORMS! GET. THEM. SIGNED! We’re back with Patti!