Bicycle Built for 2

"Take my bike for a ride."

That's what the guy named Al said to me and Ken when we caught up with him in Hart Plaza this week. We had given Al packages before, and it was Ken that recognized him this time and struck up a conversation.

Al told us he was so appreciative of everything people had given him, and he was very proud of his bike that he received through a donation from a church. His offer to let us take his bike for a spin was really symbolic we thought.

"For people who are homeless and who are walking on shoes with no soles, a bike is a really big deal," Ken says. "They have very little personal property, and anything they do have they cling to. So for Al to let us ride his bike made Larry and I feel really good. We knew that he trusted us."

With each package we deliver, and with each connection we make, we hope that we are building trust and offering hope to the people we meet.

It's been a great ride so far.

The Hart is Back

Angelo was the very first guy I met on that very first hot summer day I went downtown to hand out food packages. He's probably about 55, lived a hard life, but from what I can tell he's a man that has learned alot along the way.

When I first met Angelo he was really appreciative of what I was doing. If I didn't have such a positive experience when I met Angelo that first time, I'm not sure I would have continued doing the weekly deliveries and gone on to start Heart 2 Hart Detroit. So thank you to Angelo, and the many people we have met on the streets along the way.

It's actually been many weeks since we've seen Angelo so it was nice to run in to him again in Hart Plaza. Ken and I talked with Angelo for about 30 minutes about his life. He said that he looks for us every week and that it felt good to reconnect with us.

We were excited to see Angelo again because we had a sweater and some shorts for him that he had asked for a while ago. Angelo commented once that he liked my cargo shorts, because they have so many pockets.

"Pockets to keep your things are very important when you are homeless," Ken reminded me.

When I received the donation of the size 36 cargo shorts and the black and white sweater,I knew right away they were going to Angelo. I've been driving around with the shorts and sweater for a while, so it was really great to finally see Angelo again and hand them over this week.

They Need More than a Sandwich

This week we had a different experience than we have encountered before. We are usually handing out our packages of food and clothing to people on the street that look like they need help. Some are elderly, some are disabled or physically limited, and some look like they have been homeless for a long, long time.

This time we ran into a few guy who were probably in their late 20's to early 30's, physically fit, and just hanging out and grateful for our food and clothing packages. When we started to have a conversation with them, they were very eager to let us know that there was something they wanted more than food. They wanted jobs!

It was very important to them that we understood that they weren't just looking for handouts. They really wanted to step up and be part of a contributing society. They were frustrated by the lack of jobs and opportunities. They wanted resources, places to go that might help them get work, and get back into the main stream of Detroit.

Last week we met with the people at South Oakland Shelter who provide services to both transitional and homeless people in the Tri-County area. We talked about what more can be done, and how Heart 2 Hart Detroit can involved to be a partner in the process. They provide H2HD with a Tri-County Community Resource Guide to help us give needed information to the people we see on the streets.

Being Careful Out There



      

This week when Ken and I went downtown to make our weekly deliveries, there weren't many homeless or needy people hanging out at Hart Plaza. Instead, we drove around downtown Detroit looking for some needy people to give our packages of food, clothing and words of encouragement to.

There's always guys standing near the off ramp exits of I-75. We often hand out a bag of food along with a few shirts to these gentleman and hear a bit of their story. Wish we could spend more time with them, but hopefully the food, clothing, toiletries and a smile from us, makes a difference in their life for that day.

One guy was so happy with the soft, chewy granola bar we gave him. His face lite up into a huge smile. "I can't eat anything hard because of my teeth," he said. And then he asked us for another bar. We were happy to give him another granola bar.

Because of what we are doing we understand that there are some risks involved. Approaching people on the street needs to be done cautiously and respectfully. "I always walk up slowly and tell them I want to give them some food," says Ken. "You never know what you are going to encounter when you walk up to someone."

In addition, one added step that Ken and I do before our drive downtown is to say the Traveler's Prayer that my Rabbi suggested to me. Not only is it to keep up safe, but it also gives us a a chance to honor the moment and think about what we are really trying to do for the homeless and needy people.
We not only feel safe doing what we are doing, but honestly we feel proud and happy.


Larry, Lori and Ken

Good Work In Pontiac

Ken, Larry and Mark ready to hand out shirts
 

On Saturday at the Baldwin Center picnic in Pontiac, H2HD passed out Detroit Piston's t-shirts to the clients of the Center. Baldwin Center's mission is to feed, clothe, educate and empower men, women and children of the Pontiac community. Ken, Mark and I loved the opportunity to help this great organization.

Jose Diaz,the Food Program Director and staff, were very accommodating to us with a tour of both their facility and their three organic gardens. Heart 2 Hart Detroit is looking forward to helping out again at the next Baldwin Center function. Keep up the great work.


Larry

HELPING HANDS

We've talked alot in this blog about how we hoped the Heart 2 Hart Detroit project would help some of the homeless people on the streets of Detroit. In the past couple of months since I started this project, Heart 2 Hart Detroit has not only helped some of the homeless people in Detroit, but it has also helped Ken and I.


I am so thrilled by the outpouring of support we have received these past few months just by putting the word out that we are doing our weekly package deliveries to the homeless and the needy. I can't believe all the people I am hearing from, from the present and out of my past, who are offering their support.

Even the Detroit Piston's -- a huge organization with plenty of other stuff to do -- has offered their help. Heart 2 Hart Detroit seems to have inspired a bunch of people to open their hearts and wallets to support the effort. I couldn't be happier and more grateful for how this whole thing is evolving.

Thanks to everyone who has read our blog, liked us on facebook, offered clothing, bought food, or just offered words of encouragement. I started this project because I wanted to do something to connect and uplift homeless people. But in a really short time I have been uplifted and excited by all the connections that are being made each day as Heart 2 Hart Detroit takes off.

Thanks you.

Larry Oleinick

FEELING THE HEART IN CHICAGO

Larry and Lori, c. 1978 with their Bubbie and Papa

The following blog was written by my sister a MSW,  Life Coach, and the co-writer of the weekly blogs for Heart 2 Hart Detroit. She writes........

I know I'm not the only one feeling inspired to do something for the homeless people we walk past on the street everyday since hearing about Heart 2 Hart Detroit. The Detroit Piston's unbelievable donation of a SUV full of t-shirts is one example of what an organization with a giant heart can do. But what about just one person, what can I do.

I moved to Chicago in 1989. Since Heart 2 Hart Detroit started, Larry and I have suddenly been talking daily, sharing exciting ideas and connections that have already come out of what he's doing with Ken. I have to say, going from talking to my brother once a week, to daily brainstorming calls about something that we can share and both feel passionate about is wonderful. It makes me feel like I'm one of the biggest winners of Heart 2 Hart Detroit so far.

I talked to Larry and Ken today on their way home from another eventful package delivery, and shared a story of my own about giving to a homeless man who seems to be waiting for me outside my coffee shop, at Einstein's Bagels in the heart of the Northwestern college campus. I've been going to this coffee shop on most morning for more than 15 years. I guess when a girl leaves family and friends back in Oak Park she needs to find a place, like her Cheers bar, where everybody knows her name.

This guy, named Daniel, started waiting for me each morning asking for money or breakfast. To be honest, seeing him as I pull up each morning to Einstein's Bagels evokes a whole range of feelings in me: I want to help him, I want to save him, I want him to be grateful to me for giving him breakfast, I want him to turn his life around, I want him to go away and not wait for me every morning. I don't want to feel guilty if I don't show up one day, or even if I do, but don't feel like helping him that day.

I'm not proud of all the reactions I have to Daniel and the homeless, but there they are.

It was good to talk to Larry and Ken about the whole jumble of feelings I have and hear their advice on options I have for giving to Daniel. For starters I'm going to put some breakfast bars in my car and hand those out when I see Daniel. That's something I can do easily and cheaply. It is also something that keeps me connected to the mission of Heart 2 Hart Detroit, and makes me feel like I am a small part of a much larger effort.

It takes a village to tackle big social issues like homelessness. Not one, or two, or a thousand people, or even a big organization like the Pistons, can do it alone. I'm gonna work on my little corner of the village 'cuz I guess you can take the little girl out of Oak Park, but you can't take the Oak Park out of the little, grown up girl.

How about you. What has Heart 2 Hart Detroit, and the generous contribution by the Detroit Piston's, inspired you to do? Reach out to Heart 2 Hart Detroit via their facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Heart-2-Hart-Detroit/330932173667031  Talk with  Larry and Ken  about your ideas to help, I promise it will be an uplifting conversation for you both.


Lori Yetta Oleinick Dube