|
.
I had an idea going once... about having a soup kitchen and coffee shop
which would serve customers... with a drive-thru for breakfast or lunch.
Anyone could eat there but especially
homeless people could eat there.
You see... I had made a very good pot of stew one day... and calculated
that it cost less than 50 cents a serving to make and was quite nutritious.
I could make soup and coffee for the homeless...!!
Well, I got to thinking about the idea... which I have often done... and
have decided to put some of these ideas together... just for the fun of
designing something... which I often do. I have designed and
sewn my own clothes. I have designed plans for a small cabin... and
I have designed other projects and crafty things. Here's where this
design for a coffee shop has developed to... today.
Coffee, stew, donuts... just a few things... would be offered on the
daily menu. It would be plain coffee... not gourmet style... and
could be made by the pot at a cost of 25 cents a pot. It would sell at
25 cents a cup... sugar and cream 10 cents a package. The stew
would sell at $1.00 for an 8 ounce cup. The idea would be for the
shop to just break even... and be a type of charity... but without
any fancy paperwork in declaring it a charity... just be a self-sufficient
good work in the community type of thing... but not a church
either.
Anyone could eat there... drive thru for an easy stop... or even hang
out on the patio. No need to pretend to be homeless. It would all be good.
And the patio would be a safe place... with some rules of behavior.
The refuge of the patio would offer a way for people to function
normally for a while without fear... without having to "keep moving
along" to avoid loitering statutes.
I'm now... even picturing a few small rooms for showers... at a small
charge... with "hot water on demand" plumbing systems and which
would be locked and opened by a waitress/attendant for each
30 minute shower session.
One person only in the shower at a time.
Bathrooms would be the same... one person in a toilet room at a time.
People could sit on the patio... out of the sun, rain, and wind... drink coffee
and hang out... have breakfast and lunch... and... as long as a person
was peaceful with others and clean in appearance they could hang out
all day in the shelter of the patio... in any weather... if they liked.
There would likely be food leftovers at the close of the day... 7:00 pm...
and the manager would invite the better people in the crowd to come
at closing and they could have free stew leftovers if some remained.
Invitation only.
And THAT would be the magic of the whole thing...
people who ran the coffee shop would be getting to know the
homeless people as they returned to the patio... and eventually maybe
be able to refer them to resources that might help them.
There would be a "referral system" with local partners.
Local churches or missions would serve their community by adopting
a system of... knowing the needs of the people in their churches...
and of their congregation's resources... and knowing of other folks
who might be willing to offer resources to the churchs...
There's an old saying...
"cast your bread upon the water"... which could well mean...
"let your needs be known."
And this would be a great motto
for people... who are sometimes too ashamed to ask for help.
This would be the beginning of a path that a homeless person could
go down... to get themselves back up into a functioning self-sufficient
lifestyle.
There might also be visiting missionaries on the patio offering advice
on how to take a first step... to join a church or charity... how to
get to know the pastor or manager... and to offer any help that
might be useful to them... and to build their history of promptness,
manners, and cleanliness.
The other part of this idea is...
the pastor becomes the vehicle where people in his church who have
resources can inform him of help they can offer to struggling families...
or to the elderly... or homeless... you know, ways to help those in need.
Matching needs with resources is a key to healing
people's lives in a more cost-effective way.
Such a project can be done at cost and never need the help of
government agencies... government oversight... yet still relieve the misery
of many of our struggling citizens. As people slowly build their sense
of self-respect they can keep on trying... keep on hoping... and recover.
Then I got the idea... to turn the covered patio into a safe place to sleep,
as well... and in winter... to enclose the patio. Overnight stays
would be offered to trusted people at invitation only...
so if anyone is hoping to stay the night they had better make a good
appearance.
Everything must be cleared up by 7 am when the shop opens for food.
Breakfast...
coffee, two pancakes and an egg... $1.00.
|
|
