I find myself in the position of helping the homeless nearly everyday I go to work, especially this time of the year as many seek shelter and food at the emergency room when the shelters are full. They come to the ER to be seen as patients but most of the time they're not a candidate to be admitted to the hospital as an inpatient so most get food, warm blankets and a stretcher to lay on for a few hours. Some will stay in the waiting room until morning but many go back out into the cold. It's a very sad situation, especially for the ones who are on the street simply because they have a mental illness and their families didn't know how to handle it. I try and give them as much as I can while they're under our care, often wishing I could do more. Most our extremely grateful just to get a little turkey sandwich and some chips. It is quite humbling seeing someone treat a sandwich in the same way many of us treat our gifts on Christmas morning. When not at work I donate money and canned foods to food banks when I can. The most rewarding experience I've ever had was volunteering at the Jimmie Hale mission on Christmas Eve a few years ago, if you ever have a chance to do something similar I highly recommend it.
