Labor of Love Charities - Sunday in the Park

I've been telling you about my son Anthony and his non-profit organization, Labor of Love Charities (LOL). It's an organization he started for the homeless in Shawnee, Oklahoma 11 months ago. I am simply amazed at the progress this organization has made in such a short time.

Last weekend was supposed to be LOL's first annual charity dinner, dance and auction fundraiser. My other two children (Joey and Brianna) and I made the 3 hour drive to Shawnee to attend, but unfortunately, it was rescheduled due to some crazy winter weather they were having there. Oklahoma ended up getting 10 inches of snow, ice build up on the roads and thousands of homes and businesses lost their power.

Anyway, the dinner was the only thing that the charity canceled. Every Sunday at 2:00 p.m., Anthony and his volunteers feed the homeless at one of the local parks. This Sunday was no exception. Like the postman, people can count on being fed when Anthony is around no matter what the weather is like.

Sunday's lunch - albeit a simple one of macaroni and cheese, buttered corn, hot dogs and buns, hot cocoa, bottled water and slats of pastries donated by the local Starbucks - served as the meal on this very cold day.

When we arrived at the park, several homeless people were there waiting for us. Meals were served up in big styrofoam containers. There was plenty of food for everyone; those who wanted seconds were able to take extra food with them. I was amazed to find out from our homeless friends that several of the places where they go for food weren't serving meals on that freezing cold day due to the winter weather. Anthony told me that's a common occurrence - many organizations will only serve the homeless when the weather is nice. Anyway, one of the homeless said, "We KNEW you'd be here, Anthony." And because of that, they trudged to the park in ankle deep snow to get what proved to be their only meal for the day.

Labor of Love Facebook Fan Page:

http://www.facebook.com/LaborofLoveCharities

Hotdogs for the Homeless - A Labor of Love

My middle child, Anthony attends St. Gregory's University in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Each Sunday afternoon, he heads over to Oklahoma City and does volunteer work for Hotdogs for the Homeless. My daughter, Brianna and I visited Anthony this past weekend and also had the opportunity of volunteering for this very worthwhile cause during our visit.

Hotdogs for the Homeless was started by a man named Rick Swyden 6 years ago. What began as a loving gesture to feed one hungry, homeless man on the street has evolved into Rick and his volunteers providing 300 hotdog lunches to the homeless in Oklahoma City every Sunday. To date, Rick's group has served nearly 85,000 lunches since the program began in 2003.

At 12:00 noon, the volunteers meet inside of a large vacant room in a strip mall. Here, they boil two tamale pots full of hotdogs, place them on buns, wrap them in foil and assemble bagged lunches in white paper bags which have been decorated by local school children. Each lunch consists of a hotdog, snacks, napkins, condiments and bottled water. Extra hotdogs are wrapped for those who would like seconds. By 1:00 p.m., once everything has been prepared and assembled, the lunches are put into large plastic storage boxes and placed into the backs of the volunteers' vehicles. They then drive out to three designated stops within the poor sections of the Oklahoma City streets to hand out the lunches.
The homeless are gathered at each stop. This is not only an opportunity for the homeless to eat a meal, but to talk with others, share stories and human companionship which is so often lacking in this situation. Rick often gives hugs away with the lunches; he has befriended many of these homeless people and has helped at least 30 of them get off of the streets and into homes and jobs.

The spirit of giving is contagious. Many of the volunteers add their own bit of love into the mix. One regular volunteer bakes cookies each weekend and gives them out at the stops. Others bring gently used clothing, new scarves and backpacks to share during this time. Honestly, I'm not sure who enjoyed this time more - the homeless people or the volunteers - but in any case, it is a heartwarming experience for all concerned. In our current economic situation, it's nice to know that even the smallest gestures of kindness can evolve into such an amazing and touching event.

CBS Evening News ran a touching story on Hotdogs for the Homeless in 2007. Please be sure to check it out on the Hotdogs for the Homeless website. Also, if you would like to donate to this worthwhile organization, you can find out the details through their website.