As we all prepare to give out humblest thanks this week, let us remember that this year is one year to be really thankful. Let us be happy that we are even in a position to show our thanks, regardless of how we do it. Over the years I have occasionally made sandwiches and passed them out to the homeless a day before thanksgiving. I make 150 ham and cheese sandwiches to make 75 people a little less hungry. I do this as a way to give back for I too was homeless once and know what it feels like to be hungry.

Now I haven’t done this every year and this year is just as bad as the years I didn’t do it because of the financial cost, but I felt compelled to really do it this year because of the times that are before us now. I also decided to distribute the sandwiches a little early because of a cold spell that hit. So after over ten loaves of bread, eight packs of cheese singles, nine packages of ham and three jars of mayo, I strolled out the door with 152 sandwiches and headed for downtown.

Having found a perfect spot to park, I deposited a quarter into the meter for two hours worth of parking. Should be plenty of time to hand out my first batch. With as many as I can get into plastic shopping bags, I start out with two bags in each hand. It is kind of easy for me to spot someone who is homeless, but I have mistaken some slovenly looking individuals who took offense to being thought of as homeless by someone else. So I usually ask if they have a place to stay and if they’re hungry before I depart with a couple of sandwiches.

I particularly pay close attention to families who are down on their luck. These people usually have a beat up car that they use to sleep in. I really help those types first if I can.

I surprisingly get rid of my first batch (about forty or so) in no time and I head back to the car to re-supply and put another coin in the meter if need be. I am feeling pretty good about the time when I get to my car and was not prepared for what happened next. I put another coin in the slot, my last one, and gather up the rest of the sandwiches. As I look up, I see an old fellow who I remembered was homeless when I was. I used to dumpster-dive with him downtown years ago.

I walked up to him to see if he recognized me, but he didn’t so I asked him if he would like a couple of sandwiches. He just stared at me with an expressionless face. It seems that years of alcohol abuse have taken their toll on this poor soul. I am now reaching inside a bag and as I look up I noticed, shockingly, that he had a gun pointed at me. Can you believe it? This guy is going to rob me. Sure enough, he says give me your wallet, but I tell him that I spent all my money on these things in the bags. Not wanting to leave without getting something, this old guy took every one of my sandwiches and took off, dropping sandwiches here and there as he fled around a corner.

Ok, Ok, no big loss. Just a little food right? It still made me kind of mad and I decided to try and follow him. It shouldn’t be hard to track him. He is dropping sandwiches and leaving a trail. It seems that he went into a vacant warehouse district and I wasn’t seeing any more sandwiches, which I managed to pick up as I followed. I looked and looked, but no more evidence. I walked a little further when suddenly I could hear a faint cheering or laughter coming from an alley.

Not sure if I should investigate, I decided to walk down the alley a little just to see if I could get a glimpse. There was a multi-storied building that was abandoned, it had a window that was broken and I saw a flickering light from within. I peeked into the window and saw a bunch of squatters huddling around a 55-gallon drum with fire in it. They were keeping warm around it and that’s when I saw that guy who took my sandwiches. He was passing them out to everyone in there and they were all ecstatic.

There were little kids, women and railroad type hobos all getting a share of the bounty that their friend had happened on. They obviously didn’t care where or how he got them, just that he had them and they were getting something to eat. What could I say or do? What a weird twist of fate, but I walked away amazed enough to be satisfied that my overall goal of feeding those who were hungry, ultimately was fulfilled. I did manage to pass out the ones that were left over and all was well again. Still, I couldn’t help but think that this guy hated ham and cheese enough to rob me of them and then turn around and pull a Robin Hood on me. Go figure.

Jeff Payne

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