Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Good Try, Rock

On October 31, myself and a couple other urban campers went to Balboa Park, at Sixth Avenue and Hawthorne, to take part in a get-together especially for the homeless called “H.O.P.E.” The flyer that was passed out weeks earlier said free food, clothes, and blankets would be given away. Everyone had been talking about the event as it got closer to the 31st. We were so excited.

When we got there, it was early, so when the H.O.P.E. bringers started arriving, we helped them unload the food, water, clothes, blankets, and other items. They started setting up tables, and they even set up a place for people to get haircuts and trims. One lady was going around to make sure things were moving in an organized manner. It was cute — she was a little short lady with a megaphone.

Sponsored
Sponsored

They put up a huge tarp shelter at the north end of all the festivities so everyone could have a place to sit down and relax. Another young lady got the microphone and announced that they were from The Rock church and that they had a lot of things prepared for us. They started passing out tickets for prizes that would be raffled off and told us to keep the tickets because we could redeem them for a plate of barbecue later.

I am a homeless student. It brought tears to my eyes to feel that kind of love from complete strangers. They said prayers with us and brought entertainment in the form of children doing some serious dance moves to gospel music. A young lady began to sing. I couldn't hear that well, but I could see everyone smiling as we strained to hear her voice. Afterward, I heard someone compare her to Carrie Underwood.

A little later, an announcement came over the P.A. that police were at the end of the street. Within ten minutes, I saw the police at the other end of the ravine watching us. We began to pray. Not much later, I saw the police approach the people in charge and tell them we would have to "break it up." I thought to myself, Why would they want to stop this from happening? People are always talking about how we look and dress. This would have been the perfect opportunity for people to get good clothes, shoes, and jackets, haircuts and trims.

Some of the homeless began to leave. My friends and I decided to stay and help these H.O.P.E. bringers load up their blessings.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Jazz jam at a private party

A couple of accidental crashes at California English
Next Article

Aaron Bleiweiss: has guitar, has traveled

Seattle native takes Twists and Turns to assemble local all-stars

On October 31, myself and a couple other urban campers went to Balboa Park, at Sixth Avenue and Hawthorne, to take part in a get-together especially for the homeless called “H.O.P.E.” The flyer that was passed out weeks earlier said free food, clothes, and blankets would be given away. Everyone had been talking about the event as it got closer to the 31st. We were so excited.

When we got there, it was early, so when the H.O.P.E. bringers started arriving, we helped them unload the food, water, clothes, blankets, and other items. They started setting up tables, and they even set up a place for people to get haircuts and trims. One lady was going around to make sure things were moving in an organized manner. It was cute — she was a little short lady with a megaphone.

Sponsored
Sponsored

They put up a huge tarp shelter at the north end of all the festivities so everyone could have a place to sit down and relax. Another young lady got the microphone and announced that they were from The Rock church and that they had a lot of things prepared for us. They started passing out tickets for prizes that would be raffled off and told us to keep the tickets because we could redeem them for a plate of barbecue later.

I am a homeless student. It brought tears to my eyes to feel that kind of love from complete strangers. They said prayers with us and brought entertainment in the form of children doing some serious dance moves to gospel music. A young lady began to sing. I couldn't hear that well, but I could see everyone smiling as we strained to hear her voice. Afterward, I heard someone compare her to Carrie Underwood.

A little later, an announcement came over the P.A. that police were at the end of the street. Within ten minutes, I saw the police at the other end of the ravine watching us. We began to pray. Not much later, I saw the police approach the people in charge and tell them we would have to "break it up." I thought to myself, Why would they want to stop this from happening? People are always talking about how we look and dress. This would have been the perfect opportunity for people to get good clothes, shoes, and jackets, haircuts and trims.

Some of the homeless began to leave. My friends and I decided to stay and help these H.O.P.E. bringers load up their blessings.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Reader readers sound off about Encinitas cliffs

Not much sympathy for victims
Next Article

Issa aide collaborates with Ukrainians

Carlsbad's Tracy Slepcevic, Warrior Mom, and her ties to RFK, Jr.
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader