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On the last day of our visit in Tokyo, we had an opportunity to work with the volunteers of Japan Food Bank to distribute food to homeless people along the banks of Sumida River near Harajuku station in Tokyo. There were many volunteers that helped this day and a good deal of food was donated.
We met a man named Charles McJilton. He was a man who spent his spare time to work with homeless people and established Japan Food Bank. There were two interesting things about Charles: First of all, he is not Japanese. He is an American who decided to live in Japan. Another thing is that he decided to live in a tent along the riverside just as a homeless person lived. He decided to live there to get the real taste of being a homeless person for 6 months. During these six months, he was examining the situation of homeless people. When we interviewed him and asked him, what motivated him to decide to live in a tent along the riverside he said: "I wanted to experience the live of a homeless, to be able to help others. I believe that there is a person before you and after you."
Personally, it was a great feeling to work in the food bank and help the homeless people. There were so many people who volunteered, yet an abundance of homeless people waiting on line to get some food. I had a deep feeling of self- satisfaction helping out and making a small change in somebody's live. Many believe that homelessness will be a long- term social problem, why not try to make a change?
There are four simple steps of how to help improve the homeless problem:
1. RESEARCH INFORMATION. LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROBLEM.
It is important to research the reasons why people become homeless. We cannot assist or stop homelessness without being well informed. A person needs to do a great deal of research and amass many details before they begin to work on the issue of homelessness. Knowledge about the multiple causes of homelessness can be very useful in helping a homeless people restructure their lives. Research needs to be both practical and theoretical: speaking with the homeless, visiting homeless shelters and researching the psychological issues involved in their problem. Get facts not opinions.
2. BE OPEN-MINDED.
Many people believe that every homeless person is homeless because they are alcoholic, drug abusers or are just too lazy to work. These can be some of the reasons why people are homeless. But there are many other reasons, many of which cannot be discovered until you talk with a homeless person or meet with experts in the field. Many are homeless because of disabilities they have or because they lost their jobs. Be open to all reasons. Be a good listener and a good learner.
3. DONATE MONEY, FOOD, OR CLOTHES.
All of us have clothing we do not wear or no longer like. Why not donate that clothing to the homeless? We also waste food by just dumping it in the garbage. Too much food is being thrown away. Donate this food. We also have spare change in our pockets. It feels good to donate some money to people in need. Imagine if 1,000 people donating one dollar each to a homeless shelter! This money could be used for food and clothing for the homeless people who use the facility.
4. GET INVOLVED IN COMMUNITY SERVICE.
There are many shelters and programs where you can perform community service. Interact with these people and help them see that others are interested in them and want to help. One good program is Common Grounds. In addition, there are many workshops one can join. Joining these workshops is a great way to interact with
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