301 Menaul Blvd. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87107
This event runs from now until December 16, 2020.
The Middle School Student Council this year has been very reflective of COVID-19 and its impact. In their discussions, they turned to challenges people experiencing homelessness face. The Student Council called Joy Junction and learned we can help “IN THE NOW” by hosting a drive for the following items:
• Packaged underwear: all sizes: never used
• Bras: all sizes, never used
• Beanies and warm hats: new or gently used and washed
• Belts: new or gently used
• Lotions: in smaller bottles
• Lip balm
• Commercial 2-fold napkins: for the many lunches they send out daily
• Boxes of sporks: again to send out in the daily lunches
• Ground coffee: in sealed cans for the kitchen
• “Cup o’ Noodles”: (not ramen) the kind that come in a serving cup
YOU TOO can help with the “IN THE NOW” needs. Please secure and donate any of these by dropping them off at Donaldson’s porch in the decorated boxes between Friday November 13 to December 16th during the school day from 8 am until 3 pm.
Please help us do our part to relieve basic stress in 2020 and donate to our drive.
When one is homeless, discrimination abounds, possessions are stolen. It is difficult to get a job without an address, or to keep one when life on the streets is so uncertain. When a person is wet, the cold is unbearable. When the heat is at 105 degrees, asphalt and concrete blister the skin. The sidewalk is super hard when someone needs to sleep; the grass is almost always off limits. The comforts and nuances of everyday life become overwhelming problems for those who have no home.
One last element of homelessness we came across is the realization that people don’t see the problem. We look past the man begging, we fail to see the woman alone on the streets. If we do, it is a glimpse. One homeless man said recently: “I don’t need much, just to be acknowledged. I can get lunch from a trash can or off your table, but I can’t force respect.” To not be acknowledged, to be completely marginalized, is dehumanizing.
As citizens, we, the students of the Menaul Middle School acknowledge the long term needs we must address to stop homelessness. Homelessness is complicated, and one drive won’t solve the overall issues: we know.
Places like Joy Junction and many other shelters provide food and warmth. We can assist them in their endeavors. A person in crisis needs attention now, not next week. Please donate.