Homeless BBQ

I have noticed more and more homeless on the streets of Salt Lake City the past couple years, especially since3 the economy took a turn for the worse. I heard from one of my customers at Brighton Bank that everyday she sees a homeless family at the park across the street from his business. Like many others in Utah, the father lost his job recently and couldn't find employment. Despite having a new baby to care for, the family was out on the streets. This story touched me deeply. It gave me the spark I needed to do what I could to help.

What started as a faint idea developed into action after talking to Wayne from the Salt Lake Mission Home. He taught me that there are close to 5,000 homeless in Salt Lake City, 27% of them children. The average age of the homeless in Utah is 9! A lot of these people need direction and information on how to get back on their feet. Most ended up homeless due to circumstances beyond their control, and many are victims of abuse.

Wayne informed me that on holidays the homeless shelter is closed from 7am-7pm. The homeless have no food provided and nowhere to go for the day. I reached out to my coworkers and friends for help. We organized a BBQ for the 24th of July to show the homeless that we are thinking o them during the holiday. We purchased 500 hot dogs, chips, granola bars, and drinks. Alongside a meal we had 150 hygiene kits donated from Little America, complete with shampoo, conditioner, soap, and lotion.

The event was a huge success. We went through the 500 hot dogs in a little over an hour and purchased 200 more to make sure everyone received a meal that day. The 150 hygiene kits were gone within 15 minutes of the BBQ kicking off. There were about 15 volunteers, each one busy with an integral role in making the event a success. The Branch Manager, Mike Holt, entertained the crowd by playing his guitar. The homeless loved the compilation of music and Mike instantly had fans. The rest of the volunteers were busy handing out food, restocking supplies, and cooking hot dogs.

The homeless community was very appreciative of what we were doing. I hope that everyone involved will continue to keep them in mind throughout the years to come. A special thanks to all of the volunteers, Brighton Bank, and Little America. It would not have turned out the success it did without everybody involved.

If you are interested in helping out with the homeless there are a lot of opportunities to help! Please let me know if you have any questions and I will post a list of things you can do to get involved!