Mobile Loaves & Fishes Blog

Societal Honey- What the #Homeless Have in Common with the Honey Bee

My daughter Taylor wrote this as a paper for one of her classes at Mount St. Mary's University.  Her daddy is proud and I thought you would enjoy.

-Alan

I pass them everyday. They are always there, without fail. Usually I just walk around and don’t even give them the time of day; sometimes they get in my face from out of nowhere, and I flinch, as to avoid fully encountering their presence. Today, however, I broke my pattern. Today I stopped and let them charm me with their story.

People see bees as two things: a popular Halloween costume and a pesky insect, buzzing in the ear, relentlessly seeking the nectar that surrounds us. The bees tell me otherwise. As I watch them, swarming the trashcan like electrons to the nucleus of an atom, my rhythm syncs with theirs. 

I dive into their world and suddenly feel isolated, unwanted. People walk by and don’t even look at me. The buzz of thought fills my head, and I wonder where they came from. Surely the campus trashcans are not their natural habitat. Have they been abandoned by their colonies, left to survive in the man-made wild? Do they have a family or a life away from the Mount? Empathy for the bees inundates me. I feel their pain, rejected by the world, misunderstood. Nobody wants them. They stick together as rejects of the world, thriving off the company of kindred souls.

The sting of a bee is undesirable at best. It has always annoyed me, subsequently having to deal with the throbbing, the itching, the piercing pain, until alas it dissipates. This sting defines the bees, but now I see that that characterization is perhaps unjust. The bee stings defensively, not offensively. They do not swarm around in search of their next victim, but rather only sting when intruded upon. They are not evil and malicious, but rather guarded and protective. Their desire is not to harm, and passersby remain hassle-free. 

But still, people cannot stand them. It seems like such juxtaposition that something as sweet as honey can come from this seemingly vile insect. If we just got rid of them, people say, then they would not bother us any more. No more bee stings. No more swarming around our trashcans. HELLO!!! ATTENTION: WORLD! If we killed off all the bees, then who would pollinate our plants? The existence of our vegetative food supply lies in their ability to pollinate, and do not even get me started on a world with out honey!

We are so quick, as a human race, to judge solely based on the qualities that bother us. Bees are so helpful, yet we write them off because they could potentially sting us. Your neighbors could be the nicest people in the world, but because of the way they dress, you won’t talk to them. We are unable to see far enough beyond the traits that we deem undesirable to find the person within. 

I drive past them everyday. They are always there, without fail. Usually I just drive on by and don’t even give them the time of day; sometimes they come to my window, and I look away, as to avoid fully encountering their presence. Today, however, is a new day. Today I stop, and their story captivates me.

Society sees homeless people as two things: lazy and addicted. The homeless tell me otherwise. I watch them in the park, swarming around the truck that has just come to bring them food, like bees to a trashcan. Their humanity enthralls me.

I try to immerse myself into their foreign world, but something blocks me. They are too… human. They are not some animal or insect; they are human beings, just like me, made of the same fabric. Where are they from? Where is their family? Why have they been abandoned? They have been rejected by the world. Unwanted. Misunderstood. They form a family on the streets, united not by what they have in common, but by what they are all lacking – Home. I feel the sting of loneliness, of hopelessness, in their hearts. It pains me to try to imagine a life so void of love, but even my attempts fall short of their reality. This sting does not dissipate; it does not fade over time. It is not temporary. 

Every day people pass the homeless by and act as if they do not exist. Why do we fear them? They will not bother us unless we are bothersome to them. Homeless people are not generally aggressive; in fact, I have met the most big-hearted, caring and generous people out on the streets. 

In Vancouver there is a huge homeless population. For the 2010 Olympics, in an effort to make the city clean, pretty, and presentable to the nations of the world, the British Colombian government has decided to give the homeless people a one-way bus ticket out of the city. WHERE ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO GO??? Homeless people are human beings. Like the bees, they cannot simply be shipped off, exterminated from their habitat. And like bees we rely on the homeless. Mother Teresa has a great saying, “When we all get to heaven we are going to owe a great debt of gratitude to the poor for having brought us closer to God”. They pollinate our relationship to God and to each other. The hospitality of merely offering a meal connects one heart to the other. 

The state of homelessness, not the people, is transitory if we allow it to be. For this is not a question of should they stay or should they go. It is a question of how we, as a society, can create a world in which nobody is forced into living on the streets. It is not acceptable for them to be pushed out of their natural habitat and forced to swarm where the food is. 

What makes the rest of us so much better than the panhandler on the street? Where do we get the idea that we deserve more or better than they do? There exists this false sense of superiority because we do not understand their story. We cannot understand what they have been through. However, if we remove the blinding judgment and approach them with love and compassion, we have the ability to transform the quality of their lives. We can get them off the streets and give them another chance at life. 

For it is not merely in their existence, but in their ability to be a part of society, that they find their purpose, and when they find it, when they realize what they have truly been made for, they produce a honey sweeter and richer than all the bees’ honey in the world.

-Taylor

"Draw Close" Music Video on the #Homeless & Mobile Loaves & Fishes

Draw Close from Kristopher Rutherford on Vimeo.

@Hardlynormal (Mark Horvath) says, "This is a Model We Need to Scream About!", to bring #nosuffering to the #homeless

Austin Texas Mayor Lee Leffingwell Serving the #Homeless With Mobile Loaves & Fishes

More stories at Austin

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Photo and Video Essay Delivering Water To The #Homeless On July 4th

Today, July 4th, 2009 we spent delivering water to the homeless on the streets of Austin, Texas.  The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory as the heat index was expected to soar above 105 degrees.  This type of heat can be devastating to the human person, particularly those who live outside.  Help us keep them hydrated.  Here is what you can do:

• Carry water with you to hand out as you go about your day
• Donate $$ to Mobile Loaves and Fishes and we will hand it out.  Go to www.mlfnow.org/water to donate
• Tell your friends what we are up to and ask them to help
• Post a donation form to your blog or website to raise $$ for us.  Use the html code below:

<script src="https://widgets.kimbia.com/widgets/form.js?channel=givewater.kimbia.com/water"></script>

Check out the photo pictorial and videos of today's events below:

-Alan
 

More stories at Starbucks Coffee

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We are under a heat alert here in Central Texas.  EMS calls are up dramatically for heat related calls.  We need more water.  Click the donate button below to make a difference.

City of Austin Councilmember Laura Morrison the brainchild behind the collaboration between the City and Mobile Loaves & Fishes at the Convention Center as we load up a ton of water.

-Alan

My friend Gary, who I met while on a Mobile Loaves & Fishes truck run, has over 270 days of sobriety from a 25 year addiction to Heroin.  I am so very thankful for his friendship and his willingness to share his life with all of us.  I am particualrly thankful to the Austin Recovery Center (www.austinrecovery.org) for their heroic efforts to save all who battle addictions.  This is a continuation of his story of recovery.  And particularly to David & Kay, his angels sent from heaven to love Gary.  Although he honors me in his writings there are many others and I only want to point how very important it is for each of us to connect human to human, heart to heart to transform the world.  This is what Mobile Loaves & Fishes so powerfully accomplishes.

-Alan

My God has not promised smooth sailing...
    Just a safe landing.

"Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence." Jeremiah 17:7
  

My name is Gary and I am a grateful, recovered heroin addict. It is by the Grace of my God and the network of friends, like Alan Graham, that today I have not found it necessary to stick a needle in my arm or use narcotics or alcohol by any method since November 1st, 2008 (7 Mths. and 14 days). And for that I am truly grateful.

   My life is very good today. After living on the streets of Austin TX, this time,  since May 2006 and a daily routine to support my drug habit I had to make choices or continue on to the bitter end. I could see that end arriving quickly. The truth is, the disease of addiction was not necessarily the only factor involved in being homeless, but it was the deciding factor. My disease delegated my choices when I surrendered to it and it told me I was not responsible enough to handle "life on life's terms". If you are an addict like me you should understand and if you are not an addict like me you need to understand. Addicts like me did not have much choice, we were born this way. Don't believe me? Ask any physician that has had the opportunity to work with the disease of alcoholism and addiction. In fact, they may be one of us.

   But my purpose for this contribution was to share with others a little understanding of why people, not just addicts, do whatever it takes to get by one day at a time (think homeless, panhandling). You see my God gave me, in fact he gave all of us, the instinct to survive. Sometimes through all of the stress and confusion we forget who gave us that instinct or exactly how we are to use it. We abuse it.

   My first Thanksgiving living on the streets I sat lonely, feeling sorry for myself. As I sat and cried, holding a sign, I felt as if my God spoke to me. What I understood Him to say was, "You always call on Me when you need help and I have not denied you when it was justified. You need to help Me and I will see all your needs are met." My routine I spoke of earlier consisted of waking up under the bridge and injecting enough heroin to make it for 4-6 hrs. Enough narcotics in order for me to stand by the side of the road facing oncoming traffic holding some silly limerick that would attract enough compassionate individuals that they would contribute monetary and nutritional donations to make it until my next 'fix'. I have also met others that used those contributions to feed and/or house a wife and children. Some were just bored with their life or hungry. I did not have that luxury because my disease dictated my life. A relationship or the responsibility of spending money on food would not have been afforded.

Like I said, I was lonely and my God spoke. The only conceivable way I knew to help my God was to help carry His message and help others. I had the food others had given me on the corner and a bridge to sleep under, so I willingly shared these meager items with others in my situation. When I saw Alan and his trucks working to help feed the homeless I would often ask for an extra 'sack' of food for others that may be temporarily away from our camp. I also shared my reading in the Bible with others on the street, when they wanted to listen. Of course my disease was really my Higher Power, at that time, and it told me to carry those messages to the corner on my signs. No more silly limericks. I thought I was doing the public a favor bringing them the word of God or my interpretation of His Word. They bought it and gave to me abundantly to the point I eventually supported  a habit of $100-$150/day. I must have bought it as well. My daily routine revolved around "living to use, and using to live", until I surrendered to the God of my understanding and I could not go on living like this. That would have been on or just before October 30, 2008. That day I turned my will and my life over to my God because, regardless of how tired I was, I knew no human or myself could return my life to a more normal, sane way of living. I couldn't and He could!! He did by placing Alan G. and other angels there to do for me what I could not do for myself. I had to make the choice to let go and let God take charge.

   Homelessness and panhandling is not a choice for everybody living on or off the streets. Some it may be no choice due to unfortunate economic hardship, others have a difficult time asking or understanding how to get help. There are those that do not have the mental capacity to do anything about the situations they find themselves in and it is by no fault of their own - society does not know how to 'deal' with them and chooses not to. Still others, like me, do not have alot of choice due to the disease they allow to delegate their lives.

    Until you can understand these reasons I have stated (hard times, mental incapability, psychological issues, or the disease of addiction) please do not judge these individuals. When asked today about the idea of 'giving' to the homeless on the corner, my answer is the same as it was when I was out there "Listen to your heart, and trust in your God. Do His will, not yours or the will of another." If you can admit that you do not understand why somebody is like they are, find and understand through education and prayer. 

   My God said "Judge not lest you be judged.." and I am not judging you. I am only asking you to read what I have shared with you, think about it, and pray to your God for an understanding so you may do the right thing. It does not have to be complicated. As the Son of my God stated, "The only commandments you have to live by are- put no other God before your Father in Heaven and love your brother as you would love yourself." Keep it simple. He does bless us all. Thank you my brothers and sisters in Christ. 

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

AUSTIN — Stubb’s Legendary Kitchen will kick off its 12-city “Feed the World Tour” this Tuesday, May 26 at 5 p.m. in Wooldridge Square Park, 9^th and Guadalupe Streets, by serving chopped beef sandwiches with famous Stubb’s barbecue sauce to homeless and working poor people from one of Mobile Loaves & Fishes’ special catering trucks, which serve people in six cities every day. 

Kurt Koegler, president of Stubb’s Legendary Kitchen, will join Alan Graham, Mobile Loaves’ founder/president, and volunteers from the company and MLF volunteers to serve the sandwiches and distribute Stubb’s T-shirts. The Austin-based company chose Mobile Loaves as its partner to kick off the “Feed the World Tour,” which is named for the stated mission of Texas Bar-B-Q legend, C.B. “Stubb” Stubblefield, who said: “I was born hungry I want to feed the world.”

After leaving Austin, the tour will swing through the Southeast, up the East Coast and into Washington, D.C. where the Stubb’s team will compete at the annual BBQ Battle on Pennsylvania Avenue.  In each city, Stubb’s Legendary Kitchen and company president Koegler will barbecue for the homeless and help restock depleted food banks.

” Stubb was a cook but more than that, a lover of people.  The values that guided his life still guide the company that bears his name.  Stubb’s life truly is in every bottle of sauce and marinade we make. All of us at Stubb’s are thrilled to be working with Mobile Loaves and bringing all of Stubb’s Love and Happiness to those who all too often need it most” said Koegler.

“The economy has placed greater demand on organizations like Mobile Loaves and local food banks, so we couldn’t think of a better time to show our support,” Koegler said.   “Stubb’s greatest joy was feeding the people who came from all around for a taste of his famous barbecue, and it is an honor for us to fulfill his mission with our Feed the World Tour.”

“We’re honored to be selected as Stubb’s charity partner for the kick-off of this awesome tour,” Graham said. “As someone who once was poor and hungry, C.B. ‘Stubb’ Stubblefield is smiling in heaven to know that his creation is helping feed brothers and sisters on the street here in Austin and around the country. We look forward to connecting Stubb’s with people on the streets here and in the other cities we serve.”

The kick-off event will be videotaped and uploaded to YouTube, and will also be available at www.mlfnow.org and on Stubb’s website www.stubbsbbq.com. 

###

About Stubb's Legendary Kitchen

Austin, Texas-based Stubbs Legendary Kitchen is the maker of Stubb’s, the #1 superpremiun Bar-B-Q sauces and marinades in the country, which are available in over 75% of grocery stores nationwide. Stubbs products, which have garnered praise from publications such as Wine Spectator, Cook's Illustrated and Men's Fitness, has its roots in the iconic Stubb's restaurant and live music venue in Austin, Texas that marries music and Bar-B-Q.  Legends such as B.B. King, George Thorogood, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Willie Nelson have all “sang for their supper” at Stubbs and enjoyed the slow-smoked meats with C.B. “Stubb” Stubblefield's famous sauce made with genuine molasses.

About Mobile Loaves & Fishes

Mobile Loaves & Fishes is a social outreach ministry to the homeless and working poor. Founded in 1998, the organization carries out its mission to provide food, clothing and dignity to those in need with the help of more than 12,000 volunteers, who take MLF’s 12 specially designed catering trucks out on the streets of Austin, San Antonio, New Orleans, Nashville, and the Providence, Rhode Island area, every night.  MLF served its millionth meal in 2007 and has now served more than 1.7 million meals. Additional programs included Habitat on Wheels, which provides homes for formerly homeless people in renovated recreational vehicles; disaster relief. For more information, go to www.mlfnow.org, email [email protected] or call 512-328-7299.

I love my monthly truck run on the second Wednesday of every month.  Tonight we tried a new location of apartments which house the working poor.  Lots of kids and families.  Check out the video below.

-Alan

We met Gary on the streets of Austin flying a sign a couple of years ago.  Gary is a man of tremendous faith but was locked into a cycle of addiction for years...until his angels arrived.  His panhandling signs always included scripture and in spite of the desperate nature of his addiction he always showed optimism.  Charity is at the heart of justice because when you connect one human to another this is where the hearts can connect and justice allowed to flow freely.  This is what Mobile Loaves & Fishes does so well...connect hearts.  We are heart connectors!

-Alan

Happiest I have been in over 35 years…

                          “One day at a time” for 6 months now                                                      

    My name is Gary and I am a recovered Heroin addict. My date of sobriety is November 1, 2008 and for that I am very grateful. I have been able to maintain staying free from using any type of alcohol or narcotics for the past 180 days, unless prescribed by a physician and even then I have turned down the option for pain medications that contain opiates. In my case, I feel the use of any opiate (prescribed or not) would trigger an allergic reaction in my mind that would give me the feeling I could use other opiates safely. I have observed such incidents occurring with other Heroin addicts in the past 6 months and feel I am as susceptible to this happening to me. I will admit I am very scared and have no desire to pick up where I left off.

   You see, for me, there are no other options. I want to remain clean and sober, and alive. Approximately 160 days ago I was diagnosed with an advanced stage of cirrhosis, caused from acquiring “Type 3 hepatitis C” over 23 years ago and allowing it to go untreated.  By the Grace of God, I am beginning treatment for the hepatitis in the next couple of weeks and the type I have is considered to be very receptive to the treatment of Interferon and Ribavirin. I will be receiving this medication for the next 6 months and have been advised by medical staff, as well as others, of the “horrors” and side effects that may occur during treatment. The best advice I have received was from a trusted “friend in recovery” that said with her experience she handled it “one day at a time”. Sounds like a good plan to me; one I can handle. When I complete the treatment, and if it is God’s will for me, the cirrhosis should be in arrest or to a point that it will not advance as rapidly.

   Close to 40 years of “partying” (use of alcohol and drugs) or 6 months of working on recovering “one day at a time”. This is not even a tossup, I’ll take the 6 months of recovery, regardless of the daily work and effort to maintain sobriety and mental well – being. It hasn’t been a cup of tea, even a little scary at times, but I am “the happiest I have been in over 35 years” and maybe my life.

   For an addict like me the work requires being honest with myself, and others, that I cannot control my addiction and it ‘screws’ my life up making it totally unmanageable, on a daily basis, sometimes several times a day. I also have to remember that I, nor any other human, was able to restore my life to a more normal, sane way of living; something else did that for me and I call that God. Every day I ask Him to, “take my will and my life, teach me how to live, and to guide me in my recovery”. Believe me; life gets a lot simpler relying on somebody else telling me what the next right thing is for me. I allow Him to take me where He wants me to go; to meet whoever He wants me to meet; and I ask Him to put the words on my lips that he wants me to say, every day. I have a lot less decisions to screw-up with my best thinking; after all, that best thinking is what I did for 40 years and look what that did for me. Allowing God to direct this show I call ‘Life’ gives me the mental peace and serenity to handle the challenges involved in playing my part in ‘Life”.

   In the past 6 months, I have received several gifts I consider ‘miracles’ due to the Grace of my God: He sent Angels to my side when I was ready to give up altogether and they assisted me getting into recovery. These Angels advise and assist me to this day and they have become trusting friends. When I first met them I was a ‘junkie’ living on the streets for the previous three years. They did not judge me for who I was, only hearing my plea for help and seeing who I could be (a child of God). Jesus Christ told His disciples the only commandments we have to live by were: Put no other god before God in Heaven, and to love your brother as you love yourself. I have observed ‘my Angels’ living by these commands with everybody they come into contact with, not just me. ; My God helped me survive a scare when I was taken to the Emergency Room twenty days into recovery. I stayed in intensive care treatment for complications created by the cirrhosis that caused ascites, bleeding from my esophagus internally. My blood levels were diagnosed as being below dangerous levels and I received transfusions to bring them back to an acceptable level. I continue to take medications for these problems to this day. The manufacturer of the medication for the treatment I am about to begin has agreed to supply it free of charge ; My God helped me find the assistance to return to another 28 days of treatment because he knew I was not ready to work a program of recovery on my own, despite the fact that I felt I knew what I needed to do in order to stay clean. ; My God allowed me to meet another addict in recovery that agreed to help me work the 12-step program of recovery that has been significant in helping me maintain sobriety for now over 6 months. That addict that helps me, my sponsor, has become a very close and caring friend; but he is able to set our friendship aside when it comes to working on my recovery. ; My God helped me to be accepted to live in a clean and sober living environment by an individual in recovery that was patiently willing to allow me to ‘take care of my business’, until I was able to support myself and repay them for allowing me to reside there. I have assisted her for some time now by acting as a House Manager / or Coordinator. This residence gives me an opportunity to interact with other addicts in recovery and share with them what has worked for me for 6 months. ; My God, in a similar sense, has introduced me to the fellowship of Heroin Anonymous and my new found friends (junkies like me) share our experiences and strengths in the hope of helping each other stay clean and sober. We share with others in order to find, or help them find, the solutions necessary to deal with ‘life on life’s terms’. ; And even though I may not be medically able to work a job that is physically demanding, my God helped me find a position I could handle on a temporary basis. That position ended on April 15 of this year, however it gave me the confidence to know I could support myself and I have no fear or insecurity because my God continues to provide all my needs. ; One of my Angels shared my story with his dentist, and that dentist is providing me with much needed dental work due to years of negligence and damage caused by my addiction. The Angels my God placed in my life have also given me gifts I needed which include transportation (a new beach cruiser – bicycle) and the computer (my first very own) I am currently using. ; And as of two weeks ago, my God allows me to share my story with others in the Detox facility at Austin Recovery (my Alma Mata of recovery, www.austinreovery.org), in order to give back what was so freely given to me, during a time for others when they are at a critical point of deciding if they are ready to do whatever it takes to change their life.

   I consider all of these occurrences as ‘miracles’ provided by the God of my understanding simply because I have become willing to live by His will for my life and not the will dictated by my disease of addiction. For everything I have received from my God during the past 6 months I am grateful. In 52 years of life He has not forsaken me, regardless of the paths I took. He has kept me close and always been at my side. This Sunday May 3, 2009 I will have to forgo my chance to share in Detox and I will be attending a Speaker meeting with my Austin Recovery alumni, in order to receive a marble that symbolizes 6 months of remaining clean and sober. On that day, God willing, I will have been clean for 6 months and 4 days. I have received a different size or color of marble for every milestone since initially expressing the desire to try this simple program ‘one day at a time’ and I have not lost any of my marbles yet!

   If only one other individual still suffering from addiction recognizes anything in my story that sounds similar to theirs just understand one thing, today I am the happiest I have been in over 35 years and you can experience that happiness also! Let go and let God... may you find Him now and give him your will and your life, as I did.

It Is Still Hotter Than Hades Out There! Need 'Mo Water Now! #homeless

We are under a heat alert here in Central Texas.  EMS calls are up dramatically for heat related calls.  We need more water.  Click the donate button below to make a difference.

City of Austin Councilmember Laura Morrison the brainchild behind the collaboration between the City and Mobile Loaves & Fishes at the Convention Center as we load up a ton of water.

-Alan

Gary Continues to Share His Recovery from an Addiction to Heroin #homeless

My friend Gary, who I met while on a Mobile Loaves & Fishes truck run, has over 270 days of sobriety from a 25 year addiction to Heroin.  I am so very thankful for his friendship and his willingness to share his life with all of us.  I am particualrly thankful to the Austin Recovery Center (www.austinrecovery.org) for their heroic efforts to save all who battle addictions.  This is a continuation of his story of recovery.  And particularly to David & Kay, his angels sent from heaven to love Gary.  Although he honors me in his writings there are many others and I only want to point how very important it is for each of us to connect human to human, heart to heart to transform the world.  This is what Mobile Loaves & Fishes so powerfully accomplishes.

-Alan

My God has not promised smooth sailing...
    Just a safe landing.

"Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence." Jeremiah 17:7
  

My name is Gary and I am a grateful, recovered heroin addict. It is by the Grace of my God and the network of friends, like Alan Graham, that today I have not found it necessary to stick a needle in my arm or use narcotics or alcohol by any method since November 1st, 2008 (7 Mths. and 14 days). And for that I am truly grateful.

   My life is very good today. After living on the streets of Austin TX, this time,  since May 2006 and a daily routine to support my drug habit I had to make choices or continue on to the bitter end. I could see that end arriving quickly. The truth is, the disease of addiction was not necessarily the only factor involved in being homeless, but it was the deciding factor. My disease delegated my choices when I surrendered to it and it told me I was not responsible enough to handle "life on life's terms". If you are an addict like me you should understand and if you are not an addict like me you need to understand. Addicts like me did not have much choice, we were born this way. Don't believe me? Ask any physician that has had the opportunity to work with the disease of alcoholism and addiction. In fact, they may be one of us.

   But my purpose for this contribution was to share with others a little understanding of why people, not just addicts, do whatever it takes to get by one day at a time (think homeless, panhandling). You see my God gave me, in fact he gave all of us, the instinct to survive. Sometimes through all of the stress and confusion we forget who gave us that instinct or exactly how we are to use it. We abuse it.

   My first Thanksgiving living on the streets I sat lonely, feeling sorry for myself. As I sat and cried, holding a sign, I felt as if my God spoke to me. What I understood Him to say was, "You always call on Me when you need help and I have not denied you when it was justified. You need to help Me and I will see all your needs are met." My routine I spoke of earlier consisted of waking up under the bridge and injecting enough heroin to make it for 4-6 hrs. Enough narcotics in order for me to stand by the side of the road facing oncoming traffic holding some silly limerick that would attract enough compassionate individuals that they would contribute monetary and nutritional donations to make it until my next 'fix'. I have also met others that used those contributions to feed and/or house a wife and children. Some were just bored with their life or hungry. I did not have that luxury because my disease dictated my life. A relationship or the responsibility of spending money on food would not have been afforded.

Like I said, I was lonely and my God spoke. The only conceivable way I knew to help my God was to help carry His message and help others. I had the food others had given me on the corner and a bridge to sleep under, so I willingly shared these meager items with others in my situation. When I saw Alan and his trucks working to help feed the homeless I would often ask for an extra 'sack' of food for others that may be temporarily away from our camp. I also shared my reading in the Bible with others on the street, when they wanted to listen. Of course my disease was really my Higher Power, at that time, and it told me to carry those messages to the corner on my signs. No more silly limericks. I thought I was doing the public a favor bringing them the word of God or my interpretation of His Word. They bought it and gave to me abundantly to the point I eventually supported  a habit of $100-$150/day. I must have bought it as well. My daily routine revolved around "living to use, and using to live", until I surrendered to the God of my understanding and I could not go on living like this. That would have been on or just before October 30, 2008. That day I turned my will and my life over to my God because, regardless of how tired I was, I knew no human or myself could return my life to a more normal, sane way of living. I couldn't and He could!! He did by placing Alan G. and other angels there to do for me what I could not do for myself. I had to make the choice to let go and let God take charge.

   Homelessness and panhandling is not a choice for everybody living on or off the streets. Some it may be no choice due to unfortunate economic hardship, others have a difficult time asking or understanding how to get help. There are those that do not have the mental capacity to do anything about the situations they find themselves in and it is by no fault of their own - society does not know how to 'deal' with them and chooses not to. Still others, like me, do not have alot of choice due to the disease they allow to delegate their lives.

    Until you can understand these reasons I have stated (hard times, mental incapability, psychological issues, or the disease of addiction) please do not judge these individuals. When asked today about the idea of 'giving' to the homeless on the corner, my answer is the same as it was when I was out there "Listen to your heart, and trust in your God. Do His will, not yours or the will of another." If you can admit that you do not understand why somebody is like they are, find and understand through education and prayer. 

   My God said "Judge not lest you be judged.." and I am not judging you. I am only asking you to read what I have shared with you, think about it, and pray to your God for an understanding so you may do the right thing. It does not have to be complicated. As the Son of my God stated, "The only commandments you have to live by are- put no other God before your Father in Heaven and love your brother as you would love yourself." Keep it simple. He does bless us all. Thank you my brothers and sisters in Christ. 

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Stubbs Teams Up With MLF to Launch "Feed The World" Tour! #homeless

AUSTIN — Stubb’s Legendary Kitchen will kick off its 12-city “Feed the World Tour” this Tuesday, May 26 at 5 p.m. in Wooldridge Square Park, 9^th and Guadalupe Streets, by serving chopped beef sandwiches with famous Stubb’s barbecue sauce to homeless and working poor people from one of Mobile Loaves & Fishes’ special catering trucks, which serve people in six cities every day. 

Kurt Koegler, president of Stubb’s Legendary Kitchen, will join Alan Graham, Mobile Loaves’ founder/president, and volunteers from the company and MLF volunteers to serve the sandwiches and distribute Stubb’s T-shirts. The Austin-based company chose Mobile Loaves as its partner to kick off the “Feed the World Tour,” which is named for the stated mission of Texas Bar-B-Q legend, C.B. “Stubb” Stubblefield, who said: “I was born hungry I want to feed the world.”

After leaving Austin, the tour will swing through the Southeast, up the East Coast and into Washington, D.C. where the Stubb’s team will compete at the annual BBQ Battle on Pennsylvania Avenue.  In each city, Stubb’s Legendary Kitchen and company president Koegler will barbecue for the homeless and help restock depleted food banks.

” Stubb was a cook but more than that, a lover of people.  The values that guided his life still guide the company that bears his name.  Stubb’s life truly is in every bottle of sauce and marinade we make. All of us at Stubb’s are thrilled to be working with Mobile Loaves and bringing all of Stubb’s Love and Happiness to those who all too often need it most” said Koegler.

“The economy has placed greater demand on organizations like Mobile Loaves and local food banks, so we couldn’t think of a better time to show our support,” Koegler said.   “Stubb’s greatest joy was feeding the people who came from all around for a taste of his famous barbecue, and it is an honor for us to fulfill his mission with our Feed the World Tour.”

“We’re honored to be selected as Stubb’s charity partner for the kick-off of this awesome tour,” Graham said. “As someone who once was poor and hungry, C.B. ‘Stubb’ Stubblefield is smiling in heaven to know that his creation is helping feed brothers and sisters on the street here in Austin and around the country. We look forward to connecting Stubb’s with people on the streets here and in the other cities we serve.”

The kick-off event will be videotaped and uploaded to YouTube, and will also be available at www.mlfnow.org and on Stubb’s website www.stubbsbbq.com. 

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About Stubb's Legendary Kitchen

Austin, Texas-based Stubbs Legendary Kitchen is the maker of Stubb’s, the #1 superpremiun Bar-B-Q sauces and marinades in the country, which are available in over 75% of grocery stores nationwide. Stubbs products, which have garnered praise from publications such as Wine Spectator, Cook's Illustrated and Men's Fitness, has its roots in the iconic Stubb's restaurant and live music venue in Austin, Texas that marries music and Bar-B-Q.  Legends such as B.B. King, George Thorogood, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Willie Nelson have all “sang for their supper” at Stubbs and enjoyed the slow-smoked meats with C.B. “Stubb” Stubblefield's famous sauce made with genuine molasses.

About Mobile Loaves & Fishes

Mobile Loaves & Fishes is a social outreach ministry to the homeless and working poor. Founded in 1998, the organization carries out its mission to provide food, clothing and dignity to those in need with the help of more than 12,000 volunteers, who take MLF’s 12 specially designed catering trucks out on the streets of Austin, San Antonio, New Orleans, Nashville, and the Providence, Rhode Island area, every night.  MLF served its millionth meal in 2007 and has now served more than 1.7 million meals. Additional programs included Habitat on Wheels, which provides homes for formerly homeless people in renovated recreational vehicles; disaster relief. For more information, go to www.mlfnow.org, email [email protected] or call 512-328-7299.

A Night Out On The Truck Serving Our Brothers & Sisters (video blog) #homeless

I love my monthly truck run on the second Wednesday of every month.  Tonight we tried a new location of apartments which house the working poor.  Lots of kids and families.  Check out the video below.

-Alan

More From Gary and His Recovery From Heroin & The Heart Connectors #homeless

We met Gary on the streets of Austin flying a sign a couple of years ago.  Gary is a man of tremendous faith but was locked into a cycle of addiction for years...until his angels arrived.  His panhandling signs always included scripture and in spite of the desperate nature of his addiction he always showed optimism.  Charity is at the heart of justice because when you connect one human to another this is where the hearts can connect and justice allowed to flow freely.  This is what Mobile Loaves & Fishes does so well...connect hearts.  We are heart connectors!

-Alan

Happiest I have been in over 35 years…

                          “One day at a time” for 6 months now                                                      

    My name is Gary and I am a recovered Heroin addict. My date of sobriety is November 1, 2008 and for that I am very grateful. I have been able to maintain staying free from using any type of alcohol or narcotics for the past 180 days, unless prescribed by a physician and even then I have turned down the option for pain medications that contain opiates. In my case, I feel the use of any opiate (prescribed or not) would trigger an allergic reaction in my mind that would give me the feeling I could use other opiates safely. I have observed such incidents occurring with other Heroin addicts in the past 6 months and feel I am as susceptible to this happening to me. I will admit I am very scared and have no desire to pick up where I left off.

   You see, for me, there are no other options. I want to remain clean and sober, and alive. Approximately 160 days ago I was diagnosed with an advanced stage of cirrhosis, caused from acquiring “Type 3 hepatitis C” over 23 years ago and allowing it to go untreated.  By the Grace of God, I am beginning treatment for the hepatitis in the next couple of weeks and the type I have is considered to be very receptive to the treatment of Interferon and Ribavirin. I will be receiving this medication for the next 6 months and have been advised by medical staff, as well as others, of the “horrors” and side effects that may occur during treatment. The best advice I have received was from a trusted “friend in recovery” that said with her experience she handled it “one day at a time”. Sounds like a good plan to me; one I can handle. When I complete the treatment, and if it is God’s will for me, the cirrhosis should be in arrest or to a point that it will not advance as rapidly.

   Close to 40 years of “partying” (use of alcohol and drugs) or 6 months of working on recovering “one day at a time”. This is not even a tossup, I’ll take the 6 months of recovery, regardless of the daily work and effort to maintain sobriety and mental well – being. It hasn’t been a cup of tea, even a little scary at times, but I am “the happiest I have been in over 35 years” and maybe my life.

   For an addict like me the work requires being honest with myself, and others, that I cannot control my addiction and it ‘screws’ my life up making it totally unmanageable, on a daily basis, sometimes several times a day. I also have to remember that I, nor any other human, was able to restore my life to a more normal, sane way of living; something else did that for me and I call that God. Every day I ask Him to, “take my will and my life, teach me how to live, and to guide me in my recovery”. Believe me; life gets a lot simpler relying on somebody else telling me what the next right thing is for me. I allow Him to take me where He wants me to go; to meet whoever He wants me to meet; and I ask Him to put the words on my lips that he wants me to say, every day. I have a lot less decisions to screw-up with my best thinking; after all, that best thinking is what I did for 40 years and look what that did for me. Allowing God to direct this show I call ‘Life’ gives me the mental peace and serenity to handle the challenges involved in playing my part in ‘Life”.

   In the past 6 months, I have received several gifts I consider ‘miracles’ due to the Grace of my God: He sent Angels to my side when I was ready to give up altogether and they assisted me getting into recovery. These Angels advise and assist me to this day and they have become trusting friends. When I first met them I was a ‘junkie’ living on the streets for the previous three years. They did not judge me for who I was, only hearing my plea for help and seeing who I could be (a child of God). Jesus Christ told His disciples the only commandments we have to live by were: Put no other god before God in Heaven, and to love your brother as you love yourself. I have observed ‘my Angels’ living by these commands with everybody they come into contact with, not just me. ; My God helped me survive a scare when I was taken to the Emergency Room twenty days into recovery. I stayed in intensive care treatment for complications created by the cirrhosis that caused ascites, bleeding from my esophagus internally. My blood levels were diagnosed as being below dangerous levels and I received transfusions to bring them back to an acceptable level. I continue to take medications for these problems to this day. The manufacturer of the medication for the treatment I am about to begin has agreed to supply it free of charge ; My God helped me find the assistance to return to another 28 days of treatment because he knew I was not ready to work a program of recovery on my own, despite the fact that I felt I knew what I needed to do in order to stay clean. ; My God allowed me to meet another addict in recovery that agreed to help me work the 12-step program of recovery that has been significant in helping me maintain sobriety for now over 6 months. That addict that helps me, my sponsor, has become a very close and caring friend; but he is able to set our friendship aside when it comes to working on my recovery. ; My God helped me to be accepted to live in a clean and sober living environment by an individual in recovery that was patiently willing to allow me to ‘take care of my business’, until I was able to support myself and repay them for allowing me to reside there. I have assisted her for some time now by acting as a House Manager / or Coordinator. This residence gives me an opportunity to interact with other addicts in recovery and share with them what has worked for me for 6 months. ; My God, in a similar sense, has introduced me to the fellowship of Heroin Anonymous and my new found friends (junkies like me) share our experiences and strengths in the hope of helping each other stay clean and sober. We share with others in order to find, or help them find, the solutions necessary to deal with ‘life on life’s terms’. ; And even though I may not be medically able to work a job that is physically demanding, my God helped me find a position I could handle on a temporary basis. That position ended on April 15 of this year, however it gave me the confidence to know I could support myself and I have no fear or insecurity because my God continues to provide all my needs. ; One of my Angels shared my story with his dentist, and that dentist is providing me with much needed dental work due to years of negligence and damage caused by my addiction. The Angels my God placed in my life have also given me gifts I needed which include transportation (a new beach cruiser – bicycle) and the computer (my first very own) I am currently using. ; And as of two weeks ago, my God allows me to share my story with others in the Detox facility at Austin Recovery (my Alma Mata of recovery, www.austinreovery.org), in order to give back what was so freely given to me, during a time for others when they are at a critical point of deciding if they are ready to do whatever it takes to change their life.

   I consider all of these occurrences as ‘miracles’ provided by the God of my understanding simply because I have become willing to live by His will for my life and not the will dictated by my disease of addiction. For everything I have received from my God during the past 6 months I am grateful. In 52 years of life He has not forsaken me, regardless of the paths I took. He has kept me close and always been at my side. This Sunday May 3, 2009 I will have to forgo my chance to share in Detox and I will be attending a Speaker meeting with my Austin Recovery alumni, in order to receive a marble that symbolizes 6 months of remaining clean and sober. On that day, God willing, I will have been clean for 6 months and 4 days. I have received a different size or color of marble for every milestone since initially expressing the desire to try this simple program ‘one day at a time’ and I have not lost any of my marbles yet!

   If only one other individual still suffering from addiction recognizes anything in my story that sounds similar to theirs just understand one thing, today I am the happiest I have been in over 35 years and you can experience that happiness also! Let go and let God... may you find Him now and give him your will and your life, as I did.