My name is Shirley Chamberlain. I am an advocate for the homeless in Plant City and the Food Ministry Partner for Gospel METS Ministry also in Plant City. For several years now, along with other ministries and individuals, I have been feeding the homeless and nearly homeless at Courier Field behind the Plant City Library in a program called “Friends in the Park” started by Julie and Ron Dixon of Restoring Hope Global. This occurs every evening at 5 p.m.
Today, we are finding more and more families in need of this basic service. Over the years I have seen several families with small children that are either homeless or unable to afford housing and at the same time feed their families.
Our homeless population in Plant City does not vary much from the rest of the population. It includes very young and very old and everything in between: veterans that have fought so that we can have our freedoms; people with addictions desperately trying to better themselves; people who work at minimum wage and/or day labor who cannot meet the bills associated with rentals.
Some of our homeless may occasionally have a roof over their heads as they “couch surf” from friend’s home to friend’s home.
Let me tell you some of the stories of our friends at the park from the past few years.
On Nov. 30, I attended the memorial service for one of the regular folks we fed at the park. Randy and his mom were not homeless, but the struggle of making ends meet made it necessary for them to take advantage of the meals at the park. We all loved Randy who had many challenges, but he taught us about love, compassion, and acceptance. Randy’s passing was an unexpected tragedy, as he choked while eating, went into a coma and never regained consciousness.
Two years ago, one of our men was struck by a car and died from his injuries. Last year, his son rolled into his campfire while sleeping and was severely burned requiring skin grafts. When he was released from the hospital with nowhere else to go, he went back into the woods and because a burn is so prone to infection, he ended up back in the hospital more than once. This man is not a lazy man. He actually worked landscaping for an acquaintance of mine. This year the pain for him continued as he (like his father) was struck by a vehicle. He was lucky and survived.
One of our younger men voluntarily signed up for the Lighthouse Drug Rehab program.
One of our veterans was homeless for a while and living out of his van by choice. It was the only way he could save the money necessary to pay the van off. Today, he and his dog live in an apartment.
All of these people had lives before they became homeless. One of our friends that I met many years ago and recently moved to another town was a star PTA mom and homemaker before her life took a turn for the worse.
Even working with the homeless on a regular basis, you never get used to the panic and desperation you see in someone’s eyes when they become homeless for the first time begging for help and not realizing that they are only one of many in the same situation.
The success stories are numerous, and so are the stories of our friends that are chronically in and out of homelessness.
Items that the homeless are always in need of are: hygiene items such as soap and shampoo, wash cloths and towels, combs and brushes, shoes, stockings, underwear, seasonal clothing, etc. The bigger items, such as tents, are also needed. These can be brought to the park any day at 5 p.m. or contact me at (813) 764-4802 for a drop off location.
Shirley Chamberlain is an advocate for the homeless in Plant City and the Food Ministry Partner for Gospel METS Ministry.