The Last Word: Saving Graces

Jeffrey McNeil. Photo by Street Sense Media.

I became homeless in September 2006. It happened in Toms River, N.J., a suburban town in Ocean County, which is far-removed from the big East Coast cities that have the most resources to help those who are homeless, struggling with addictions and mentally illness.  

I was having trouble taking care of myself because of bipolar and attention deficit disorders. I hit rock bottom a few times, and I had trouble locating services.  

In Atlantic City, N.J., I had my first experience with shelters and faith-based programs. The shelters I encountered still give me nightmares. They put everyone in the same place, whether they were sick or violent. Then there were the elderly and mentally ill, who had no other place to go.  

If you were homeless, the saving grace for eating decently in south Jersey, was an elderly lady named Jean Webster, also known as Sister Jean. She began helping the poor back in 1986. She was on her way to her job as a chef at a local casino when she saw a homeless man eating out of a garbage can.  

She bought him some food right then and there at the Pizza King. Later, she took him home and cooked him a hot meal. It disturbed her that in America there were people eating out of trash cans. She decided to find homeless people and feed them hot meals. Soon she started making hot meals for the poor in Atlantic City. Her program got so big that there were people wrapped up for blocks waiting in line for a meal at Sister Jean’s.  

She would feed you all-you-can-eat fried chicken, sea bass and banana pudding. Locally, YSOP, a meal and fellowship program based at the Church of the Epiphany on G Street NW like Street Sense, is on par to Sister Jean’s. Miriam’s Kitchen and SOME, which not only serve food, but also provide mental health and social services.  

It has been a while since I waited in a soup line. One day I would like to give back because, if it wasn’t for a soup line, I might right now, be eating out of a garbage can. 

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