Appeal for the New Year

Each day in many small ways, we find ourselves being sources of hope for those in need on the Coast to help them find courage in hard times and, maybe in the process, just a little bit of peace. Immigrant, homeless, senior citizen, stranded, hungry, unable to speak English...these are some of the many faces of need in our community, need we try to respond to every day (except Thursday, our date day).

Because people need a bicycle for transportation or a tank of gas or a ride to an appointment over the hill or a bed for the night or help with the rent, or because they want to practice English or get help filling out immigration forms, or maybe because they are just looking for someone to talk to, the phone and doorbell of our home ring like a popular business. But we are not a business. Nor are we an organization or an agency. There is no umbrella Catholic Worker organization to send us money to pay the bills or help with our work. We are only a handful of people trying to make a difference, one life at a time or one family at a time.

We provide simple band-aid solutions to some of the most heartbreaking struggles of the human condition. It seems we often fall short. When the day is over and the lights go out, we know that we will wake up to the same problems the next day because the marginalized on the Coast will be waking up to the same problems in their lives.

There are a lot of good people trying to do a lot of good work on the Coast. Unfortunately, there is more need than what is being met. We do what we can and find ourselves most often helping those who don't "qualify" for assistance from traditional charities and governmental agencies. The local designated core agency charged with providing governmental assistance to those in need has in its mission statement that they help the working poor. Unfortunately, many more poor on the Coast are not working for a variety of reasons and, thus, cannot get any significant help. (For example, more and more we are seeing injured folks in the 20s, 30s and 40s who can't work in their old standbys of agriculture, floriculture and construction but vocational rehabilitation isn't happening.) No job. No prospects. No help. No future.

Amazingly, however, the folks who make their way to us almost always still have hope. We see it in their eyes. We hear it in their voices. We feel it in our hearts. When we offer a hand we also offer our humanity and that's why we have been an important presence on the Coast for almost seven years. (Can you believe it's been that long?)

Our personalism...how we see a problem, enter into it and try to help solve it without getting caught up in the bureaucracy of "the system"...leaves us open to getting burned at times but, more importantly, opens us up to be able to touch the human spirit. We are humbled that we have been invited to join in the struggle and honored to do so.

We are supported mostly by you and people like you. A handful of grants from private foundations have helped us purchase resources for English language learning, but it's the checks from individuals and support from local and area religious congregations of many faiths that enable us to pay our bills each month and offer help to those who come seeking it.

We are grateful for the many people who join with us in helping those who come to us in hard times. Thank you for being a holy family with us to give them hope and courage. We humbly ask for your continued support.

Blessings of Peace in the new year from all of us at Magdalene House and the Coastside Catholic Worker!