The other night was no exception. After a long day of picking up and sorting donations, we decided to get something to eat from the Olive Garden. As we are pulling out, we notice one of the regulars, Mike, limping along, cup in hand. Noticing the limp, we pull over to see what is going on.
We could have just gone home - it was Saturday night and we had been on the road since 9 AM. We could have just told him to see us on Tuesday. But, that just isn't what Project Do Something Boston is all about. In the 15 - 20 minutes it took us to stop and talk to Mike, we not only helped him out, but helped his friend Brooke out as well.
Mike tells us how he hurt his leg, but hadn't gone down to Boston Medical to get checked out. But, instead worrying about his leg, he wanted to talk to us about Brooke. Another regular, Brooke recently checked into a program to get clean. Mike tells us how she doesn't have any clothing. She knows about our efforts on Tuesday and Thursday, but can only leave her program in the morning to go to the clinic. With some recently donated items, we arrange to have him take a small bag of clothing to her after our next visit to Mass Ave next week.
Mike was excited about the chance to help his friend, although seeing Brooke get into a program caused him to question his own struggle with addition.. He talked about his family and trying to re-established diminished connections with family. Instead of talking about his limp and needing medical attention, what really ailed Mike was the chance to speak to someone about his friend's new program and his own life.
At the end of our conversation, we offered to take him to the hospital. For whatever reason, Mike didn't want a ride. He was happy with what he had - enough money from pan-handling, some food from our stop, some extra socks and underwear to change into. He was happy to help Brooke out as she took a step forward towards recovery from addiction.
And for us, we were just happy to lend a hand to another one of our friends. Even if it was on a Saturday night.
We could have just gone home - it was Saturday night and we had been on the road since 9 AM. We could have just told him to see us on Tuesday. But, that just isn't what Project Do Something Boston is all about. In the 15 - 20 minutes it took us to stop and talk to Mike, we not only helped him out, but helped his friend Brooke out as well.
Mike tells us how he hurt his leg, but hadn't gone down to Boston Medical to get checked out. But, instead worrying about his leg, he wanted to talk to us about Brooke. Another regular, Brooke recently checked into a program to get clean. Mike tells us how she doesn't have any clothing. She knows about our efforts on Tuesday and Thursday, but can only leave her program in the morning to go to the clinic. With some recently donated items, we arrange to have him take a small bag of clothing to her after our next visit to Mass Ave next week.
Mike was excited about the chance to help his friend, although seeing Brooke get into a program caused him to question his own struggle with addition.. He talked about his family and trying to re-established diminished connections with family. Instead of talking about his limp and needing medical attention, what really ailed Mike was the chance to speak to someone about his friend's new program and his own life.
At the end of our conversation, we offered to take him to the hospital. For whatever reason, Mike didn't want a ride. He was happy with what he had - enough money from pan-handling, some food from our stop, some extra socks and underwear to change into. He was happy to help Brooke out as she took a step forward towards recovery from addiction.
And for us, we were just happy to lend a hand to another one of our friends. Even if it was on a Saturday night.
