Helping the Homeless

Antonio Gholson & Taki Rosser, c/o 2025

Taki:

I improved my community with $10 by feeding homeless people in Hopewell. I partnered with Tony, who you will hear from next about how we did it. We chose this because we could use our skills to show empathy and kindness.

One reason we chose to spend money on ingredients for food is we already had cooking skills. We chose to make bacon egg and cheese sandwiches because we were already talented at cooking them. We used the skills we already had and the money we were given to make people feel that even though they’re homeless they still have someone who cares.

We chose to help these people because I see people in need whenever I’m at Wawa. Now that we had money to spend on whatever we wanted, we thought, why not help them? 

This $10 investment was a chance to show kindness. It can have a meaningful impact to give people food we make because it shows we care. When we approach others with kindness, it creates a positive and compassionate environment. It makes others more willing to help and donate food to those in need. Kindness can inspire others to be generous and spread love.

I would recommend that others do this, even though it was awkward at first. We felt nervous and debated over who would go first so we did it together. Doing this with a partner was easier, so if you feel weird about helping someone, try doing it with someone else. If I had a chance to do this again, I would help the same people.

Thank you.

Dan'Quariahz Redd c/o 2024

I chose to help homeless people with donations because of flexibility & compassion. I helped 5 homeless people by giving them each $2. 

I chose to give these people money because they can do what they want with it. I feel like all of them need money. I don’t want to give them food because I don’t know what they could be allergic to. Also, they may not be hungry at that moment. Cash gives the flexibility to buy whatever they need most or save it for when they need it.

I chose to help those people because I can see their struggles almost daily. If you’re struggling and I can do something about it, I want to help. Even though $2 isn’t going to buy someone a house, it might keep you from being thirsty or hungry for a day. 

I believe others should help the same way because if my $2 can mean something to those people, imagine if everyone in this room did the same. 

Thank you.

Patshanss Morris, c/o 2023

For my $10 challenge, I gave a hygiene bag to one homeless person that I always see. I went to the Dollar Tree to get the items. The bag contained seven things: A beanie, liquid soap, hand sanitizer, sanitary wipes, gloves, chips, and a bag. These items cost a total of just under $10. 

I think that more people should do things like this more often. It would be a positive deed, and it shows those in need that people care about them. It could just be something to brighten their day. I chose this way because it’s my way to give and do something kind for someone other than myself. 

Thank you.

Gage Stotesberry, c/o 2023

I made a basket of necessities for the homeless with my 10 dollars. I accepted donations from friends and family and got my budget up to $15. With my $15, I decided to go to my local dollar store and acquire a total of seven items. These items consist of oral hygiene products body deodorant, food, and water. My final total was $14.15

 I did this because I feel everyone should have the ability to clean and take care of themselves. It not only helps the community, but it gives you a rewarding feeling that you helped out someone for a small amount of money. I also believe more people should contribute to this cause because there are a lot of people who can’t afford a lot of it and need help. Once I got these items, I went to my local Wawa and gave the items to a person and need and donated the leftover change.

Thank you.

Darius Johnson, Brian Braxton and Brandon Edmonds, c/o 2022 (Brandon was the MC for this Event)

Brian:

I joined my money with two other classmates, and we made money by buying and selling snacks with our combined $30. We re-stocked whenever we got low on products, setting a goal of $60. When we got enough money we bought the food to give out to the homeless and people that needed it.

We made 6 - 12 dollars daily and took some donations.

As you know, most students are on their phones excessively. One benefit of selling snacks was interacting with customers. We had to converse with other students who we wouldn’t have otherwise. It normalized the conversation between students of all grades and was positive for business. 

The money made was used to buy food to give to the homeless around Hopewell to feed the hungry. We drove around and handed out sandwiches to those in need of food. 

The people of Hopewell should show more acts of kindness to help better the lives of others by being more open to generosity and consideration.

Jayden Branford, c/o 2022

I gave a homeless man $10 because maybe he was hungry. I realized I rushed to spend my money, but still think I made a good decision. Giving the homeless man the $10 avoided the Santa Clause tax.

Maybe he was hungry so I gave him the $10. He didn't have any food or drink with him, so my donation probably helped him eat.

I should have waited for a more careful idea, but I made a good decision. I didn't think it through but I believe I really helped him. He could have been saving to get clothing. Maybe he bought some cheap but important items.

The good thing about giving him cash is it avoided the “Santa Clause Tax,” where we assume people want or need something that they might not and end up wasting money. For example, what if I bought him food or different items without knowing he was allergic to them? With cash, he could buy whatever he needed most.

I feel good knowing I helped someone out. Though I would do this differently if I could, that man could be on step off the streets because of my choice.

Anthony Hale, c/o 2019

Helping those who are less fortunate than I am is the best use of $10 to make Hopewell better because it sends a model for other people to follow and it helps me appreciate what I have.

My original plan was to help one homeless person with my $10, but I made the mistake of procrastinating. Procrastinating was my biggest mistake in this project because I waited until the last minute to get everything right, and I almost didn’t have time to do what I was supposed to do.  I meant to find a homeless person but instead, I went to the store and got some for the warming shelter.

I am one person with a small budget but if other people follow and help it can have a huge impact. With the little budget I had, I bought two boxes of Pop-Tarts and three boxes of Nutrigrain bars for the Hopewell Warming Shelter to distribute to homeless citizens. 

Helping people in need helps me appreciate myself because being grateful for what you have can get people a long way in life. I am grateful for what I have because some people don’t have anything. Sparing ten dollars to those who lack the things I have made me think of the things I spend my money on. Ten dollars helped me look out for hungry people, so it was a much greater gain for him than it was a loss for me.  

Now that I am done with this I would like for more people to consider giving to the warming shelter. I would love to see more people investing in a full-time warming shelter or even more people giving to less fortunate people not only in the wintertime. Currently, our city only has a winter warming shelter, but we should have one in the summertime as well. I feel as if people less fortunate need to be more equal to the people who have a little more. Doing a little to keep more people up can take a lot of them a long way in life.