Homeless in Southern Utah- Pretty Sad

Today after church we decided to go over to McDonald's to let JJ play in the new play-land area on the Blvd...  BTW, that play-land area is very small and when you have alot of kids in the area, it can be  downright dangerous... One girl was kicked in the head by another kid... It was nuts... I don't think I will be going back to this McDonald's if I have any of  my grand kids with me... Now onto the real reason for me posting today's blog... 

We were were sitting there letting JJ play and just vegging out since I had to go to another church to register ladies for the Women of Faith... Jessica and Bridgette went up to order something and JJ and I were in the kiddie area... There was this man sitting there talking on his phone about what he was going to do all day till he can get shelter for the night... I didn't realize that he had three kids that were playing in the play-land area as well... It was hard to not listen to what he was saying on the phone and what their situation was since I was just one seat away from him...  Today was cold, wet and snowy for the good part of the morning... I am thinking he brought his kids into the McDonald's to stay warm... His daughter came up to him to ask them if they were going to be able to order any food... She whispered this too him and wished that I would have had money on me to buy them food and have someone bring the food over to them... Unfortunately I didn't have any money and Bridgette already spent the few dollars that she had on her... Normally I would have gone up to the manager or an employee to talk to them and see if they had anything, but the employees was way rude and the manager was so busy... I knew the manager on duty and it was nearly impossible to get his attention while they were there... The manager is awesome though that was on duty... Just really busy with all the people in town and the grand reopening... 


What was really awesome about this little family was the little girl that had to be under 5 yrs old... JJ was having a hard time on the play area because he was so small and all the bigger kids were out of control... This little blond haired, brown eyed girl was holding JJ's hand and helping him get up and down the slide area and was so kind to him... Even though they had nothing, she gave of her tiny little self to help someone else have a good time... My daughter Jessica and Bridgette wasn't there at the time and I am sure they would have gotten teary eyed over this little girl... 


I felt bad for this family and just made me think about how many families are without a place to stay around our country and city... He called his two girls and son and they ended up leaving... I got the feeling he was a person that had alot of pride and didn't want to ask for help... You could tell they didn't want to go, but he said that it was time to leave and they left... I hope they were able to stay out of the rain and snow and find a warm place while waiting for shelter...  


What gets me is that we are so fast to help families in other countries, but what about those that are in our own cities, states and country... I wonder if people are living under the delusional that all is great in the United States and that there are no poor, sick or people dying needlessly... Maybe we are just blind or don't want to see what is happening in our own backyards... If people want to donate to other countries that is fine, but why not remember those that are our neighbors... When reading about homelessness, in the USA there are 1 in 50 kids that are homeless or going to be hungry... 


If anyone is seeking help in Southern Utah, there is Dixie Care and Share: 

Services Offered by Dixie Care and Share


131 North 300 West - St. George UT - 435-628-3661 


Emergency Shelter, Meals, Showers, Pantry, Food Bank, Emergency Clothing, Salvation Army, Transitional Housing, Day Labor and Case Management... 

Dixie Care and Shares Website