Gratitude During the Giving Season
This article written by NEOCH Education Coordinator, Maggie Rice, was featured in the Wrap Up Homelessness 2022 Issue of the Cleveland Street Chronicle.
I frequently feel grateful to do the work I get to do, as NEOCH’s Education Coordinator. I recently experienced a moment of gratitude that forever changed the way I see the work to end homelessness.
On a misty morning in early October, when the leaves were just beginning to change, I drove down to Cuyahoga Valley National Park with a group of leaders who have lived the experience of homelessness. As I drove through wooded hills, over rivers and streams, watching geese begin their migration, I realized how grateful I am to be able to facilitate this type of experience, with the help of an amazing team.
We set out to create an event that would break down barriers, build community, and invest in the leadership of people who share their stories to educate the public about what it truly means to be unhoused. These speakers, writers, organizers, and advocates devote their time, talent, and emotional energy to creating change; we were thrilled to offer them a space for growth and healing.
I’ve always enjoyed access to the forest, where I’ve found healing and meaning. While I have been poor much of my life, I’ve never lived on the street or in a shelter. I’ve always been able to visit our region’s fantastic park systems whenever I want. This resource should be free to everyone, regardless of circumstance. The gratitude expressed by folks at the retreat made it clear we’re failing as a society, by not making the beauty of nature accessible. Several people shared how instantly at ease they felt, being surrounded by trees, and watching ducks float on a pond. Their daily lives are filled with concrete, noise, and pollution. They rarely, if ever, get the opportunity to get out of the city and enjoy nature.
Stone Cottage at CVNP’s Hines Hill Campus, Vince Rizzo
We held the retreat at CVNP’s Hines Hill Campus, a beautiful place to relax and reflect. We hired massage therapists and reiki masters. We ordered eggplant parmigiana for lunch, and kept a campfire crackling for s’mores. We paid professional artists, photographers, and poetry instructors, to share their expertise with the leaders. We could have borrowed meeting space from a social service agency, served sandwiches and chips, and skipped the spa treatment options. We chose instead to prioritize comfort and community care for a group of people who have all too often been told to be grateful for the bare minimum.
In the nonprofit world, we tend to focus on “measurable outcomes,” and “lasting impact.” We want to be able to prove that we devoted resources to necessities like food, shelter, clothing, and other basic needs. This mirrors the expectations placed on poor people by society. Pundits and public officials proclaim that food assistance should only be spent on staples, never indulgences. Social service agencies insist public housing should be as cheap and sparse as possible. Shelter providers state clothing donations should be practical, not fashionable. “Beggars can’t be choosers,” is the refrain; poor people are expected not only to accept substandard accommodations but to express gratitude.
Still life taken during photography workshop at the retreat
The truth is, we have enough resources in our communities to provide not just bare necessities, but also the things that bring joy to our lives. As labor activist Rose Schneiderman observed, the poor deserve not just bread, but roses too. Poor people deserve nice things, we deserve to rest and relax, to not constantly strive to prove our worth.
November and December are often referred to as “the giving season,” when we’re collectively encouraged to give back and to reflect on what we’re grateful for. The traditional narrative instructs us to volunteer and donate to the poor so that we can be reminded how grateful we are to live better lives than they do.
I think it’s time we redefine gratitude. True gratitude can’t be achieved by comparing our lives to “the less fortunate.” We should instead be grateful for the chance we have every day to build community with people who have been unfairly held back; we should take advantage of opportunities to seek real change to the systems that have created that unfairness.
S’mores by Kim “Supermutt” Goodman
Of course, I am grateful for access to beautiful parks and trails; but where I find true gratitude is in the beautiful humans, I got to share that access with, if only for a day. I’m grateful for Felicia, who helped me slow down and enjoy our surroundings. I’m grateful for Kim, whom I got to spend a quiet moment with by the fire. I’m grateful for Suncere, who regularly shares his wealth of experience with young change-makers. I’m grateful for Kyle, who never stops thinking of new ways to fight for poor and working-class people. I’m grateful for our interns, Vince and Emrys, whose devotion to social justice gives me hope for the future. I’m grateful for Brenda, whose smile is as stunning as her singing voice. I’m grateful for Dale, for the opportunity to support his visionary leadership, and for the bright light and love he brings into every space he enters.
And yes, I have immense gratitude for the many people who have collectively contributed the resources to make retreats like this one possible, who give without strings, and whose unconditional support lets us focus less on numbers, and more on people. Thank you.
To support NEOCH in our efforts to eliminate the root causes of homelessness while loving our diverse community through organizing, advocacy, education, and street outreach, donate here today.