When LOVE shows up

[Kengi]

It all started because I couldn’t give up my shower space to a woman and her kids and it has grown into this incredible outreach with a mission to restore love, dignity, pride and support to those who have far less. I am very proud of what I have created.

Last night kicked off the 2 year anniversary of my efforts to try to help an support as many people as I can, through donations from people from all over the Southern California. It was once again, an awesome outreach with great volunteer turnout and support.

I knew I was already ahead of the game of this one because Moina and Ryan had already thrown this amazing party where they asked their family and friends to bring items for the outreach this month. The party was for Ryan and his trip back to the Philippines to continue his work. I had already seen the things that were donated, but I really had no idea until I saw the truck that was filled with clothes, shoes and food earlier this week when Moina came by to drop it all off.

Moina came with Pam, a friend of hers and Ryan and someone I had met a while at a send off party for Ryan when he first left for the Philippines. Again they had asked their family and friends to bring items for my Do Something Saturday outreach. This is where I met Pam. Pam is a sweet gentle woman with big heart and kind soul. I am so happy to call her friend. Pam is working on putting together an outreach for the Fresno area that will take place at a late date this year. Rest assured that Moina and I will be on hand to help and celebrate with Pam her family and friends when this event takes place.

Moina and Pam got to my place a short time before me. I was supposed to go have my blood work for my HIV done, but once again the silly nurse had made a mistake and I was asked to reschedule my appointment. It’s been over 7 months trying to even get in to the clinic, s now I guess I should be thankful that she is at least letting me see the inside of the building. Maybe in another 7 months I will be able to get my blood work done and the 7 months later see my doctor. In the meantime I will continue to seek out other places to make certain my HIV care will be addressed.

The back of the truck was filled with bags and a few boxes. There were clothes, shoes, toys, stuffed animals, canned food and items for Do Something Kits. Like I said earlier, I was at the party they threw, Andy and I both were there and I did see people bringing items in, but I had no idea just how much there was.

We took the items inside and placed them on my air mattress. For those who claim I am so well off, many people can tell you that I am not. I sleep in the dining room of my friends place on an air mattress and I am so thankful for this and to them for stepping up and saying “Kengi you can stay here.”

There was so much that the items covered the entire area where I sleep. I laughed to myself and thought “I might need to get on the bus to the cold weather shelter.” I joked out loud telling Andy that I was going to have to sleep with him and Tina. There was really a lot of things, so my training for the 2009 AIDS/Life Cycle would have to take a bake seat today ( www.tofighthiv.org/goto/projectkengikat )

Moina, Pam and I talked about the donations and what all was there and I shared with Pam how I had planned to give all the donations to homeless people at the cold weather shelter which just happens to be a few short blocks away. We also shot a video of all tree of us talking about the donations, where they came from and who would get them http://projectkengikat.ning.com/video/donations-and-how-it-all-goes

We visited for a while and then it was time for the ladies to be on their way and time for me to get down to the business of sorting through the donations making certain all items meet the guidelines for my organization. “Gently used” is the term I now use thanks to my friend Tiffany. Well I am happy to announce that what was donated was far better then “Gently used” There were many items that still had tags on them. Clothes were new or pretty darn close to new.

This one family really touched my heart with their donations or toys and childrens clothes. Never before had I seen such an act from one family. The things they donated were stellar. The clothes and toys were simply awesome and many had never even been worn. I was so moved by this that I had to shoot a video of it http://projectkengikat.ning.com/video/love-still-matters

It took me a few hours to sort through all the donations that came in. While I was sorting I had to share what I as doing with people. Just like when I was cooking on movie sets, catering private parties or working from private families I always wanted to share it with people I loved and cared for. The same is true for my organization, only this time I see this as my calling in life. It is my “NIA” (purpose), so I am way more passionate about it and it is something I am talking about all the time. Someone once told me told me. “You talk about this so much people become immune to it and tune out” I think just the opposite of this. People are already immune and already tuned out and this is the very reason why it is happening in the first place. So I need to tune them back in. Caring for our fellow man is something we should never tune out of for any reason.

I called Tiffany and she and I had such a great time laughing and sharing what both of us were doing. “Oh my God Tiffany……..” I said and she would say “Kengi!!! Guess what?....” the conversation was simple awesome and I am so honored and proud to call Tiffany my friend. She too had been busy getting donations and rounding up items for the huge outreach my organization was about to take on. She had also gotten toys for the outreach to Childrens Hospital in LA that will take place on Valentine’s Day for children who are sick. What I have created all while I myself was homeless is awesome and I love it and I am damn proud of my work and all the hard work people have done side by side with me. WOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!

Saturday, February 7, 2009 5:30PM

All my volunteers were on time and ready to go be of service to those in need. It’s one thing to go volunteer at a food bank or “soup kitchen” but it is something entirely different when you yourself go out of your way for others. In this I mean, spending your money to get items, spending your time to round up donations and then spending your Saturday evening “Doing Something….that Means Something” to people in need and our entire community. In my book, anyone can go show up, anyone can write a check, but people who truly get it, who truly care and know what “CHANGE” requires and what it will take to turn things around in this country and the world, these people are willing to roll up their sleeves, get to the front line and take this fight to end homelessness to the front line where it is needed most. Bypassing organizations who’ve been doing it for decades only to see our homeless population continue to grow at a staggering and alarming rate.

Last night I once again saw what I saw when I was on the National Mall for the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. I saw people who not only see color, but they embrace it and honor it for what it truly is, the beauty of this nation. The content of a persons character, something that simply is and isnt bad. I saw people willing to stand up and support people who have less do it in love, with respect, honor and dignity attached to it. I saw people who not only believe in THE DREAM, but are willing to LIVE THE DREAM that will BE THE CHANGE that we all want to see. I saw the greatness of this nation and I am honored and blessed that when I saw this in these special people, my heart and soul got filled up with such joy and overflow of happiness that when we prayed at the end I almost broke down because all this good and greatness standing in this circle with our hands joined giving God thanks and praise for his mighty work, were all this and so much more, but they are my friends. They are my friends who “get it”

Being back inside the cold weather shelter was very different for me. The homeless people were still very respectful just like they always have been, but this time I wasn’t a guest that would sleep be sleeping there. I was a person who knows first hand what it is like to be homeless and knows first hand what it is like to sleep in the rain, be harassed by police, be refused a place to sleep because some worker has a bug up their butt, I know first hand what it is like to stand in line for medical help at a clinic at 5:00AM only to be told come back tomorrow and tomorrow never comes, I know what it is like to eat from a trash can because the food is far better then what is served at so called places that provided support, I know what it is like to have to beg for toilet paper to wipe my ass from places that have an abundance of items that are donated to them for people just like me, but refuse to give it.

This time it would be me walking out of the shelter saying “good night” and “goodbye” and I also knew what that feeling was like too. Wondering what their lives were like, were they going to eat some place, did they really care about people like me or where they just going through the motions.

I care with all my heart and soul, this is why I spend so much time planning, so much time creating and organizing and saying “no, that wont do” or telling myself “you can do better then this” This is why I am persnickety about donations and where I get them. This is why I am “snobbish” about who I will allow to come volunteer and who I will allow to donate to my organization.

Nana use to say “All that comes to ya, aint for ya, so you have to know the difference. The devil can make bullshit look pretty nice baby. Let God lead you and the rest of the mess will have n choice but to fall in line.”

Last night was simply AMAZING and the people who came to help me was simply AMAZING and the blessings that we were able to be for people who have far less was AMAZING and sent from GOD.

I want to express my many thanks and deepest appreciation to all who have donated items for my outreach program. I can’t thank you enough for what you have done, what you have shown not me or my organization, but the people who received it. You showed them love and respect. You helped to empower them, no matter how big or small you think it was (is), you empowered people with what you gave and I am honored by all of you and I say “Thank you so much and God Bless you.”

Andy Bales and his team who run the winter shelter program. Let me just say this. What you’ve done there at the cold weather shelter is truly amazing. It is far better then what it use to be, far more respectful and far more human then what I remember. Which goes to show you that when things are done in love and with GOD at the center, CHANGE is very possible.

Danny I am proud to have met you and I am so looking forward to working with you again there at the cold weather shelter. It was so encouraging to see with my eyes all the positive changes that have been made there. All the steps taken to make people feel HUMAN, loved and respected. Your staff is over a million times better then what was once there. I watched as they spoke with homeless people and how they treated them with respect and great care. Please keep up the awesome work and progress you have started, it may not seem like it matters my brutha, but take it from someone who was homeless for 22 months. This like pillows, pillow cases, clean sheets, and smiles really do matter and they ARE empowering to people. I thank you, your awesome staff and Andy Bales for all your hard work.

Eric, Willow, Patrick, Krystal, Tiffany and Moina, words cant express how very honored and proud I am to know you. Nor can they express just how much you have filled my cup and given my new hope, new joy, new strength, new energy to continue on with this work that I have been picked by God to do. I cant express how good it felt to stand with all of you last night and truly go the extra mile to those in need. As I looked around and saw each of you smiling, laughing, joking and bringing joy and positive touch into lives that may not otherwise get it or see it, my heart filled with joy.

You treated this people like they were your friends and family. You demonstrated love in the fullest. Not just any kind of love, but UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. You showed me that I have some pretty awesome friends who are willing to make personal sacrifices for others and that my friends speak volumes to the kind of HUMANS you truly are.

Many people talk about CHANGE, talk about integrity, talk about love, talk about friendships, brotherhood and community, but I am so honored and happy to know I have some friends who not only talk about it, but they are willing to stand up for it and work towards it.

I am so honored and blessed to have each of you in my life and honored, proud and blessed to call you all not just my friends, but my brothers and sisters…..my family. Thank you all so much for all you’ve done. I bow.

Our goal and plan is to return to the cold weather shelter in a mighty way with a mighty blessing for the men and women there in March before the shelter closes. We want to be a huge encouragement to the men and women there so that they will hold on and hold out, so they will believe in CHANGE and believe in themselves.

Please visit my webpage for the events for the rest of this month.
www.dosomethingsaturday.org