Many organizations help support the Homeless. I have been allowed to work in one group called Free Hot Soup KC. This organization has a variety of different locations but the one that I go to is at Prospect Park, where we serve on Sundays. FHS does a few different things to help the community. Here they serve a lot of different food, and give out clothing, blankets, tents, tarps, and toiletries. With the holidays coming up, and the weather starting to get colder, now is the perfect time to help the homeless. You can do so much with just an hour of your time.

The homeless community unfortunately is frowned upon by most of the world. But as someone who has been able to meet some of the community it has been so eye-opening and a very fulfilling experience. It has been so nice to be just a small part of the change and help these people get through their week. The group we help at Prospect Park is just a small portion of the homeless population in Kansas City. According to The Kansas City Star there are “roughly 2,000 houseless individuals around Kansas City.” Our small group does as much as we can to try and help these people who are struggling. Volunteering for just a day allows for you to drop your prejudices and stereotypes about homeless people. They are still people just like you and me.

What can you do?

There is a lot that can help this community that will impact them in a big way. You could spend an hour going through clothes and give away some that you don’t wear or need to different organizations including FHS! Something else you can do is cook something simple, make sandwiches, get some canned food and donate it/give it away. It does so much for the community, so much more than you may think.

It can be scary to go out and help the community, but it is so worth it. The smiles on these people’s faces, the constant “thank you’s” and the pure kindness from these people is so rewarding. You can feel the change. I encourage everyone to try and do a little bit for their community during the holiday season even if it is as small as donating some clothes to a local center! Small things can make huge impacts!

Feel free to contact me if you are interested in helping/donating!