Making a Difference

3 Making a Difference We have a friend who helps out homeless people, you know, those unfortunate people who live on the street. Every weekend during our cold winter, he brings hot tasty soup to people who live outdoors. He is a very successful man. His name is Richard. He makes a lot of money and drives a very nice car. One weekend, he called our house and asked us kids if we would come to his place. He calls it his “ soup kitchen" . It's a small place downtown, close to where the homeless people live. We were a little scared but we said okay. We spent most of the day serving soup to people of all ages, both old and young. After the meal, everyone sat down and listened to Richard talk about how to go back to school and how to get a job. He helps people get jobs and he's always supportive of them.

On the way home that evening, Richard told us that it made him feel good to help the homeless. He wanted to know how we felt about doing it. I said that it made me feel good too, especially since I know these people really need a helping hand. Richard told us that a lot of people think homeless people are lazy and should not live on the street. However, Richard feels that people live on the street for many different and complicated reasons. And once someone starts living on the street, it's difficult for them to get off it. He said that he knew one kid who got off the street, went back to school and became a pretty successful man. He smiled and asked, “ Would you like to meet him?" I said, " Sure. " He grabbed my hand, shook it and said, “ Nice to meet you! " I could hardly believe it. I said, “ You mean you. . . ?" I was speechless, really. I'm very proud to know Richard. He is just one person, but one person really can make a difference.