O
zanam
www.svdpusa.org
NEWS
of the
Voice
Poor
4th Quarter • Fall 2013
S
ice
erv
A Gift Worth
Unwrapping
Every Day
By: Jack Murphy, National Voice of the Poor Chairman
As I write this, I’ve just returned from a home visit
that is probably very similar to visits you have made
as Vincentians.
The outside of the apartment building was in a very
run-down condition. There was no grass or shrubs
growing on the hard clay. The only landscaping at all
was a stump from a long-ago tree, with old, dirty toys
scattered among the exposed roots. The exterior walls
of the building were smudged, which I attributed to a
much-needed paint job.
this month. She was a hard-working person with a
good job, living paycheck to paycheck. She didn’t have
any friends or relatives who could lend her any money.
She was extremely thankful for our visit and our
eventual help with housing expenses.
There are times when I sometimes take for granted
just how special is the work we do. There is absolutely
continued on page 15
When I entered the home, I was as transformed like
Dorothy when she stepped out into the colorful world
of Oz. The home was in miraculous condition.
Appropriate, but frugal, art hung on the walls. The
furniture was in good condition. Everything was clean.
To visit someone in need in this type of environment
was truly an unexpected gift, given my erroneous, and
unfair, expectations of a few moments earlier.
It turned out that this mother of three boys had lost
several days of work after a fire in her building. She lost
days as they searched for temporary housing and even
more during the moves there and back, after her
building was repaired. Her employer was tolerant of her
emergency—they didn’t terminate her. But they docked
enough of her pay that she wasn’t going to make rent
Mary Anne Michelet delivering letters on SNAP to Sydney Terry,
Legislative Assistant to U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (2nd District-WI).
The Ozanam News • 4th Quarter 2013