By: Elena Denny
Reading Time: 4minutes
Some people may wonder why we do what we do here at the GiveBack Community. There are so many answers that we can give when asked this question but not enough words to describe the feeling behind being a part of such an amazing organization. Debbie is one of the first friends that we made when we started GiveBack. Her story not only gives a glimpse into the lives that we are touching but as well as the reason as to why we do what we do.
Debbie and her husband Paul lived in Ohio before they moved down to West Palm Beach, Florida. Life became tough for Debbie and Paul, when Paul was diagnosed with cancer. They found themselves in a tough spot financially and moved to Florida in hopes for a fresh start. Unfortunately, with all of the medical bills, they hit a feeling of rock bottom and found themselves homeless and navigating the streets of West Palm. After some tough life events Debbie found herself alone, lonely, and misunderstood as part of the homeless community.
There are many others like Debbie, who are living a life where they don’t know where their next meal is coming from. When Debbie was asked to share a little bit about her first-time meeting Umberto and Andrew, she describes the situation where Umberto took them to a pizza shop to get some food and when they walked in they were told they could not eat inside of the restaurant. She said, “there they were firsthand getting to see how a lot of us out here are treated like”. Something in that experience encouraged Umberto and Andrew to see a change happen in the community. Debbie quickly became a close friend to us here at the GiveBack Community and we consider her family. It’s safe to say that after a bit of time of gaining the trust of Debbie she feels the same way about us. Describing the way she feels about the whole community brought Debbie to tears as she recalls the way that the GiveBack has been there for her in some of her lowest times. We were so blessed to meet Debbie and not only give her a meal in the moment but create a growing relationship with her day after day.
Debbie is just one of the countless precious people we have met on the streets of Downtown West Palm Beach. Lots of times these people are overlooked, misunderstood, and mocked. Something that we encourage the community to remember when they see one of our homeless friends on the street is that just like us, they have a story too. They have had life trials and heartaches. They have been through financial struggles and battles of addiction. In the end, God created them just like he created us. They are no different, they just need support of others to encourage them that life gets better and that there is hope. That is exactly what we are hoping to do as we build relationships on the street. Our motto, “Go Beyond” means that there is always something you can do to help. You may not be able to help these people financially, but just stopping to give them a word of encouragement or a smile is exactly what starts the fire in changing these people’s lives. A story of consistency and genuine love is what is being built in Debbie’s life. So when we are asked why we do what we do here at the GiveBack Community the easiest answer to give is the living breathing examples of friends we have made and lives we are reaching daily out here in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Go Beyond