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Show Toys for Tots for donations is left up to the individuals in the community. In this case, the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots was originally established in 1947 do The is all itself. for it by Marine Reserve Major William Hencant Tots, project Toys a nationwide program designed to provide toys dricks, and it has continued to the present date. It is a nationwide program with an honorary for children who would otherwise go without chairman. This years chairman is Bob Hope. askAnd the Marines are during the holidays. for ing help. Donations are being accepted at various locations in the Salt Lake Valley until Christd This program enables mas Eve. children to receive Christmas gifts at no fee to. Drop off locations include: Rainbow them or the community, said Sargent Mark gas stations, Salt Lake County fire stations, Semedvig. But according to Semedvig, what is Coldwell Banker Real Estate offices, Inkleys, being asked is for individuals to donate time Fidelity Investments and Studebakers. and toys. The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve will be disAccording to Semedvig, Social Services will tributing toys from Dec. Anyone interdetermine who will receive the toys, and the ested in helping in this aspect of the program Marine Corps will be resonsible for distribu- should contact the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve at tion and collection. However, the responsibility by Profile Korean war vet still feels bugs by Profile Kristie G. Sowards under-privelege- 21-2- 4. 583-731- 8. Laura Reeves Doc came in every night. Gaunt and grizzled, his face, with its sparse white whiskers, showed what must have been years in misery. He was always friendly with a hello or goodnight" for the night crew. He wore over-sizeblack rubber boots, blue plastic with rainpants zippers at the bottoms of the legs, and a frazzled blue ski coat. d He came, bent and shuffling, never buying anything, just warming his hands and collecting paper napkins. It was his trait, the routine that made him unusual. When he came in, he stuffed his pockets with napkins from the condiment bar. The above characteristic, along with another mannerism, eventually solved the mystery of Docs past. Of dozens who came in often, his was only one; but, it felt good to know his story. Perhaps it helped rationalize his situation in everyones mind. The manager had noticed that wherever and whenever he saw him. Doc was brushing at his arms, hands, face, even his legs. Curious, the manager sat down with Doc on one of the rare, cold nights Doc stayed for awhile. As a cup of coffee, supplied by the manager, warmed him, Doc told his tale. Doc was a Korean veteran, he told the manager, as everyone strained to listen around the other customers. Captured by the Korean guerrillas, he spent an entire year in a sweat box, fed little and given less water. He still stored food, napkins, everything in his pockets to guard against a similar situa- tion. I never said. want to be without food again, he The worst part, Doc explained while the whole crew leaned on the stainless steel counter listening, was that bugs were always crawling on him. Everywhere, every minute, for a year the bugs crawled over, under, around. He still felt them creeping on him, all these years later. with Shuddering revulsion, the crew turned away as one body. Doc, obviously knowing the response all too well, gathered his napkins and brushing at his cheek, glanced around from sunken grey eyes. Good night, he said, and the shadowed eyes twinkled with life. Forum by Karen Chamholm Im afraid of heights, says Betty Everson. But that hasnt stopped her from climbing ladders to pick fruit in the orchards, season after season in order to survive. She has hopped boxcars, panhandled, and raided dumpsters for food. Her husband sells blood plasma twice a week for about $20 in order to help out their financial situation. And together they dream of a day when they will have a place to call home. They started out in Montana, but most of their married life has been spent camping out wherever there is a job. This has taken them to California, Idaho, Utah, Washington, and the Dakotas. This year Betty and her husband heard of W ashingtons outstanding apple crop, but when they arrived there were lines of people already waiting for jobs. So they jumped on the next boxcar and ended up in Salt Lake City. They always travel by boxcar. Hitchhiking is too dangerous, says Betty. Profile Christmas in car for unemployed Los Angeles man: Richard by Randy SuUivant owns a car. It isnt much, but says with a sarcastic smile. . Christmas for most people in this country is a time of joy and love, a time to be spent with family and friends. For Richard Owens, this Christmas is the worst time of his life. Richard is a transient, a new member of Salt Lake Citys growing population of homeless people. This will be his first winter on the streets of the city, his first Christmas away from his wife and friends. Richard came to Salt Lake from Los Angeles in May, 1987 in search of a job. He has a limited education, having only completed three years of high school, but a very strong will to work. In L.A. I had a part-tim- e job as a delivery driver. It wasnt much, but I got to eat O.K. and it helped pay the rent, he said. His wife had a job as a secretary, and together they managed to squeak by. In mid-Jul- y of 1986 that all changed. Due to economic problems, his company was forced to lay-oseveral employees, and Richard was one ff of them. At first I thought, well, this wont break Ill just get me another job, but I didnt think it would be that hard to find one, he said. I read the ads, checked the local job boards, even walked around looking in windows for signs, but I couldnt find a job. Everybody kept telling me how tough times were,' how they would love to hire me when it got better. Well, it didnt get any better. My wife and I began having fights about our money problems, our landlord was over about every week asking about the rent check, our gas got shut off. It was bad, I decided then that I would come here to find a job. My wife is still in L.A. waiting for me to call her with the good news. Not this Christmas. me, Richard has one advantage, if you could call it that, that the other homeless people dont. He 8 Boxcar Betty afraid of heights . its home, he The 1971 model Dodge may be old and beaten, but it keeps him dry. I cant afford to buy gas or pay for registration or keep it clean. What little money I can get from donating blood or doing little odd jobs goes for food. The car just sits now, but at least I dont have to spend the nights on the streets. If I get really desperate I can sell it at least for scrap. Who knows, I may even throw a party with the money, he said. Its nice to see that someone who has been through hard times still has a sense of humor. Richard is still hopeful that things will get better soon. He repeats his job searching routine that he perfected in Los Angeles almost every day. The trouble with it all is that nobody wants to hire a man that doesnt have a permanent address or a telephone or a good recent job history. Also theres the problem with being clean and d when you do apply for a job. Living in the back of a car and washing in gas station restrooms wont endear well-dresse- you to anybody, he said. At least hes still looking. He continued, I never will forget the first time I stood in line at a food kitchen It was the first time I ever had to really accept charity. Dont get me wrong, I was thankful for the food, but I never felt so useless before. And to look at the faces of the fellows that had been on the streets for years, the tired, old faces, it just made me sick to think that I may be next. I decided then and there that I would not give up. I may not have a lot going for me, but anything at all is better than those guys. I know that as long as I keep trying, there will be a better chance of something happening for me something good....for me and my wife. Hell, after what weve been through, we certainly deserve it...and at 32, Im getting too old to sleep in that damn car! Again he smiled Right now Betty is staying at Rescue Haven, a facility which just opened in November for homeless women and children. Her husband is at the Rescue Mission and taking classes to earn his GED. Its tough, says Betty. My husband doesnt like me out there on the streets. And he doesnt like us to be separated like this either. But for now, thats how life is. How did they get into this situation? Its a whole bunch of circumstances rolled into one, says Betty. Things like lack of schooling, training, ill health, and no family support have contributed. The stituation worsens as the years go by. Without education and experience, the older you get the less likely you will be hired, says Betty. Ill be 40 this month. I wont be able to keep up this lifestyle much longer. Although she realizes their circumstances are hard on her husband, it is especially difficult for women to be homeless. Theres no place to clean up. Even bus and train stations have restrooms that require money to use. If there is food available, there is no place to cook it, except illegally under the viaduct. Peoples attitudes toward the homeless are hard to deal with. And as job requests are turned down one after another, its easy to start giving up. Siobhan F eeney, the social worker at Rescue Haven, says many people look at the homeless as not worthy just because theyre not working. At Rescue Haven, each woman and child is valued. Physical, emotional, and spiritual needs are handled. When I walked in the door to Rescue Haven, I knew this place would help me, says Betty. Rescue Haven provides the spiritual counsel that Betty was looking for even more than food and shelter. Not every women fits into the Rescue Hav- ens standards though. Rules such as no smoking, drinking or drugs, and no men on the premises cause women to seek help at other shelters instead. Like many other homeless, Betty considers herself fortunate in comparison to others she has met along the way. What does Betty hope for in the future? To settle down. Pretty soon I want to be able to do that. And a mechanics or welders job for my husband something he would enjoy. Until then, Betty and her husband are getting by the only way they know how. She hopes others would put themselves in her situation when they see homeless people on the streets. She asks, What would you do if this happened to you? Special Christmas Issue |