Dear Anonymous,
This was the general disposition on the street this morning. Beat up. Beaten down. Edgy. One man I have never seen before paces angrily, not making eye contact with anyone. He rifles through a tub of clean, warm clothes I set out. He is short tempered. Feels like a short fuse. Feels explosive. I hold up a jacket and ask 'Will this work?' and he is pointed in his response. Exasperated throwing his arms out to his sides with a subdued wail 'I got nothing.'.
I.Got.Nothing.
Meanwhile a very mild mannered 'regular' holds a little flashlight over the bin so guys can see. The sun has not risen yet.The shirts, the fleece, the jackets find new homes one by one.
I hand a donated sleeping bag to a man who had requested one ( thank you Dear Anonymous). He is stressed today.
'The streets...' he says, 'are filled with scumbags.'
Another man comes by and says something like, 'I didn't think the day could get any worse ( it's 6 AM , mind you). Everything. EVERYTHING. Stolen.'
He gets set up with some thermal layers, a jacket, a backpack, socks and a coffee card. I hand him coffeecake. And straighten his shirt out. And he smiles.