Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - What difference are you making?

you're only kidding yourself if you think you are helping homelessness.


Oh sure, take away from my conlaw studying...

I think his point was that he was helping the homeless, not helping solve homelessness.

And yes, before you say it, feeding the homeless doesn't help them by getting them off of drugs, or getting them treatment for mental health issues, et cetera...

i volunteer with a bike co-op and help with food not bombs when i have free time. I work in a bike co-op because i like working on bikes and people helped me fixed bikes once.

and I help food not bombs because i work in a liquor store and i have seen people take money they should buy food with and buy liquor instead. I would rather cook food on occasion instead of preaching to deaf ears.

my bike helps the world by not being a car....

I don't drive.

i used condoms

^win.

damn....i get one upped twice within 15 min

Lots of interesting points so far. I just got back from about 2-3 hours of riding around passing them out and meeting homeless/transients. I must say for all of the negativity towards the idea if you would give it a try I think you may see that the value in this idea is much much more than filling a few bellies on a cold night. Sitting down with people and having a 15 minute conversation with them about whatever and taking the time to treat them as Human beings and not just label them as some drug addict mooch of a homeless person, does way more than the burrito they got. EVERY SINGLE PERSON I met tonight, not only couldn't believe that we were really just a bunch of 20 somethings who wanted to share some love with them but everyone said that it was such a blessing, and wanted to chat not just take a handout. To me I don't care who you are or what your situation is, I strive to see the person in everyone and I strongly believe that everyone deserves to be treated with some respect and shown love. standing on a corner asking for money to buy booze is one thing, but to have someone search for you and seek you out to bless you is different, not one person asked us for a burrito tonight but we asked them if they wanted one and went to their "homes." This is about seeing the people behind the situations and sure filling a stomach is a great way to give some tangible help, whether you think so or not.

I really admire the effort that something like that takes, and it makes me wish I had more time to volunteer. I'll have to look into that this summer.

I'm curious: where do you get such large quantities of food? Do you have access to an industrial kitchen or something that you're using to mass produce the burritos?

FWIW, I think this is one of the most interesting threads I've seen in a while.

Bought the supplies at Costco and Yes we used a Girls Co-Op of 46 women to cook at I think it cost us $25 total including the Foil to wrap in and some hot sauce for half of them. But it would be easily done on a home stove as well. We only did 50 tonight though.

This is a fantastic idea! I'm thinking of starting one in my local city, but my only concern is organization. How would I make it possible for those interested to get in touch with me, I'm only a college student with an already expensive cell phone bill. I could see cooking the burritos in my kitchen, and might even know a couple souls goodhearted enough to help out!

I hear you as I too am a College Student with plenty of bills. I have used a campus organization to advertise at and, just started using a local Fixed Gear group managed out of a LBS (basically a chain of e-mail addresses to announce any upcoming events like rides, polo, burritos, match sprints, etc). I would suggest starting a facebook or myspace page for it to launch from. Start it small with a few friends and spread the word through flyers, emails, FB, MS, and word of mouth. The money isn't much to get launched and splitting it with everyone helps out a bunch. Good luck and keep me posted!

Tonight when we delivered burritos, an older gentleman looked up at me and said "Could I get one more, my son here just gulfed down the first one you gave him." I can't even begin to imagine what sort of actions had brought a father and son to living under a bridge and begging for money every day. Maybe a few people were touched by our actions tonight, but I think just as importantly I learned a bit more about this city that I live in. I learned what is happening in the lives of the people around me. Now as I ride my bike to class every morning and I see the guy on the street corner, I dont see some guy needing a handout, I see a guy coming from a very broken life. I've got hope in this world, I just want to share it.

If by burrito you mean a bullet through the head, good job. (directed towards OP)

Tonight when we delivered burritos, an older gentleman looked up at me and said "Could I get one more, my son here just gulfed down the first one you gave him." I can't even begin to imagine what sort of actions had brought a father and son to living under a bridge and begging for money every day. Maybe a few people were touched by our actions tonight, but I think just as importantly I learned a bit more about this city that I live in. I learned what is happening in the lives of the people around me. Now as I ride my bike to class every morning and I see the guy on the street corner, I dont see some guy needing a handout, I see a guy coming from a very broken life. I've got hope in this world, I just want to share it.

+1.

It seems like it should go without saying that not all homeless people are drug addicts, or become homeless due to drug addiction... unfortunately for all the homeless-haters, life is not that simple.

To the OP: I think your attitude and your actions are awesome. Keep it up!

How does one become homeless, please explain. If they are of ANY use to the society they will be put to use. If they are useless, why feed them?

ive never ever run into a conservative cyclist

I have. There's a seminary school professor in my bike club. He's good motivation for me.
If I hear him start with the bible talk- I speed up.

How does one become homeless, please explain. If they are of ANY use to the society they will be put to use. If they are useless, why feed them?

THEY ARE HUMAN BEINGS, I don't think that you can honestly say that you think there are useless people in the world? Are they necesarily impacting society, maybe not but that doesn't mean they don't have basic human needs and rights. If you don't want t help those outside your bubble thats col with me, but I think that calling someone less fortunate than you "useless" is one of the saddest statements I've heard!
As to how they become homeless, Many I have met said they ran into trouble with the law and when they got out they needed to get out of the situations they were in so they started traveling the US. One guy said he just got into town and just was without a home for 2 weeks until his check came in, but he worked and was hopeful that he would have a house again in 2 weeks.

How does one become homeless, please explain. If they are of ANY use to the society they will be put to use.

Right, because society is sooooo efficient and fair.

As for the question of how people become homeless, you lack an awareness or understanding of the many, many things in our society that can break people financially and otherwise.

How does one become homeless, please explain. If they are of ANY use to the society they will be put to use. If they are useless, why feed them?

Do you have "A Modest Proposal", Jonathan?

Do you have "A Modest Proposal", Jonathan?

These are some of the more easy ways of not being tagged as homeless:

Army. I'm sure there are job offerings for people with no skill.

Then there is the unemployment office. Generally you can start cleaning (work) anything when ever.

There are, also, free classes to specialize in many fields. Even nursing.

Student loans will be offered (possibly free housing) if you start studying.

i bet the homeless dudes down at the public library are reading this thread and getting ****in' stoked for burrito time they are breakdancing in the public library for burrito freedom and the librarian is all "QUIET DOWN!!!" but them homeless dudes just keep breakdancing for burritos

Just remember, kids, the bad guys in the movies are always those cranky people who don't care and who sequester themselves from empathy.

Yeah it's all good for the community, but what about the global warming with all the methane gas produced by all those burritos? Think about the world, man.

How about the mentally ill? When I lived in Seattle, I observed roughly half of the homeless in the area are schizophrenic. I have stories. . .

There are these care centers for the mentally ill, even just the sick people (homeless or not). If their illness can be treated, thats one step closer to finding work, and an income. Other wise I guess they stay at the care center.

Also if these homeless people have nothing to do, they might be causing some sort of disturbances and in that case the cops are there to bring them away. Then put them in the right place.

damn. there but for the grace of nuthin, eh, diff_lock?

MY friend and I have recently been inspired by the LABP (http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=18098531) and I was wondering if you guys use your bikes to better your community. If you don't want to watch this video heres the short and skinny. We make burritos about 50-100 and then load up our bags and as many of our friends as we can and head out into the town and pass them out to the homeless in our community. We've done it once and were out of burritos in less than an hour and tonight we are running and I think going to try to double the last effort. We are hoping to eventually make this a weekly event and really make a change in our community. Just imagine 30 bikes out for 2 hours and then some epic bike polo afterwards sharing what happened earlier that night. I was wondering if anyone else has started doing this or anything similar in your town? For what it is worth we are in Eugene OR not exactly the homeless capital but it's amazing how many people can use some help and what a better way to go than to fill their stomachs with warm food and their hearts with some genuine love that they don't feel too often.


The only change in your community I foresee is you'll end up attracting even more homeless people. Don't get me wrong, it's a very nice gesture but I'm reminded of what some old Chinese dude once said:

"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." -Lao Tzu

Do you have "A Modest Proposal", Jonathan?

Soylent Green?

L2D, FWIW, you're right....

Concentrate on what you can do. A lot of "little" efforts addup to a large effort.

It's nice seeing a social conscience every once in a while.:D

Got to start somewhere! College budgets don't lend themselves too well to building houses, but I can spare a few $ for food. If you can build a house and give it away by all means do so! Instead of looking at what you can't do I look at what I can do everyday to make a difference, because if everyone did that the world WOULD be a better place! I look at my bike as a blessing in my life and I want to use it to bless others while I have a blast! Not to mention that if the police/community noticed that it was the cyclists who started a grassroots movement to make their city better I think that our relationship would improve because right now we are seen as pests and inconveniences to people in their expeditions, and I live in one of the most bike friendly places in the world, it's not even considered that bad here!

damn. there but for the grace of nuthin, eh, diff_lock?

Can anyone rephrase this? I don't understand what 'there but for the grace of nothing' means.

Can anyone rephrase this? I don't understand what 'there but for the grace of nothing' means.

Its the nihilist version

These are some of the more easy ways of not being tagged as homeless:

Army. I'm sure there are job offerings for people with no skill.

Then there is the unemployment office. Generally you can start cleaning (work) anything when ever.

There are, also, free classes to specialize in many fields. Even nursing.

Student loans will be offered (possibly free housing) if you start studying.

"Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?"

http://www.turnaroundcouriers.com/

Organization in my city....and damn, those kids can ride ****in hard, man.

OP:
I read through this but I still am confused about how you are helping them out.
It seems more along the lines of you satisfying yourself through your actions of how you are doing something to make a change.
It is good you want to do something about the homeless situation, so keep trying and find a positive way that will help them out.

What?? No way man. I'm sure all the thousands of philanthropists out there would still be doing it if it didn't make them happy. Because deep down people are good and caring, even when it doesn't benefit them.

It's a terrific gesture!
Even with the naysayer's who feel it is completely useless, i believe it to be positive for everyone involved. You get to ride your bike around, late at night, riding with friends and having fun while participating in a form of charity. While the homeless, benefit from a surprising late night meal, that is not found in a dumpster, well cooked and delivered to them. No, this is not the answer to poverty, malnutrition, global warming but it's a creative idea, using the tools and materials easily accessible for some people, and distributing them around, to people who dont have these privileges.

awesome work!

http://images.starpulse.com/Photos/Previews/South-Park-tv-b77.jpg

Yep. Because these centers are totally free and don't treat the people like animals.
There are these care centers for the mentally ill, even just the sick people (homeless or not). If their illness can be treated, thats one step closer to finding work, and an income. Other wise I guess they stay at the care center.

Also if these homeless people have nothing to do, they might be causing some sort of disturbances and in that case the cops are there to bring them away. Then put them in the right place.

Yep. Because these centers are totally free and don't treat the people like animals.

Ok, fine. Burritos are better. And on the streets these people are not treated like animals and have a place to sleep.

It's a terrific gesture!
Even with the naysayer's who feel it is completely useless, i believe it to be positive for everyone involved. You get to ride your bike around, late at night, riding with friends and having fun while participating in a form of charity. While the homeless, benefit from a surprising late night meal, that is not found in a dumpster, well cooked and delivered to them. No, this is not the answer to poverty, malnutrition, global warming but it's a creative idea, using the tools and materials easily accessible for some people, and distributing them around, to people who dont have these privileges.

awesome work!

I'm not going to minimalize the difference that the OP is making...but I am going to say that I can't ignore the fact that he's also making a difference in his own life: it makes him feel better to help people. And I can't separate that out from the good he's doing.

My hobby is doing drugs. But I wouldn't start a thread titled "where's your bowl?" as if everyone should have one. Why is it then, that if your hobby is helping people, that you have to ask people why they aren't helping people. You don't help people "because it's right," you help people because it makes you happy. If it makes me miserable to help people, I'm not going to do it. I suppose that makes me selfish...but then again, at least I admit it.

Can anyone rephrase this? I don't understand what 'there but for the grace of nothing' means.

I just meant that you sound like a real individualist

if you really want to help them get out of being homeless maybe you should invite them to come live with you.

if you really want to help them get out of being homeless maybe you should invite them to come live with you.

Tents+camping equipment and training.

My hobby is doing drugs.

I never would have guessed.

These are some of the more easy ways of not being tagged as homeless:

Army. I'm sure there are job offerings for people with no skill.

Then there is the unemployment office. Generally you can start cleaning (work) anything when ever.

There are, also, free classes to specialize in many fields. Even nursing.

Student loans will be offered (possibly free housing) if you start studying.

These seem like good ideas for a kid out of high school,but those are rarely homeless.Any sugestions for those guys in their fifties that lost their job,with the job the medical,with the medical the treatment for their mental disorder that untreated makes it impossible to find work etc.etc...

Wow. I think this burrito idea is awesome. You're a true hero and inspiration. Way to go! :)