8:00 a.m. I woke up at my friend’s house. She wakes up shortly after me. I have oatmeal for breakfast. We spent some time talking and I got my stuff ready to drive out to Lorian’s house in Rockport. We are donating items today to the homeless in Lynn and Salem. We have socks, gloves, hats, pants, jackets, shirts, hygiene products, blankets, a sleeping bag, a tent, and probably some other stuff I’m not even thinking about.
10:45 a.m. I arrive at Lorian’s house, and she lets me make a plate of leftover Thanksgiving food. We go through some of the items. I have three bags of donated clothes from my friend Chris, whose father passed away. Chris’s father Mike was a role model to me. He was always good to me and would let me work on my cars and trucks in his garage. He was a union mechanic for the t bus station in Lynn for many years. He will be missed and his legacy will live on. Lori-ann and I load everything up into my truck, and she puts the gloves and hats and jackets in her vehicle.
12:30 p.m. We head out to Salem Wendy’s where there is an encampment of people living outside in tents. When I arrive there’s some people around and they come over and begin to grab items that they will need to keep them warm. Lori-ann shows up shortly after me and begins handing out hats and gloves and jackets and things. We spent about an hour and a half talking to the people. Some of the people do not like the shelter and life bridge in Salem. I ask about people coming in from Boston since they shut down the Mass and Cass area. One woman says that 25 people have showed up in Salem. The people tell me that the cops do not bother them but come and see them everyday and give them supplies. People will bring food to them and sometimes other useful items. They have a little community and they seem to take care of each other. I asked about the drugs, one girl tells me that she had to narcan her cousin nine times in the last 2 weeks from overdoses. I gave out some Narcan that I’d received from healthy streets harm reduction in Lynn. This encampment, and these people seem to be settled in for the winter. It does not seem that they are going to be leaving and I have let them know that I might come through and spend time with them. If they would like to share their story they’re more than welcome.
2:00 p.m. Lorian and I drive over to My brother’s table in Lynn where they give out meals to the homeless. We park our vehicles outside the building and I let the people know we have donations. There’s a lot of people and what we have left is taken up by everybody. A lot of people needed hats and gloves. By looking at their hands I could tell that their hands had been exposed to a lot of cold. We literally gave everything out. Lori-ann and I say our goodbyes. We’re going to have to plan for another donation drive in December.
3:30 p.m. I head back to my friend’s house in Danvers. I sit for a little bit and work on some of my writing and things. I have all my gear organized and gathered up.5:00 p.m. I head over to Market Basket in Danvers and get some dinner. I grab some orange juice for the road. I have been vaping and my vape is almost dead. I want to get another vape but when I go to the vape store it’s closed. I decided to just drive out to my campsite. I parked my car and rode the bike over to the entrance of the woods. I locked the bike up along the trail to a tree.
6:00 p.m. I arrive at my camp. I settle in, look at stuff on the phone for a bit. Actually I go to bed pretty early around 8:00 p.m. Everyday is just a day where I must fulfill the needs of food, human connection, and having the essentials that provide me with continued life. At this point I’ve settled into this lifestyle. Although I’m caught between two worlds where I still manage the relationships and connections of my old life. I find this is necessary in my mission to produce change for the people who end up stuck in the streets without a home. I am not miserable in this endeavor, I put consideration into my own personal health and development. What I learn about my experience, I share with others. If I can help share effective methods at developing internal peace, mental wellness, and physical health to people who are unhoused, I feel that is a good step in teaching people how to fish, as opposed to them having to be given a fish everyday to eat.