I just wanted to congratulate you on your publication, Real Change. The paper and the street vendor provide a bridge for me to the people who live on the streets, who are my brothers and sisters. Because street people sometimes have mental health problems, sometimes we recoil from them in fear. It is always disturbing to encounter them, especially when we have empathy. I feel a deep sorrow when I see people living in the streets, cold and uncomfortable and dirty, but my money alone cannot solve the problem. It is enough to provide for myself.
I usually buy a newspaper from a street vendor. It always seems like such a bargain. What can you buy for $1 these days? I feel so proud of the street vendor, because I know he or she has overcome many obstacles just to be standing there.
The articles are well-written and intelligent and remind me that people who live in the streets are just like me in so many ways. Especially, it shows me how people just like me can end up in the streets. It also shows me how people who have gone through hardship in their lives can end up conquering the overwhelming circumstances that brought you here. We are all so vulnerable; it could happen to almost any of us at different, vulnerable points in our lives.
Your entire issue devoted to food was informative, well-researched and intelligent. It was especially interesting to focus on hunger in the U.S. at Thanksgiving.
I am a writer and I love how the paper gives space for the creativity of its contributors. Writing gives meaning to my life. Your paper has given meaning to my life as well.
Caitlin Hicks | Roberts Creek, British Columbia, Canada