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Never take home for granted
By Teddy Paynter
Pikeville Medical Leader
September 5, 2008
Often we forget
just how
blessed we
are to have a
place to call home.
I was reminded of the
blessing first-hand
recently when I toured
the Pikeville Homeless
Shelter with a couple
who had been there for
just one month.
They took me on the
“grand tour” upstairs.
There were homeless
people sleeping, watching
television and even
cooking a meal.
It was all the normal
things you would find
and do in a place called
home.
As we started back
outside to rejoin those
celebrating WestCare’s
35th anniversary, the couple
stopped in the hallway
and thanked me for
allowing them to show
me around.
I looked at them both
and said, “Thank you for
allowing me inside a
world I knew little
about.”
Once I made my way
back outside, I looked on
as this community celebrated
a milestone. It didn’t
take me long to discover
Director Sharon
Yates’ love and passion
for people in need.
“We have different stories
here every week,”
she told me with a smile
on her face. “What would
they do without us?”
Meeting the needs of
the homeless includes
many staff and community
volunteers who work
together to reaffirm selfworth,
healing and positive
reinforcement for
individuals who have no
one and nowhere else to
turn.
The work Sharon and
her staff do is truly a
blessing.
As I left the facility
and started my journey
home, it gave me time to
reflect on people who end
up homeless.
I’m sure it’s for a variety
of reasons. Maybe a
relationship has gone
bad. Maybe an abusive
home life has forced children
to run away from
home and seek help.
Maybe it’s the result of
alcohol or drug abuse that
may cause an individual
to be unable to keep their
home.
Maybe it’s from a loss
of income or simply lowincome
people who rely
on housing benefits to
pay their rent.
A thousand things
went through my mind.
When I arrived home, I
was greeted at the front
door by my two little
shorthair felines, Buffy
and Buddy. My wife,
Lisa, had actually beaten
me home as well—something
that rarely happens
in our busy worlds.
We decided to go out
for dinner. When we
returned home, it was
time to relax. We turned
on the television and
enjoyed the remainder of
the evening at home,
something that most normal
families would do.
When I turned the light
off later that night and
started through the hall to
the bedroom, I stopped
and paused just a moment
to thank God for everything
I have in my life.
I also thanked Him for
people like Sharon and
others who help our
homeless to feel safe and
secure, even if just for a
short time in their lives.
If you wish to lend a
helping hand, donations
of new toys, non-perishable
foods, cleaning
items, paper items,
household goods, new
sheets and other bedding
materials, towels, folding
tables, chairs or other
outdoor care items are
always needed.
Yates encourages the
community to call her
with any questions about
donating items, volunteering
their time, or
helping connect people in
need with the resources
that will put their lives
back on track.
She can be reached at
(606) 432-9442, or by
email at
[sharon.yates@westcare.
com].
— Teddy Paynter is a
Staff Writer for the
Medical Leader. He can
be contacted at (606)
218-4932 or by email at
[teddy.paynter@pikeville
hospital.org].
http://www.medicalleader.org
Copyright © 2008 Pikeville Medical Leader, All Rights Reserved.
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