No Room at the Inn

This short video clip chronicles some of the unbelievable devastation of the Kensington area of Philadelphia. We should have a new war on terror that focuses on the terror that our nation’s poor and homeless face each day. Even this video makes the whole experience a bit distant and surreal, but it is an attempt to show the utter devastation that has become an artifact of twenty-first century United States culture. One of the most amazing discoveries that I made at St. Francis Inn is how much the surrounding communities and businesses have donated to help alleviate the suffering of these unfortunate people. Yesterday, as I helped collect those donations I realized however what a disconnect there is between middle and upper class America and the poor. Our world is so much different from theirs. I’m never really hungry and I’ve never been without shelter. I want for nothing and they want for nearly everything. They live in abject poverty and my only poverty is an abstract concept. There are many very good and blessed people who regularly donate food and other items to help those less fortunate than themselves. These modern day “good Samaritans” provide an unbelievable supply of food, clothing and other necessary commodities to help the staff at St. Francis Inn minister to those less fortunate than most of us.