-WHY DON’T YOU JUST GET A JOB?

Restart is an outreach to homeless men and women in Philadelphia.

We serve a weekly meal to 100-250 and help thousands of men and women obtain valid state ID every year.

We see the best and the worst….sometimes it is good just to remember the funny.

—My homeless friend Kevin slept on the same bench every night.  One evening a guy was on his wood bed and he let him know.  That man said, “is your name on it?”.  Sure enough, the next day there was a sharpee marker out the bold words “KEVIN’S BENCH” waited for sunset.

—A guy waiting in line was flirting with a disinterested woman with her child.  She said he didn’t have anything to write his number down with.  He grabbed something from her young son and handed it to her….and I stopped the line and yelled, “It is against our rules to get a girl’s number if you need to use a crayon.”

—When taking one of the homeless fellas out to his first formal dinner in many years, a waitress asked, “would you like appetizers?”.  And he answered, “oh no, i don’t drink”

—The homeless who need helping getting an ID have to bring something with their name on it.  Piece of mail, letter from a shelter, ACCESS card, or whatever.  Today I had a guy who had nothing but his name tatted on his neck.  And his ex girlfriend’s name.  That was “official” enough for me, and we started yelling for any “Jennifer” that might be around to come and make the tattoo fit again.