Where's Jimmy?
Red Door Newsletter - February 2011
Question haunts those who work with the homeless
Every winter, we give away thousands of coats to the homeless.
That’s what Jimmy was hoping for the day he came to Tompkins Square Park. But we didn’t have his size — an XXL — that day, just XL coats.
A few weeks later, we found an XXXL and went back to the park to give it to Jimmy. He was nowhere to be found.
“If we don’t get to Jimmy in time and he dies from exposure, I’ll be crushed,” worried one of our staff members.
“Why didn’t Jimmy take the smaller coat?”
The reason was that Jimmy cared about the welfare of others on the street as much as himself. He felt someone else could use the XL more than he could. He’d just wait.
Now, we’re the ones who are waiting ... hoping that Jimmy is still alive.
Every winter, New York City’s homeless have to make tough choices. Where to eat. Where to sleep. How to protect themselves from the bitter cold.
By supporting The Bowery Mission, you make those choices easier — lifesaving choices that can lead to hope and new life. Thank you for giving to help those who are unable to help themselves.