Click for Midnight Run Soup Recipe!

NEXT LCR MIDNIGHT RUN:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2008

Clothing/Toiletries:
- Men's spring/summer clothing
- Men's underwear (new) or socks (new or gently used)
- Blankets & bath towels
- Seasonal hats/caps
- Backpacks/Duffel bags
- Toiletry items (travel soaps, shampoo, razors, toothpaste, etc.)

Midnight Runners:
- Runners will meet at Midnight Run office (Main Street, Dobbs Ferry) at approx. 8:00pm on the night of the run (or we may carpool from church.)
- Help pack the van with supplies.
- Travel down to NYC (by approx. 10:00pm), help deliver supplies to homeless.
- Return to Dobbs Ferry approx 2:00am
- It's an experience that will fill your heart! Learn more about HOW TO DO A RUN.

Help, Hats & Harry--

A Midnight Run story

LCR's first Midnight Run on October 13, 2006 was a great success! Many members of our congregation came forward as MIDNIGHT ANGELS and donated soup, bread, cold cuts, baked goods, and a variety of other supplies. We want to THANK each and every one of you at there that made these anonymous donations--THANK YOU!"

On Friday afternoon, several adults and youth came to the LCR kitchen to help with preparing the 200 lunch bags needed for the run. Special thanks to: Barbara & Samantha Prato, Amanda Muccioli (& Friend), Marian, Kalene & Mackenzie Kelly,
Linda & Krista Horner, and Ann Marie Heidgerd for sticking in there to get the job done!

Our Midnight "Runners" were David & Paroo Streich, Sylvia Bruschi, Linda Horner, and Pat Cody. After spending two hours at the storefront in Dobbs Ferry packing the van with food, clothing, toiletries & blankets, we were off to NYC on a clear but cool 45 degree night.

First stop was 86th & West End Avenue , where two gentlemen were happy to get up from a half-sleep and wander over to the van for a chat and some food & clothing. They needed just a few items but were glad we'd stopped by. Next was 65th & Central Park West (just one block from Dave's job). We saw about 20 people here who'd been waiting patiently in front of a church for our arrival. Everyone lined up excitedly to grab clothing and hot soup. We got to know a couple of the guys who modeled hats for us ("how do I look?") and asked what church we'd come down from. One gentleman asked us if we had a Bible for him. We decided that next time we'd like to make small Bibles part of our contribution to the run.

Next up was 77th & Central Park West – we were SWAMPED. At our largest stop by far we served 30-40 people and the clothing section was very busy at the back of the truck. Many of the men were Latino and (thank goodness) we had Pat Cody there to navigate through their requests. Cries of "Momentito! Momentito!" came up from the back of the truck as Pat tried to get everyone to take their turns. In the end, they cleaned us out of most of our clothing and were very grateful. Sylvia reached out to one young man who wanted a shirt, but was very shy and uncomfortable with asking for anything. We made sure he had what he needed and we then headed for 86th and Amsterdam . At this stop, we saw a few people sleeping in cardboard boxes or on church steps and left lunches by their heads. One very large-sized man had erected a room of sorts with a spring-rod and a black curtain making an arched church doorway his home for the night. He hobbled over to see us on a bad foot and a mad-at-the-world attitude. He took a few lunches and some toiletries but passed on the soup. Grumbling good-bye--and what we interpreted as a thank you--he hobbled back to his doorway. His isolation was apparent to all of us. It was one of the more profound statements of the evening.

Our list then directed us to "2 guys" on 88th & Broadway. We found no "guys" there, but a very nice woman (maybe in her mid-fourties) who was thrilled that we'd "come down her street". When we told her we'd been advised that we'd find two guys on that block she said proudly with a big smile, pointing at herself with her thumb, "Yeah! That's me!" Unfortunately, we'd run out of women's undergarments by the time we'd reached her, but she was glad to take men's. "Whatever's clean is good by me!" she said.

We traveled next down to 51st & Park Avenue where we were to drop an ace bandage to "Pam" who had called in a special order to the Midnight Run hotline. We never found her, but we did find and helped several other hungry folks and ended up leaving the bandage with an animated older gentleman named "Harry". He said that he would see Pam later that night. Harry suggested we also look for Pam "down on 54 & Lex."

At 54th & Lexington all was quiet. Linda and Pat went around the corner with a bag of lunches where it looked as if several people were asleep...then many more folks came around the corner and we were doling out soup and chatting with 15-20 more people. We found a box of chapsticks in the van that we'd forgotten about and handed some out to everyone. They were so happy for this small gift!

We got back home about 3:30am--tired, happy and full of stories--some sad and some inspiring. Through it all, we found many blessings for ourselves, which was an unexpected bonus. We hope this story encourages you to take part in our next Midnight Run in the Spring. However, I have but one warning which Linda, Pat, Dave and Sylvia now agree with: “Be careful--the MR is addicting!" Thanks again to all who helped.

--Paroo Streich


More on Midnight Run:
In over 900 relief missions per year, Midnight Run volunteers from churches, synagogues, schools and other civic groups distribute food, clothing, blankets and personal care items to the homeless poor on the streets of New York City. The late-night relief efforts create a forum for trust, sharing, understanding and affection. That human exchange, rather than the exchange of goods, is the essence of the Midnight Run mission.

Midnight Run is not a solution to homelessness. Their goal is to forge a bond between housed and homeless people by establishing a foundation of sharing and caring from which solutions may evolve. Through Midnight Run, volunteers come to see the homeless as real people, not a commodity. And homeless men and women learn that many mainstream adults and teenagers have commitments and concerns that go beyond their own lives and families.

As of Fall 2006, LCR has begun participating in the Midnight Run program as a bi-annual outreach ministry. We hope you'll continue to support our efforts!

Make a contribution:
If you would like to make a tax-deductable contribution to Midnight Run, please send a check, payable to "Midnight Run" to:

MORE:
CLICK to email Paroo Streich, LCR's Midnight Run liason
CLICK to access Midnight Run Website
CLICK to read about Emergency Shelter Partnership (ESP)