Did you make that yourself? Now get paid for what you make! Now let’s give this good news to the homeless.

A few years ago some missionaries in Africa came up with an idea to help women whose husbands had died from the HIV virus. They would have these ladies hand make Christmas cards and then ship them to the United States where they would be sold in retail stores and at churches. Money would then be sent back to these ladies who would then be able to feed and clothe their children. What a wonderful idea! Rather than just handing money to the poor they have now been taught a life skill that will help them sustain themselves in the harsh world of their homeland.

Unfortunately, in the United States we treat our poor and homeless children much differently. We give them stamps to buy food, we create food pantries so that they can pick up groceries, and we have homeless shelters where they can sleep at night. But to help them move forward beyond the begging mode, we practically do nothing to stop the downward spiral.

Behind every homeless face in this world, there lies a story of someone’s life. Speaking of life, homelessness and death go hand in hand. The average age of death for a homeless person in America can be as low as 41 years. Homeless people often have difficulty in accessing medical care.

Homeless people are socially excluded. We usually don’t speak to a homeless person in America unless it is to jeer at them. Sometimes they can go weeks, months or even years without speaking to a single soul. Most of them would share their food with a stray dog just to have companionship rather than be totally alone in this world.

Since few homeless shelters in the U.S. allow pets, is it no wonder that they would rather stay on the streets than in a warm bed. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness (see the Web site at http://www.endhomelessness.org), there are 600,000 homeless families and 1.35 million homeless children in the U.S. And the diminishing availability of affordable housing accounts as a primary factor casting folks on the curb – literally.

In the 1930’s if you lived on the streets of America they called you a bum. Today we call them the down trodden, the homeless, the unfortunate and the names go on and on. If we simply turn our heads they won’t go away. Maybe a few missionaries in Africa are on to something. In fact maybe the website known as www.madeitmyself.com is really on to something.

Madeitmyself.com allows people to sell what they make. Their current categories include bags, purses, clothing, decorations, jewelry, and woodworks and on and on their list keeps growing. In fact buyers can support their favorite charity by donating thorough their secure website.

Their website is wonderful to work with because it opens the doors to thousands of people who can display the beauty of what their hands can make. Then they in turn can make a living for themselves. It functions somewhat like E-bay because a seller can set a price or negotiate with a buyer; it’s a little like Ebay on training wheels. But what this website does not know is that they may be a source of help to the homeless.

Now just imagine if we could help the homeless worldwide; or just the ones that live in our communities by teaching them how to make things with their hands. All the items made by the homeless could then be sold on the internet via this website.

You don’t have to be homeless to access this website, but it indeed can be used to help the millions of Americans display the works of their hands. When we first bought the Christmas cards that were made in Africa I must admit I felt pretty good knowing that the money went back to the ladies who so desperately needed our funds to feed their kids.

As you are reading this you and I both know that at one point in our life we have seen the face of a homeless child or an adult. It is like a plague that has swept every country on this ball we call earth. Normally I end my column by saying; see you at the refrigerator. This time I just don’t feel like eating; not when the homeless can’t. Oh, I will go to the kitchen but this time to admire the small refrigerator magnet made by a woman in Africa.
Write me at AskmeanythingUSA @ yahoo.com