Homelessness as Culture

Josie at first appeared soft-spoken unassuming. We met one night at the main circle dinner in Montana. Her partner Brian was a long-time Rainbow brother but this was Josie's first time. As we got to know one another, it was casually brought up that she worked in a sort of soup kitchen and dining experience in Eugene, OR. The way she explained her role never quite struck me until I got to watch her living her passion.

Only a few hours outside Eugene on my return to Manzanita, I was thinking about trying to drive all the way through. Matt and Emily were back that way and I had not heard from Josie. I didn't want another car-nap after the night before on a crowded, unwelcoming street in Redding. Just as I was plotting, the phone rang. We would love to have you. 



Brain led me through very precise directions to a long winding drive at the end of a hill just outside of town. Lined with towering trees and firs, it was a perfect combination of seclusion and society. Josie showed me to an old Victorian sort of bedroom, poured me some wine and immediately delved into my journey with unquenchable curiosity. She offered up a hodge podge of food for dinner we exchanged stories of our post gathering adventures while Brian shared his stories about previous gathering adventures, including one involving some interesting carcass scenarios...

It was perfect. I had to head out fairly early the next day and she had to be at her business to get the breakfast show on the road. And so in the morning, I followed her to work to see the place.

The Dining Room resides in a low-reaching, stark-walled building and yet it draws in just enough intrigue with its modernly fashioned logo, blanch white, a funky spoon and fork making up the "i"s. When we arrive, there are already a few individuals waiting patiently against the outside wall. As we get out of the car, Josie shouts hellos to a few of the faces by name and they give back gracious good mornings.

Contrary to its facade, the inside illuminates in color. Just inside the front doors, the first thing that catches my eye is a partially three dimensional mural. "This was done by local artists and all of the boxes are names that people can add...of those who have passed". The rest of the decor has equally tangible ties to the local community. She points to the large murals around the corner, a local artist. All of the framed paintings above the vibrantly-colored booths? Local homeless artists. "Homelessness gets this one-dimensional face. But it has culture". 

                                         

I struggle to peel my eyes from this rich culture as we go back into the kitchen. Individually painted mugs, authentic dining stools and plants and even more paintings near the ceiling. Hand-colored signage.

The kitchen is getting creative in their own way. Chef Jesse is hard at work on breakfast biscuits and her other kitchen help took the initiative to come in early after some volunteer issues. Everyone is smiling despite the early hour.

Floor manager and registration coordinator Zane and Vikki pose for a picture while staff help Angie dons the volunteer t-shirt logos

As Josie describes the procedure of the meal to me, it is like any other restaurant. You make reservations. There is a waitstaff. You can't just walk in begging. And you are treated like an individual. "I was in Chicago talking to a prostitute once, and she mentioned how long its been since she'd been in a dining room. I asked how come and she scoffed and said 'c'mon, who would serve me?'" This sparked a light in Josie and she knew she wanted to help the homeless community. Back in Eugene, her daughter worked for the Food Bank and they were starting up a dining program. In her interview, Josie was asked about her cooking experience. "They were asking me all of these things like 'what would you do with this or that recipe. It didn't feel right." In a passionate and bold act of indigence, a voice spoke up. "You know, you can teach anyone to cook. But you can't teach kindness. What you need is someone so kind, that they inspire kindness in those that have had a mean life." With that, she walked out assuming the search for her calling was not yet over. But in that bold move, she had found it.

Josie and her staff have managed to make The Dining Room just that. In its seventh year, the dining room is feeding hundreds of both struggling families and individuals 18 and older at no cost. She elevates the disheveled soup kitchen experience into a wholesome, community-building atmosphere where the most rugged and hard-headed people can mingle with an average joe and find common grounds and where artistic and individual expressions are recognized in this subculture that so often gets a white-out blanket stereotype in our world.

Before I hit the road, Josie pointed out one last mural. It was a song written by the community to voice the feelings and blockades they face every day. "They sing it together while waiting for their food." Says Josie. Wholeheartedly moved, the inspiration she feels from them glistens in her eyes.