Tribute to Matthew R. Barrett

 

Matt Barrett and friends on his birthday. Photo © 2014 Ilona Berzups.

Matthew R. Barrett (2/8/65 - 9/2/14)

On September 2, 2014, we here at Greater Seattle Cares lost a good friend. That is the day that Matt Barrett, affectionately known as "Giant" both for his stature and the size of his great heart, ended his days on this plane of existence. We miss him, we remember him, and we celebrate his life through which he taught us so much. Here are a few messages from our Board members who knew Matt.

"Matt said that Tent City was a place he could be accepted and loved as he was. I hope for him and for us that the circle of people who could love and accept him was and is far wider than Tent City. Matt helped many of us to grow in our ability to love. I am one of those and I am grateful for that. I miss him but I also understand his decision. I am comforted by the fact that the things that used to hurt him have no more power to hurt him." — Bill Bear

"Matt was special to me as well. He kept in touch all while I was in Italy, and up until the last we played online Scrabble together which got me through my two surgery recoveries keeping my mind active." — Jenny Coss

"When I think of Matt, I don’t think of cancer or of homelessness. I think of him as a teacher. Matt taught me important lessons about compassion and about solidarity. As limited as his financial resources were, he helped out other campers who had less than he. He also made donations to GSC to help support Tent City 3, and he allowed us to gift his books to folks who made earmarked donations to our organization. The most gentle of men, I remember how it hurt him when children would shy away from his scarred face, or parents would scold him for scaring their children; he was not angry with them, only sad that they would not teach their children to see into a person’s heart, as he so regularly did. I am richer for having known Matt. He will be remembered with love by many, and what legacy is any greater than that?" — Cindy Roat

More information and external links

• Matt’s obituary in the Seattle Times
• Matt's blog:  www.aviewfromthestreet.com
• Book of homeless poetry by Matthew R. Barrett: A View from the Street
• A photo essay by Ilona Berzups: Walking with Giant
• Video: Special Guest, Matt Barrett: A Lifelong Journey with IDA
• Video (rough draft): Matt reading three of his poems
• Video (Facebook): Matt singing Amazing Grace at reunion

Photos of Matt and friends

Random photos of Matt and friends, he had many. He touch lives near and far and will never be forgotten. 

Penny Harvest awards $250 to Greater Seattle Cares

Penny Harvest awards $250 to Greater Seattle Cares

Students in Adams Elementary School collected pennies. One Thousand dollars of them. They decided to award Greater Seattle Cares, Mary's Place, TreeHouse and The US Dept of the Interior each with $250, The students are leaning philanthropy.
They wanted to make sure no one is homeless. http://pennyharvest.org/Seattle

A generous donation of men's underwear

This donation of men's underwear was really appreciated by the Tent City 3 camp.

Thanks to SAXX company for such a wonderful donation.

Marc Weinberg: Tuesday Night Dinner Menu - for 78 guests Sunday, January 26, 2014

St. Dunstan's Tent City 3 encampment Photo copyright Marc Weinberg

Text and photos by Marc Weinberg

Ingredients:

• One well rounded chef/cook (Josef) 
• Sprinkle with 7 to 8 faithful and happy helpers (Mary, Madeline, Karen, Danielle, Richard, Marlin, Steve) Blend well in a commercial kitchen (St. Dunstan’s) 
• Shop for the most affordable products 
• Depend on chief’s recall and creativity for recipes based on experience with available supplies 
• Develop a team commitment to do this every Tuesday 
• Deliver and serve the finished meal to the hungry guests, regardless of where they are living. 
• Repeat 52 times a year with vigor.

Chef Josef and his crew preparing the meal Photo copyright Marc Weinberg 

Chef Josef and his crew of volunteers have been doing that since 2008 for the residents of Tent City 3 and don’t plan on changing anytime soon, if ever. Thanks to their commitment and the supply of produce and products from Safeway where Josef and Danielle work, this is the model they plan to follow. Safeway graciously contributes what they can and the residents, who often refer to themselves as ‘campers,’ are most grateful. Each meal depends on Safeway’s generosity. I asked Josef how far ahead of starting to prepare a meal does he know what he will prepare. His answer was, “maybe an hour before!” The meal prep that I observed consisted of a pork stew, steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes, beans, fruit salad, lettuce/tomato salad, and a rich dessert of bananas foster. Drinks were chocolate or white milk and orange juice. And the campers loved it.

 

Chef Josef gives the pork stew one more inspection as St. Dunstan's Rector David Marshall and Danielle look on Photo copyright Marc Weinberg 

I first met Tent City 3 in the winter of 2007-08 and felt overwhelmed by their needs, especially a month later when they were buried in snow at Calvin Presbyterian Church. I’ve been collecting donated items, often by the car load, from garage sales ever since. Since 2009 I have written much about Tent City 3 in published articles about them and the issue of homelessness. Each camper has their own compelling story about why they are there and their efforts to move on.




Meal service is set up in the dining tent Photo copyright Marc Weinberg 

My feeling about them and their community can best be summed up in the preface I wrote in the photo album I created for them which documents their life and their relocations, It is maintained in their Tent City 3 office on site.

Dear Tent City 3, March 11, 2009 This is Our Album, yours and mine, and it will grow as we all will. These pages represent only the times we’ve spent together and not when we’ve been alone and apart. My effort is to remind myself and us that our lives may be separate, but our needs are the same. I respect your right to privacy in your home and thank you for inviting me in. When I began this project, I had no idea what it would mean to come into your life or you into mine. From my brief visits to your door over this winter with gifts of mine and my neighbors, I realized I wanted to do more, to share with others the community where we all live. My photos, like myself, may be imperfect. They may never hang on an important wall, but they are important nonetheless. They are a record in time when I saw you for just a second and realized you were there. Thank you for sharing your life with me. 
Sincerely, Marc

 

Campers enjoy this labor of love, with thanks to all Photo copyright Marc Weinberg 

Please make the effort to visit Tent City 3, and learn about our roving neighbors, their lives and needs. The camp is self-governing with strong prohibitions of alcohol/drugs/violence. Residents are required to do a number of hours of service every week. They maintain their own security volunteers who patrol the perimeter in the neighborhood to monitor the campers and to pick up trash. Historically, incidents of crime tend to go down in the neighborhoods where tent city is located.

Your visit will demonstrate and encourage our community’s continued efforts to support a place for those in need. St. Dunstan’s Church is located at 722 N 145th Street http://www.shorelineareanews.com/2014/01/marc-weinberg-tuesday-night-dinner-menu.html

Homelessness Myths and Facts

Homelessness Myths and facts

Help fund the Denture Project

Greater Seattle Cares is embarking on an exciting new initiative, and we need your help.

Putting teeth into our support for TC3

For many years, GSC has been partnering with Medical Teams International to regularly bring a mobile dental clinic to Tent City 3, to provide emergency dental care to campers there. And for many years, we’ve known that there were campers who needed more help than the mobile clinic could offer. Then, last December, we actually did a survey to see what the need was. And we were stunned by what we found: 20% of the campers needed dentures.

“I’ve tried to get a job, but who’s going to hire me looking like this?”

What does it mean to not have teeth? It means you can’t eat the meals that generous supporters provide to Tent City 3. You can only eat things that are very soft. You tend not to smile too much, so your lack of teeth doesn’t show. People who meet you make automatic negative judgments. And if you’re living with chronic infections from broken teeth, that can even become life threatening. We realized that we needed to do something about this situation. While some campers may qualify for Medicaid, state budget cuts have resulted in the entire dental program being closed. But dentures are expensive -$5,000 for a full set. How could we ever afford this?

The difference it makes

In the face of so much need, the GSC board decided to act. And here’s what we’re hearing from the few campers we’ve been able to help so far.

Trudi hasn’t had any upper teeth since someone stole her dentures while she was living in a shelter. Now Trudi can eat things she hasn’t tasted in years. Best of all, when Trudi’s daughter gets married this summer, Trudi can meet her daughter’s in-laws with confidence.  

Shawn says, "Last year I was out with some friends and someone made a comment about my bad teeth. It made me feel really bad. I like to smile. Now I can without feeling ashamed. Having the dentures gives a great uplifting feeling. I am able to chew my food, and I am regaining my health with better nutrition. I was one of the first to sign up – I was so excited I actually cried. Bless the people who donated money to make this happen for me."  

And Wade says, "I just got my dentures. I feel more confident about myself. I am chewing my food for the first time in a long time. With my teeth in, I was able to talk to people and get housing. The best part about that is now I will be able to see my kids. I am very grateful for this new life I have been given."

We need your help.

Clearly, this is an opportunity for us to make a significant difference in the life of a homeless person – a difference that can lead to improved health, increased self-esteem, and the hope of moving back into the mainstream. Won’t you help?

• $475 buys an upper or lower denture
• $950 provides an entire set of teeth
• And any amount helps!

Donating is easy! Simply donate online or you can send us a check with your contribution.

 Springtime is a time of hope. Let’s put some hope into the hearts of these Tent City residents – and some teeth in their mouths! Thank you. And God bless you. The Greater Seattle Cares Board

A Special Note from GSC Board Member, Bill Bear Dear friends of Tent City 3 campers, I am one of those people who has dentures. While annoying at times, it is nothing compared to going through life with missing teeth. Without all your teeth, you can't eat or talk properly, and for many it is impossible to work because of the low self-esteem that missing teeth brings. I was fortunate to have most of the cost of my dentures covered by insurance. Folks at Tent City don't have that option. Campers in my situation have had to resign themselves to never having a full mouth of teeth. There are many barriers to people who are trying to get out of homelessness. Many are really hard to address. But here’s one we can address. Greater Seattle Cares has contracted with an experienced denturist to provide dentures for an initial group of Tent City 3 campers. The total cost is around $12,000. The board has committed itself to raising this money, because we see how big a difference this will make in the lives of these campers. But we cannot do this without your help. Whatever amount you can give will help us reach our goal. Please donate any amount online or you can send us a check with your contribution. Thank you, Bill

Mobile Dental Clinic

For several years now, GSC has been partnering with Medical Teams International (MTI) to bring one of their mobile dental clinics to Tent City 3. Every month or two, MTI employee Ellen Broyles maneuvers this incredible vehicle through the city to wherever Tent City is being hosted at the moment. The mobile-home-sized clinic includes two complete dental suites and comes complete with X-ray machines, autoclave, and a waiting room.

In this dental clinic, two volunteer dentists and dental assistants can provide care for 12-20 campers in a day, treating cavities and extracting teeth when necessary. Sometimes we are lucky to have a dental hygienist on the van, providing important prophylaxis to people who have often not had the opportunity for a dental cleaning in years.

 Greater Seattle Cares pays $400 for each visit of the dental van. If you would like to support this important endeavor, make an earmarked donation today.