Editor, The News:
Re: Downtrodden (Letters, Aug. 20).
I cannot believe the hate people in our community can have for their fellow man.
I have one suggestion for all the haters of the Caring Place: go volunteer to serve a meal there before you expose your holier-than-thou attitudes toward those in our society who need assistance.
I have served dinner there. I am always amazed by the number of families with young children who access the meals, the elders who partake in lunch and or dinner because their pensions do not cover shelter and food, and those disabled who are in the same boat.
Even the “homeless drug addicts” are polite and personable when treated with dignity.
The Caring Place does more than feed the addicts. It provides them with a path to recovery when they are ready for it.
It provides access to basic health care via services of a nurse practitioner.
It provides a place where they can find some dignity, receive kindness and, most importantly, be met with a smile instead of fear and loathing.
We are all human.
Do not judge others – you do not know the struggles of their past.
Be thankful for your health, home and loved ones.
Search for ways to eliminate addiction and homelessness.
That is how to fix the problem.
Mavis Nordstrom
Maple Ridge
