Carrier Man

Last semester the JMU newspaper wrote a story on the man that always sits by Carrier library. I had walked past him many times throughout my JMU years but never really knew anything about him. Often times students were talking to him and I was just curious as I’m sure many others were.

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Anyways, the article was titled, “Homeless man at JMU hopes to empower women, inspire students” which tells of Mike Klein’s life. It discusses how he came to Harrisonburg and what he hopes to do in the future. I remember reading the article and just thinking, his story was so interesting.

Last weekend I left work on my lunch break to grab food. While I was walking out of the food co-op, a homeless man stopped me and asked for a meal. He was with another man that also had a similar grungy appearance. I don’t know if they were actually homeless but it was my first impression at that moment. I have been confronted by homeless individuals before, but this time it really took me off guard. I had given them a friendly smile while as I walked out, and I guess he made his own assumption of me and thought to ask. “Ma’am would you mind helping us with a meal, we don’t want money,” he said. I still don’t know why, I just didn’t know what to do in that moment. I was trying to get back to work on time so I offered him money. The entire time I was walking back to work I couldn’t stop thinking of him.

Last year it was estimated by the CDC that over 600,000 individuals in the United States are homeless. One third of these people live without shelter and a fourth are estimated to be under the age of 18. While homelessness has declined in recent years it is still a problem in our country.

KR