The artful gift of Care | Mercedes Smith | TEDxLincolnUniversity
The speaker, who recounts her personal journey, establishes that small acts of kindness, like delivering hygiene care packages, are vital for building awareness around homelessness. She uses the story of helping Abdul, an immigrant, to demonstrate that deep human connection is the most powerful tool for combating the crisis. Ultimately, the speaker advocates for community involvement, arguing that individual efforts, no matter how small, create necessary ripple effects toward systemic change.
## Speakers & Context
- **Speaker** — Narrates her personal experience and the founding of the nonprofit organization Care More.
- **Context:** The speaker shares her daily routine before narrating the pivotal event on the J train in Manhattan, which inspired her commitment to helping the homeless.
## Theses & Positions
- The core principle of Care More is that true help comes through *communication* and establishing human connection, not just material aid.
- Small deeds of kindness, regardless of their scale (e.g., collecting warm garments, visiting a local town hall), are crucial because they create positive ripple effects.
- The issue of homelessness requires a combination of awareness building, community mobilization, and personal engagement, as material aid alone is insufficient.
- Every person has stories, names, and hopes, and recognizing this shared humanity is the first step to tackling the crisis.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Care Packages:** Delivered aid, filled with often-overlooked hygiene products (toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, lotion bars of soap).
- **Care Givers:** Volunteers who gather to assemble packages and write inspirational notes of hope for Care More.
- **Ripple effect:** The positive, outward consequence initiated by a single act of kindness or generosity.
- **"Putting it into homelessness":** Material aid cannot solve homelessness; its function is to build awareness and connect like-minded individuals for systemic solutions.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Care More Operations:**
- Volunteers meet in specific locations (Union Square, Times Square in New York, Paterson in Newark New Jersey, Center City in Kensington Philadelphia).
- Process involves *stopping to talk* to individuals, getting to know them as *people first* rather than just "someone who's homeless."
- Packages are assembled and notes of hope are written.
- **Community Advocacy:** Direct actions suggested include attending local town hall meetings, volunteering time at local soup kitchens, and collecting warm garments during winter.
## Timeline & Sequence
- **Routine:** Waking up, showering (over an hour, including 45 minutes searching for clothes and 15 minutes choosing shoes), traveling to work on the J train heading into Manhattan.
- **Pivotal Encounter:** Commute on a crowded train when a young man with uncombed hair, dirt-stained clothes, and worn shoes paced the aisle and stated, "I don't know if anyone hears me heck I don't know if anyone sees me but I just need someone to tell me that it's gonna be okay."
- **Initial Response/Commitment:** Realizing she could not always provide money or food, she started collecting hygiene products in ziplock bags for about two months straight.
- **Key Interactions:** Meeting a factory worker, a couple who found love on the streets, and a 16-year-old recently released from juvenile detention.
- **Abdul's Story:** Meeting Abdul, a 22-year-old immigrant living on the streets of Union Square, who was applying to be a chef; resulting in purchasing pants, shoes, and a shirt for his interviews.
- **Care More Foundation:** The formalization of the movement based on these interactions.
- **James's Birthday:** Encountering James, whose 58th birthday was celebrated by the Care Givers, marking the first time anyone had sung "Happy Birthday" to him in over 15 years.
## Named Entities
- **Beyoncé** — Artist whose new album was put back on shuffle.
- **Abdul** — 22-year-old immigrant who lived on the streets of Union Square.
- **James** — Man who celebrated his 58th birthday with the care givers.
## Numbers & Data
- Time spent in the shower: Over an hour.
- Time spent looking for clothes: About 45 minutes.
- Time spent picking out shoes: Another 15 minutes.
- Age of the young man on the train: Around the speaker's age.
- Duration of hygiene package collection vow: About two months straight.
- Age of Abdul: 22 years old.
- Age of James: 58th birthday.
- Period since James last received a "Happy Birthday" song: Over 15 years.
- Estimated number of people experiencing homelessness nationally: Approximately 550,000 people on a single night (according to US Department of Housing).
- Percentage alone experiencing homelessness: 67 percent.
- Percentage with family/children experiencing homelessness: 33 percent.
## Examples & Cases
- **The Initial Train Encounter:** A man on a crowded J train in Manhattan pacing and crying out, *"I don't know if anyone hears me heck I don't know if anyone sees me but I just need someone to tell me that it's gonna be okay."*
- **Abdul's Transformation:** Buying a new pair of pants, shoes, and a shirt for Abdul for his chef interviews, leading to him getting a job.
- **The James Celebration:** The Care Givers gathering to serenade James for his 58th birthday, an event noted as the first in over 15 years.
- **Comparisons to Systemic Efforts:** Mention of Apple pledging $2.5 billion to the California housing crisis and Austin Purina (a four-year-old from Birmingham, AL) delivering meals in a Superman cape.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Alarm clock:** The initial auditory event waking the speaker.
- **Ziplock bags:** Used to collect and carry hygiene products.
- **Hygiene products:** Toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, lotion bars of soap.
- **Facebook:** Used by Abdul to connect with the speaker after visiting the shelter.
## References Cited
- **US Department of Housing:** Source of homelessness statistics.
- **The Verge:** Source of Apple's pledge of $2.5 billion to the California housing crisis.
- **CNN:** Source of the report about Austin Purina.
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **Material aid vs. Connection:** Material donations (packages) are temporary fixes, while connection and dialogue are the primary goals for "knocking down barriers."
- **Large institutional pledges vs. Small deeds:** While large pledges (Apple's $2.5B) are noted, the speaker emphasizes that small deeds (like collecting warm garments) are equally vital.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- Delivering care packages will *not* solve homelessness.
- The challenge is moving beyond charity to sustained systemic change.
## Methodology
- **Observation:** Observing the need and humanity of those experiencing homelessness in public spaces (J train, Union Square).
- **Direct Interaction:** Building relationships through sustained, focused conversation with individuals (Abdul, James).
- **Community Mobilization:** Organizing volunteers into the Care More structure to facilitate consistent, high-touch engagement.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- **Action for the Individual:** Go to local town hall meetings and be the voice for the homeless in the community.
- **Action for Friends/Family:** Gather family and friends together to collect warm garments and deliver them during winter.
- **Overall Goal:** Every ounce of kindness and generosity will spark a positive ripple effect for change.
## Implications & Consequences
- The underlying cause of homelessness is multi-faceted, including unemployment, domestic violence, mental abuse, and substance abuse.
- The common denominator among all affected individuals is that *"we're all human"* with stories and hopes.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"I don't know if anyone hears me heck I don't know if anyone sees me but I just need someone to tell me that it's gonna be okay."*
- *"I realized that I'm not always gonna have a dollar or food to give in those moments but I was haunted by the question if faced with this predicament again what can I do."*
- *"I vowed to always give whether it be a Hello a good warning a god bless you one of these packages I would always give."*
- *"This one-on-one interaction is what care Moore is all about."*
- *"we believe that communication can truly knock down barriers and help get to the root of the homeless epidemic"*
- *"we're all human but more importantly we're all in this together"*
- *"it doesn't matter how big or small the effort is it all aids and bringing awareness to the issue and will spark dialogue for change"*
- *"Every ounce of kindness and generosity will spark a positive ripple effect for change and in turn will help make our world a better place"*