A blast of cold, arctic air invaded the small coffee shop where several patrons were already huddled over their hot drinks. An oasis of warmth in the midst of the frigid winds and blowing snow of the latest early-January squall set against the cold reality of street-involved life, people come here to connect with the warmth of welcoming community as much as they do for a breakfast sandwich or lunch.
At this moment, a young man barged out of the aggressive winter storm and into the shop, closing the door behind him, quickly shutting out any further intrusion of the cold. Disheveled, wearing stained, ripped pants and a winter parka that had seen better days, he approached the counter. In his hand he held a pizza box, and muttered that someone in a car was handing out hot pizzas to people on street. Gaining the attention of the counter staff, he asked for a "pay-it-forward" coffee and lunch item.
Like most establishments, this coffee shop does not permit outside food and drink. To enjoy the warmth and comfort of this restaurant, like any other, a guest would need to purchase food from within. Unlike most restaurants, this coffee shop maintained this "pay-it-forward" fund to feed people in need when they are unable to pay for themselves.
The young man asked to access this programme. The clerk responded that she could not serve him. The rule, she said, is that a "pay-it-forward" item cannot be served to someone who has food, already, from another establishment. This rule is designed to protect the "pay-it-forward" fund from abuse, and to ensure that food and coffee are fed to those most in need of it.
A difficult choice was faced by the young man. He needed to take the pizza home with him, he said, but he also had an immediate need to warm up in the present moment with a cup of hot coffee in a peaceful atmosphere, protected from the elements and from the downtown, street culture, before he carried on with his day. He realized that he couldn't have both needs met.
Many of us may think that handing out hot food, coffees, and bagged lunches on the street is a wonderful act of kindness. Yet, in this case, the kindness of the act had unforeseen consequences for this recipient of the charity of well-meaning, generous people. Or, was the consequence, the difficult choice that he faced, really unforeseen?
At the Hope Conference, we presented the concept of "toxic charity", and we expounded more in a recent workshop. Those session recordings are available in their entirety on this website for free. In them, we talk about the dangers of certain acts of charity that further marginalize and disempower people.
We should each be asking questions like this: which is better? To hand out food to someone on the street, leaving them on the street, or inviting them INTO community? If this young man chose to stay in the coffee shop, he would be exposed to other community members in a ministry context of friendship. He would hear about other programmes and even pathways out of the marginalized, street-involved life, and into hope and purpose. What if we worked together on not simply sporadic acts of kindness (that can have unintended, un-kind consequences), but on a permanent missional presence of kindness? Hope Barrie is a growing movement of churches, individuals, and groups who share the mission to help people to become everything that God created them to be. Together, we maintain a full-time, missional presence in Downtown Barrie to include the least, the lost, and the last in life-giving community where they can find hope and help.
This is a true story.
Comments