People need to start looking and seeing
People need to start looking and seeing, says James Boly, as to why he tends to the memorial garden at the Mother Teresa Day Shelter for the Homeless at 513 Sam Rankin Street in Corpus Christi. The memorial contains rocks painted with the names of homeless men and women who died on the streets over the past few years. He is hoping to get donations to help in the upkeep of the memorial. Boly said the garden is more than a place to remember the dead. It also reminds us of the living. This isn`t a veteran`s memorial, but there is more to it than another hobo dying in a camp. He said that the men and women who die on the streets leave behind families and loved ones, “And the homeless were also people, too. They had hopes, dreams and heartaches, just like everybody else. More than anything, Boly, who has lived on and off the streets for the past few years, said that serving the poor is an opportunity for spiritual growth. The real reason people are not complete or whole is that they don`t consider the least of their brothers and sisters. On a daily basis, Boly volunteers his time to tend to the plants that are interspersed throughout the area. He is in need of compost and mulch and a few drought resistant plants. Sister Rose Paul, who runs the day-to-day operations at the shelter, said that an average of 150 people are coming to the shelter each day this summer. In order to assist the record number of clients who come to the facility to wash clothes, take showers and use other provided services, she is in need of laundry and dish detergent, coffee, powdered coffee creamer, sugar and paper goods. For more information, call 883-7372 or drop by during operation hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week.