700 Coats

Early January ushered in a cruel chill on the contented coast, shocking it into the rude awakening of how the real world does things. We huddled, bundled and otherwise suffered the inhumane treatment for a couple of weeks until it moved on up the coast, back where it belonged.

Things change when such a brutal assault occurs. And on the back streets of Brunswick, mostly out of sight of the mainstream, life becomes extreme, often intolerable. We weren’t there, most of us, but elsewhere, warm and comfortable. Oh, yes, we lamented the savage cold, even cursed its bitter chill, but we had options---heat and warm coats. Others were not so lucky. She was one of them.

She sought refuge in a local crisis center, a shelter for battered women. She was a frail, shivering victim of spousal abuse, and on this day a victim of nature’s assault as well. Numb from the frigid arctic air, and from her recent physical injuries, she needed a sanctuary in which to recover from the horrid conditions which life had inflicted upon her. She found it at Amity House, an emergency shelter for women escaping domestic violence.

Timidly entering the house, she was met by Mary Hogan, the executive director of the shelter. “Child, look at you. Get inside, before you freeze to death.” She entered, asking, “I don’t suppose you’d have a coat I could use, do you?” People in this condition always tend to phrase questions in the negative, perhaps because that’s how they view life. “Of course,” Mary answered. “Come in and warm yourself and I’ll get one for you. Have you eaten?”

She looked at the floor, answering, “No, not since yesterday, but I’ll make it.” Hope always seems to flow, irrespective of circumstances. Mary had the staff feed her while she retrieved a coat. As it ended up there were a lot of coats. Anticipating in advance some of the community’s needs, she had requested more warm coats. Unfortunately the Washington “stimulus money” never made it to Brunswick, and local shelters were left, as usual, to their own resources for assistance.

But small shelters are not without significant resources. There is a Somebody above who hears these pleas, a Somebody who created all hearts and who can speak to them. Mary had asked the volunteers to see what they could do. The request found its way onto emails and a couple of Face Book accounts. Somehow the local paper picked up on it. In what was no less than a miracle, the community responded, and in a few days Amity House collected over 700 coats. Some said Target sold out. And guess what? Mary gave every one of those coats away!

Aside from sheltering women victims of domestic violence, Amity House provides advocacy, counseling, relocation and transitional housing for up to two years. It is supported by grants and by donations of time and money from members of the community itself. Amity House is not alone in community service. CMAP provides free medical and dental care to indigents, and it is operated pro bono by local medical professionals. Harmony Square is another organization that provides job-training within the community.

Sometimes it takes a crisis to galvanize community action. Gruber Aviation at McKinnon Airport is a staging point for Angel Flight, a national service that provides free medical evacuations and air lifts. In the wake of the Haitian earthquake, a couple from New York drove a U-Haul truck full of medical supplies to be airlifted to Haiti by CitiHope, a national charity providing disaster relief. The list goes on and on.

We hear a lot about the macro economics of the “stimulus money” and its benefits. Maybe it’s out there and we just don’t see its results. It reminds me of what my mother would say at dinner, “Now son, clean your plate. Remember, there are starving Chinese.” We never knew any of these people personally, but if mama said it, it must be true. And as far as I knew, none of our food ever made it to China. I guess the Chinese had to depend on themselves, sorta like us.

Today the needy exist everywhere in no small number in our country and our own community. Macro economics notwithstanding, it’s “micro economics” that actually does the work. But no government program can trump the indomitable spirit of generosity that characterizes Americans. And no human power on earth can overcome the collective concern Americans have for their neighbors.

We should be proud to be a part of it.

Bud Hearn
February 4, 2010