The other day while walking on the streets of downtown DC, I was presented by a man who pitched, "Hi ma'am, can you help a homeless man by purchasing one of my newspapers. I'm not panhandling. I'm just out here selling newspapers. It's a great newspaper, it only cost $1 and there is a great poem written by Lawless Watson you should check out." His pleasant voice, sincere smile and soft sales pitch compelled me to reach down into my pocket to find a dollar to give to this polite gentleman. I really didn't want the newspaper, but I just felt the need to help the salesman with a small donation because he was trying to help himself.
The name of the newspaper is called "Street Sense" and it serves as a means of empowering the area's poor and homeless. Its first issue was published in November 2003. The contents cover homelessness and other social issues that are usually not covered by the mainstream media. In the May 11th, Issue 14, there is a poem written by Lawless Watson. Surprisingly, Ms. Watson is a vendor and her poem is titled "How Can I?" You have to purchase your own copy of Street Sense to read it.
How does the Street Sense benefit the homeless...The paper is purchased by vendors. Each vendor makes a small investment of 35 cents per copy and sells the paper for $1 thus receiving a substantial profit. This profit can be used as a source of income to purchase food, clothing and shelter depending on the number of newspapers sold per week. Additionally, each vendor has a strict code of conduct they must act in accordance with in order to become vendors.
The next time you see a vendor selling "Street Sense," stop, say hello and purchase a copy of their newspaper. Even if you don't want to purchase the paper your conversation and acknowledgement will make them feel good and you will too. So spread the word and help the homeless in our community by using Street Sense.
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