What’s it like to be unhoused and hungry on Christmas Day

By TOM McPHEETERS, Contributing Writer

“What I miss most is bacon and eggs,” he said.

I see this gentleman every week at Seeds of Hope and have struck up a bit of a relationship. He agrees that breakfasts at Seeds of Hope are pretty good, and around this time of year, the lunches are often really, really good. As the weather turns and people become more aware of the plight of people without a home of their own, we are favored with all sorts of good food.

Meals like Shepherd’s Pie, pasta and meatloaf, even complete turkey or ham dinners; pretty much something different every day.

These days, that’s breakfast and lunch for upwards of 100 people, moving in and out of a dining room that holds, maybe, 50 people at a time. People can hang out downstairs, where the food is served, all day now and in cold weather the place is jammed from morning until afternoon, when people are encouraged to go across the street to Second Congregational Church, where a sister program, Bon Appetit, serves dinner.

But we don’t serve bacon and eggs. I point out to my friend that eggs are really expensive these days, and bacon is also, besides being messy and hard to cook in large quantities in a small kitchen. He agrees, and stresses that he’s not complaining.

It’s just a memory of better times for him. I have to agree. Better times.

Breakfast at Seeds is generally pretty utilitarian — simple foods that us volunteers can serve and which will fill you up — cereal, donuts and muffins, toasted English muffins or waffles, plus juice and all the coffee you can drink.

But Christmas morning is special. Breakfast this morning, cooked by our executive director and a small group of staff and volunteers, would put a Dennys Big Man breakfast to shame. Sausage and bacon, eggs (in the form of a quiche), plus biscuits and toast. A plate crowded with the favorites.

It’s as festive as we can make it, including gifts for the residents, and people are appreciative. Unfortunately, my friend who loves bacon and eggs has been sick all week and care barely swallow a piece of toast. His friends are trying to get him to go to the ER, but he resists.

It’s also a reminder to me that everybody I meet at Seeds of Hope has their own stories and their own memories. The holiday brings that same mixture of joy and sadness that we all experience.

Seeds of Hope, in an old church on South Street, is the only game in town (or anywhere in the vicinity) for people who are homeless or precariously housed. Technically, Seeds of Hope is a warming center, not a shelter, because of local and state regulations, but it functions as a full-service shelter with paid staff who are on duty 24 hours a day, seven
days a week until spring.

In addition to a place to spend the night and food, you can get other things as well: mail, charge your phone, referrals for health and counseling services, leads on housing and jobs, and (most of all) companionship and a friendly ear..

According to the latest count from the York County Homeless Response Hub, there are roughly 347 individuals in York County who are unhoused. Of that number, 157 are what is known as “chronic,” which means they have been homeless for a year or more.

Since Seeds of Hope is currently the only functioning shelter in the county, a good share of those folks end up here. That still leaves an unknown but quite significant number of people living outside, in tents and encampments in the wooded areas in and around Biddeford,

At least this time of year the homeless are on people’s minds. Food and clothing pour in. The need is year-round but it’s the cold weather that will force more people inside.

Seeds of Hope (and many other locally based programs) always run on volunteer help.

Before the crunch this fall, the Seeds staff, the city’s General Assistance office and their partner organizations were finding housing for at least one person a week — more than 75 — since the Mechanics Park encampment was closed a year and a half ago.

That is high- intensity work, with getting to know each individual and their needs, and then networking to find an appropriate next step.

Right now, the focus is on keeping people safe. The upstairs, where people sleep, is at capacity, which is 50 “gravity chairs” that double as cots. There are usually three or four more people shoehorned in because it is so hard to regulate the comings and goings. It’s been that way all fall, and now winter has set in and Seeds is struggling to meet the
demand.

Vassie Fowler, executive director of Seeds of Hope, says one of her biggest problems right now is rumors and misinformation, which makes it harder to find the right option for people in need, and much harder to turn people away. If in doubt, she says, call (207) 571-9601 before sending somebody expecting to spend the night.

And that many people in close quarters brings its own set of issues. No one really wants to live like this. But at least, at Christmas, the people staying at Seeds or coming in during the day know that they are not forgotten.

As in any family, food is one of the first ways we show we care.

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Tom McPheeters is a life-long lover of Maine and a year-round resident of nearly three years. After a journalism career or 25 years at three newspapers in Ohio and New York State, Tom spent the last 30 years as a community organizer and advocate in Albany, NY. He lives in Biddeford Pool. 

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