PHILLIP'S WISH DELIVERS WARMTH
DECEMBER 2007
About 200 local dignitaries, celebrities, volunteers and just plain good-hearted folks gathered Dec. 16 at the Tom Thumb Grocery in Southlake for a final rally to mark the end of the 2007 Phillip's Wish blanket drive for the homeless.
Mayors from eight area cities attended the event, showing their support for the grassroots effort to make a difference in the lives of those who have found themselves living on the streets.
"I'm here to show support for Phillip's Wish because I think it is such a great project," said Carl 
Gierisch, Roanoke's mayor.
Keller mayor Pat McGrail spoke to the crowd about his involvement with the program.
"What a worthwhile project," McGrail said. "Once I met Cyndi and Phillip, I couldn't help but want to get involved."
Retired Dallas Cowboy Russell Maryland, who now lives in Southlake, also spoke to the crowd. He praised the volunteers and coordinators of the project, calling it a real show of Christmas spirit.
"This is all about love," Maryland said. "Helping our fellow man no matter why they are where they're at is the true meaning of Christmas."
After the speeches were made, refreshments eaten and photos taken, the real mission of the day began.
Bunch and her group of volunteers loaded up the trucks and headed for East Lancaster Avenue in Fort Worth, the location of the Presbyterian Night Shelter and the spot where many of the area's homeless congregate. The temperatures were already dipping into the upper 30's and there was a line of people at the shelter hoping to find a warm place to spend the night. Others had given up any hope of sleeping inside and were huddled in doorways and other places that gave them a bit of shelter from the bitter cold.
"These are my people," Bunch said. "That's how I see them. Some of them have no one else who cares."
And care Bunch does. Although it had been more than 24 hours since she had slept, she was everywhere, organizing the distribution of blankets and warm jackets, speaking to people on the street and thanking her volunteers repeatedly.
When the doors to the truck were opened and the people on the street realized what was about to happen, they quickly gathered around, hoping for a blanket or sleeping bag to keep them warmer during the cold nights that were inevitable.
"If I could just get a blanket, that would help me a lot," one man said, almost apologetically.
Within minutes a volunteer had outfitted the man with a blanket, jacket, gloves, hat and scarf. His gratitude was overwhelming.
While everyone was understandably excited at the prospect of warm clothing and blankets, and worried the supply would run out before they had a chance to get something, the crowd was orderly and very respectful of the space of the volunteers and their peers on the street.
"If you all act like animals these people are going to have to leave," a man told the others when he thought there was some pushing and shoving going on. "Behave yourselves and there will be enough for all of us."
As touching as it is to see adults on the street, it is the children who are homeless that really tug at Bunch's heartstrings. She makes a point each year to have items for children because she knows they are especially vulnerable to the elements.
"There are people who are shocked that there are children living on the street," Bunch said. "But if there parents are on the streets, where else do they have to go? It's not their choice or the choice of any of these people to live on the streets."
As Bunch and her volunteers began to load up to move to another shelter, there were hugs and "Thank-you's" all around. For the volunteers, there were two more shelters to hit before heading home.
For the homeless, the long, cold night lay ahead. Hopefully, some of them were a little warmer, both in body and soul, than they would otherwise have been. That was Bunch's mission.
Listening to Cyndi Bunch talk about the hardships faced by the homeless is one thing; actually witnessing it for myself was another altogether.
When we rolled up on the scene at the Presbyterian Shelter, there was already a long line of people looking for a place to spend the night out of the weather. Some of them were families with small children. None of them was dressed to be out in the elements, even for just a short time.
The realization of what they would face during the night to come, and many more nights after that, brought me up short. Dressed in jeans, a sweatshirt, socks, heavy boots and a warm coat, I was shivering after just a few minutes in the cold wind. And yet those around me, even the babies, seemed oblivious to the temperature. They were resigned to the life they were living. I felt more than a little humbled as I reached for blankets, gloves and hats to give these unfortunate souls. Their gratitude was shattering, because all I was doing was handing out what someone else had donated. As I watched, I saw the genuine goodness of people, not just the volunteers and those who had donated items, but also of the street people, who were looking out for each other and making sure everyone got something. Oh, sure, there were a few who were there to get everything they could; but the majority took what they needed and moved on. One man, who had received a scarf, asked if he could have another for his friend. He offered to exchange a blanket for the scarf so he wouldn’t be taking too much. Everything this man has in this world was on his back, but he was worried about taking too much for himself. Many people see the homeless as dirty, worthless and less than human. But one of the things that was snapped up the quickest was a personal hygiene kit containing toothpaste, a toothbrush and deodorant.
The people I met last Sunday are poor, some are dirty and they have few personal belongings. But they all had a quiet dignity about them that spoke volumes, not only about themselves, but about the society that has turned a blind eye to their plight.