Students and faculty at Point Loma Nazarene University are addressing homelessness by going to downtown San Diego through multiple ministries and volunteer-driven programs. The four ministries are distributing care kits and food to individuals experiencing homelessness.
Each week, the four groups – Bread of Life, Anointed, Beacon of Light and SALT – prepare snacks and drinks and then head downtown to donate food.
“Our students have an opportunity to visit with our unsheltered neighbors and allow them to feel seen,” Dana Hojsack, director of Community Ministries, said. “Someone seeing you as a human being and offering the love of Christ however that is shown is what the friends need. We are here to help.”
Building on the deep connections being made between students and the unsheltered community, the impact of these homeless ministries goes beyond providing food or services. For many students, their involvement in these ministries provides experiences they will not forget, which can shape their perspective on empathy and compassion.
Makenna Fore, a first-year psychology major, went to downtown San Diego with Anointed on Wednesday, Feb. 19.
“I was most impacted by the women that I met when serving, especially those who you could just tell had a rough day and needed a pick me up, like a coffee, which we were able to provide,” Fore said. “I was also impacted by the overwhelming kindness, genuineness, and generosity that our neighbors offered us. It was an incredible experience and privilege to serve, and I can’t wait to do it again.”
Hojsack said students have the opportunity to interact with people who are outside the “PLNU bubble” and get a chance to volunteer in the community and show the love of Christ, no matter what situation in life people are encountering.
Roxie Spycher, a first-year child development major, went with Bread of Life on Feb. 18. Spycher said she could not have been more grateful for her experience of seeing the love of God flow through everyone.
“The experience was heartwarming,” Spycher said. “When I first signed up to do it, I was really nervous about what the night would entail, but after I warmed up, I got to hear some amazing stories from some of the sweetest people that I would’ve never gotten to meet without the experience of doing the homeless ministry. It was truly a heartwarming experience.”
Homeless Ministries invites students to sign up to experience it for themselves. Bread of Life meets from 6:30-9 p.m. on Tuesday nights, Anointed from 6:30-9 p.m. on Wednesday nights, and Beacon of Light from 6:30-9 p.m. on Friday nights. SALT offers an indoor ministry opportunity twice a month, alternating weeks on Tuesdays from 4:15-7 p.m. in Ocean Beach and Pacific Beach.
If interested in signing up, visit the myPLNU app and search “homeless ministries.” For more information, follow PLNU Community Ministries on Instagram at @plnucommunityministries.
Grace Barrera