Angela

This is Angela and her dog Patch. I talked with Angela today outside a Walgreens in McMinnville. My interview with her is part of my latest writing project. My goal is to interview 100 people of the streets, tell their story on one page, and feature their picture on another, so a two page spread for each person. My intention is to share their story, to showcase their humanity. Every time we see someone huddled under a blanket on the sidewalk, we think that’s someone’s sister, or brother, or father, or…you get it. The short story of Angela is she does sleep in a shelter here, and Patch does too. She said she graduated from high school, and somehow ran afoul of the law. I didn’t press her on this. She said her dream is to get back to school and major in criminal justice.

When we left, and I told Tom her story, it was all I could do to keep from breaking down. All of the people I have talked to, the stories are so sad, and I question my ability to make it through to my goal number. Of the writing I have done, this is by far the hardest, the most challenging, but I want to tell their story, no matter how brief. These are people, just like you and me.

I give them all a couple of bucks, or more, but it never seems enough.