# How Losing Everything Taught Her to Help Everyone: Joan Howard’s Story

An episode of [A Bit of Optimism](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1515385282), 9 Dec 2025, 51 min.

Audio: https://episode.flightcast.com/yclkbhe0e191p1hsks2ungel.mp3

Life can change in an instant. One day you’re shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue, and the next you’re sitting in your car with everything you own, and everyone you love, wondering what happens now. Joan Howard grew up in Beverly Hills with every advantage until a series of crises left her homeless and living in her car with her mother and three dogs. What helped her rebuild wasn't luck or charity. It was kindness, consistency, and one simple weekly practice of being in service to others. Today, Joan is a long-time volunteer for Food on Foot, the very organization that helped her decades ago. Food on Foot is more than a meal line—it’s a community built on dignity, kindness, and practical support for people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles. Their model helps people find work, save money, build confidence, and move forward with independence. In this episode, we talk about what homelessness actually looks like, why service can be transformative, and how organizations like Food on Foot help people not just get back on their feet, but build a future. This is A Bit of Optimism. --------------------------- To learn more about Food on Foot, visit their website! https://www.foodonfoot.org/ ---------------------------

## Transcript

[0:00] I was talking to her and she said I didn't think I'd be able to stand up today. I didn't think I could go on
[0:06] And she said I came here and she said all these people
[0:10] She said I have money in the bank. I can rebuild
[0:13] But these people have nothing and she said it makes me feel so connected
[0:17] It gives me such a sense of community. It gives me such a sense of right and
[0:23] And and justice. She said what you're doing here. She said I can't even believe all these people are thanking me
[0:29] forgiving me giving the bag of chips or she said it's food and she said it's nothing
[0:37] And yet it's probably saved my life
[0:40] Joan grew up in Beverly Hills
[0:43] She was a trust fund baby without a care in the world
[0:47] On a day like any other
[0:48] She was attempting to pay for her shopping at Sachs Fifth Avenue when her credit card was rejected
[0:54] her trust fund had been drained
[0:57] She had no more money
[0:59] None
[1:00] She also had no college degree no skill set had never held a job in her life
[1:06] She never needed to and now with nothing she would find herself
[1:11] Homeless
[1:12] I talk a lot about the value of service of showing up to give
[1:17] How helping others is the best way to help yourself
[1:21] Joan Howard's story is that story on steroids
[1:25] She talks fast. She talks a lot
[1:27] She goes off on tangents, but her passion my god her passion to help others is absolutely
[1:34] Inspiring
[1:35] She now works for the very organization that saved her life over 20 years ago an organization called food on foot
[1:43] Their mission is to help people who for various reasons find themselves homeless
[1:48] In shelters couch surfing or on the street and perhaps one of the most amazing things they do is help people get a job
[1:57] Get a home
[1:58] Pay their own rent and do more than survive. They help them thrive
[2:04] In a time when government and private funding are harder and harder to come by
[2:09] Joan proves that being nice is not what saves lives
[2:13] But being kind does
[2:16] This is a bit of optimism
[2:25] Your
[2:27] Story is
[2:29] remarkable
[2:30] I came and volunteered at
[2:33] Food on foot
[2:34] Which was a wonderful and inspiring day
[2:38] and you and I were introduced
[2:40] And one of I think was the director who said you have to know Joan's story
[2:45] That's actually Greg
[2:47] Currents he's the
[2:49] Chairman of our board. Yeah, which you should know about food on foot is the board is very active
[2:53] They come on Sunday, which is nice. It's it's what I like best about it
[2:58] So I know them all very well. So let's tell people what food on foot is first
[3:02] And I was invited as a volunteer
[3:06] To come and stand behind tables and take donated
[3:10] everything from
[3:12] Can food to
[3:14] Well, that's pretty much my fault. What's that the stuff you saw it's my fault. Oh, yes
[3:19] So you you you help get there was there was clothing there was hygiene materials toothbrushes and sanitary products and
[3:27] Sort of I was amazed at the amount of stuff that had been donated and I think it's different every week because you
[3:31] Take whatever you get from donations and then the volunteers they hand stand behind the tables
[3:36] And the homeless lineup every week in the same same parking lot and they take what they need and it's a safe streamlined process for people who are interested in finding out
[3:47] What people in need
[3:49] Are doing because they can have conversations with them but more importantly they see that there is no one
[3:55] Carteria for being on the street or in need. We have ages all races all ethnicities
[4:03] I think it's on education and it's also a safe one
[4:08] It does challenge it does challenge our notion of
[4:11] You know, quote unquote, who is homeless? I think most people's experience of homeless is seeing somebody on the side of the street
[4:17] And that is one kind of homelessness
[4:20] Um, but people I mean I met a young woman who there was a victim of domestic domestic abuse
[4:28] She was forced out of her house took her kid
[4:31] Uh, to escape didn't have the money to because he wouldn't allow her to work
[4:37] Uh, she got out and is living on friends couches
[4:42] So she's not on the street per se where somebody living in their car
[4:46] But they they don't have a home to go to
[4:48] 90% of our people are in some way homeless in that their couch surfing or in their car and a tent and a tarp and a shelter
[4:55] A lot of them are rough sleeping right now in the street because the tent communities have been eradicated
[5:01] Uh, but the problem is we have no place to put them
[5:05] California, Los Angeles especially has a
[5:08] A reputation for providing services and I don't want you to think we don't
[5:12] Because we are nothing short of amazing in the city
[5:16] But the problem is the
[5:19] The tsunami of need especially since the wildfires
[5:23] Oh, yeah, when we get the older people and the people who've never been on the street before
[5:27] I was amazed how many elderly people they were that came through that day. That's it
[5:30] And that's my personal thing while I haven't had much sleeps that it since it happened because we had a lot of calls
[5:37] At food on foot and when it comes for services
[5:40] I answer and I always answer
[5:43] So I'm always trying to network, but the story is that I hear
[5:47] It's an education and we're constantly having to pivot and change and fit
[5:53] Some kind of relevance into what we're doing because we're very practical
[5:57] We don't we don't bring stuff that people don't need we don't provide services the line that you saw
[6:04] The food on foot service
[6:06] Line it's not just a food service line. It's a food and service line
[6:11] We basically give them the best we can
[6:14] We get everything from true classic teas and and bomb the socks that are absolutely brand new
[6:19] And they're wonderful to donate
[6:22] To books from the libraries
[6:24] Brand new from their book sales to all kinds of food I get to give
[6:29] Everything we get we give the other thing which I think again just dispelling
[6:35] What people think
[6:36] Misunderstandings of of the difficulties in the plights, which is you would think you know and true classic is a sponsor of our podcast
[6:43] And I was amazed they had sent pallets of t-shirts to you guys. I mean the generosity 52 pallets
[6:49] But the thing that I thought was so interesting when I saw the amount of stuff that was there
[6:52] I mean like they had stacks and stacks of t-shirts and people could take what they needed and you would think
[6:56] You know that and I've seen I've seen wealthy people line up, you know for free stuff
[7:01] And they want one of everything that they don't need and what I and you don't see that people
[7:06] Could have taken more and most people took one of what they needed. They took a t-shirt a toothbrush
[7:13] They didn't take ten they they weren't putting their hands in and the reasons they have to carry it
[7:18] They have to carry it all so they don't want excess. They want just what they need because they have to carry it
[7:24] They're survivors. Yeah
[7:26] And what is so admirable about them is they endure
[7:31] Uh, not just the psychological effect of being on the street or being homeless or being lesser
[7:36] As people look at them and treat them that way
[7:38] But when they come to food on foot what I get because I'm out in the street so much during the week
[7:43] Is that they come to food on foot not just for what they get because of the way they're treated the way you treat them
[7:49] When you serve or when you give things out
[7:53] We have everything from from people coming every week with families
[7:57] To people who have never experienced anything like this before and we are a very safe place
[8:03] It's a cornucopia of an education about people who are in need
[8:07] Because we make it very safe. It's very streamlined
[8:11] But what I find
[8:13] Best about food on foot is how we change and pivot
[8:17] Every time something happens
[8:19] Because I'm out there and we have our ear to the ground. We fit put our finger on the pulse of what's going on out there
[8:26] We figure out what is needed. We have UCLA twice a month
[8:30] We have social services. We were able to get social service the social service agencies to come on a Sunday when they wouldn't
[8:37] Uh legal aid we have the phones we have different services all the stuff that we give out
[8:43] Is just basically a bridge to build trust
[8:46] Build trust back for people who frankly don't have it. Let's be and let's be clear the program is designed to help people get back on their feet
[8:53] Well, we're talking about the food line. Yeah, which is basically
[8:57] About about services and for people who could not do our jobs in housing program our jobs in housing program because we are private
[9:05] And we're small right, but we're very mighty we've been going over 20 years in this location 27
[9:11] So so because there were some of the people who were working behind the tables with us were themselves homeless
[9:16] Just walk me through it. So somebody comes into the program
[9:20] Um, she says I want help getting back on my feet. I want to be independent. I don't want to
[9:25] So we basically walk me through the walk me through the life cycle of someone who goes through them is the gate
[9:31] And basically she puts them through their paces to see if they're able if they're ready to hold a job because a lot of people are not right
[9:38] A lot of people need way more help than we can give them right they need mental health they need
[9:43] Detox that there's a lot of stuff going on there and then assuming someone's qualified qualified and able to hold down a full time
[9:49] They come on Sunday and they go through the workshops they help out at the serving they're given their gift cards and
[9:56] If they haven't already been able to get a job we will get them one
[10:00] Then toward 10 to 20 weeks depending on how long that takes we put them in housing
[10:05] We pay for that we pretty much support them so that they don't have to use their checks
[10:10] They bank their checks. Hopefully they get five six thousand dollars by the end then during that time
[10:16] Now this is the difference between what we were doing before
[10:19] During this time now instead of helping out at the serving now that they've gotten into housing and they're working 40 hours a week
[10:27] We take them into a spot where we have a lot of volunteers
[10:31] We also had mentors all the way through people who donate their time and mentor
[10:35] But this is more important and it's part of why I think that we're going to succeed beyond my wildest dreams
[10:43] We are targeting education for them specifically for the unique individual what they want to do
[10:49] Be specific
[10:51] Let's take somebody who who comes in, you know, and then she says I want help. Okay
[10:58] So we figure out so let's let's let's call let's give her a name give me that think think of somebody who's
[11:03] Mary Mary is working as a maid. Okay, Mary's working as a maid. She's got she's done that before. Yeah, but she wants to do more right
[11:12] But right now that's just about all she's qualified for right so she looks around she gets a job we get her a job
[11:20] We put her in housing
[11:22] She comes back every Sunday we subsidizing the housing for the time being right always okay always so she's she's she's able to work and keep that money to live
[11:31] Yes, no, she keeps her she banks her checks. She banks her checks. We help we pal
[11:35] Okay, so you teach her how to
[11:37] Save that money too. That's what the workshops are for. I got it. Okay, she's banking her paychecks
[11:42] You're helping her with food and rent. Yeah, go on
[11:46] So then we move into the phase where instead of the green shirt and she's at the table
[11:50] We put her in a separate separate class with people who are now in housing
[11:55] And they're working 40 hour week week
[11:58] So that's a lot
[11:59] So basically the first part of that is
[12:02] Classes in just basically learning about what they might want to do and that's an addition to the fact that she's still out there as a made
[12:10] Making living and then she's also taking classes with you on Sundays only on Sundays and then at what point
[12:18] Does she I don't I want to graduate the program and she has independence while she is working through until when she saves five six thousand dollars
[12:26] Okay, so she has to save five or six thousand dollars and then
[12:30] She stays in the same home you've given her she she takes over the lease
[12:34] So so this is and after that time we also put if she wants to further do further education because we are doing this education program in the middle of it instead of having the work for us
[12:43] Right because we don't want that we want them to do better to go work in yeah
[12:47] So we have one girl is going after her GED another girl who wants to get her masters. This is how how
[12:53] How far ranging the people who come to us are we don't have just one person we have one one woman
[12:58] A graduated autistic children. She's she's interested in teaching them. Yeah, we have another girl who wants to
[13:06] Go into some kind of nursing. Yeah, we have a man who wasn't is in construction now
[13:12] But he wants to learn about computers and C++ and the rest
[13:16] There's just a wide economy and we want to be able and we've got volunteers lined up now on Sundays
[13:22] Yeah to help them look for scholarships for us to help them
[13:26] To connect that was helping them get back on their feet. Not just get back on their feet. Go forward
[13:32] It's not getting back on your feet. You don't stay in one place anymore. Yeah, you have to go forward always forward
[13:39] Yeah, it is so important what we're doing the first phase of this we build a community
[13:44] We build a family feeling where they know each other they know us they can trust us
[13:50] They have a mentor during those first first weeks with us
[13:55] So they know they have a base where they're safe
[13:59] And that is everything because these people have not had that so let me change tax now
[14:03] You
[14:05] The reason I wanted to talk to you. Yeah, this the the I'm just talking about food on foot was was just simply as a
[14:12] So the people understand what you do
[14:14] But you have a unique understanding and a unique empathy
[14:18] For the people who are coming through
[14:20] Because I was there because over 20 years ago it happened to me and I was the last person
[14:26] I would ever think would be homeless. So where did you grow?
[14:29] I grew up Beverly Hills
[14:32] Rippen Beverly Hills
[14:33] Well, I grew up the first 11 years of my life. I was in Houston, Texas. My mother. We had money
[14:39] And my mother moved out here. She was a registered nurse
[14:42] My dad dug one as a baby and we moved out here and I was by coastal because I was I was training
[14:51] And dance and I thought that was going to be great. So I went down to Texas for my grandmother's
[14:58] Birth Dan got run over by truck. So first 180 in my life
[15:02] I had a lot of 180s, but that doesn't mean I wasn't a spoiled brat
[15:06] My mother on the other hand was on every street corner with a sign
[15:09] She looked like an old-fashioned Betty Crocker. She was always protesting something
[15:14] Peacefully, but I mean she was she was usually the last one arrested because she looked like a housewife
[15:20] So you grew up with money? I did
[15:23] I did and
[15:26] Okay, so
[15:28] Uh
[15:30] I had a lot of money and then I didn't I was in sacks. I pulled out my credit card and they denied it
[15:35] They denied all my credit cards and I was in my forties. Okay, so you lived an adult life with money. Yeah
[15:42] Never occurred to me anything when I didn't even know how to write a check. That's how stupid I was and I was stupid
[15:49] Okay, so
[15:52] Long story short
[15:55] I scrambled my mother had Alzheimer's at the time and I was taking care of her and I loved her very much
[16:01] Um, and it was also relief that she stayed home
[16:05] I got sick. Oh, hold on back up back up
[16:08] You know money hold on. Okay, you're living it like you're living a good life
[16:12] You don't think about homeless people you're you're you're one of the halves not the have-nots
[16:17] Yeah, you're living a good life. You're in your forties
[16:19] You're in sacks with having you spending money life is good
[16:22] You run the credit card the credit card is denied. What happened to the money? My uncle
[16:27] I was on a trust fund my uncle was an investment banker everybody's money was even better. He got a brain tumor
[16:33] And no, I'm not mad at him. I was mad at myself. So he took the trust fund
[16:38] He took everybody's trust. He took everybody's money all the trust fund. So you're invested in some pyramid scheme that he never would have if he'd been sane
[16:46] So he gambled all your money. Yeah, I was going to trust one way. So so you went from rich to zero
[16:50] Oh, yes
[16:52] Like actually the car was taken the bank came to the door
[16:55] Everything was gone except the furniture. Thank God. I liked antiques
[16:59] I sold them and I was able to get us into an apartment
[17:02] I started working really for the first time in my life
[17:06] And I wasn't any good at anything
[17:08] But luckily I was doing inventory in the middle of the night in Northridge
[17:11] I was doing all kinds of odd jobs because I loved my mother very much and I had nice neighbors who would look after her
[17:17] In the evenings and I would I would work at night. Where were you living? I was living in Sherman Oaks
[17:23] So you had a you had a home. I had sort of an apartment
[17:28] And I was doing audience
[17:30] But I did with the audience was I I started out audience. Okay, it's the lowest form of extra work
[17:36] The kids would come in which actually train me for what I'm doing now
[17:40] A lot of actors would come in and you just simply sit in judge judy or deal or no deal or one of the court shows
[17:47] And you would get minimum wage and get cash
[17:49] Literally sitting in an audience you're literally paid to fill it to fill an audience and clap and fillers
[17:55] And that's what I did until a woman called Adrian Corey who was very good at what she did
[18:01] Pulled me out and said why don't you do the Jerry Lewis telephone because you seem to have a good memory because I was helping out one day
[18:07] So I did and she put me as a coordinator and so I coordinated audiences at all the studios with her
[18:12] I got the seat fin fillers. I booked. I wrote her checks. I
[18:16] Anytime somebody went into an audience who wasn't supposed to go in because they wouldn't get paid
[18:20] I would go in and pull them out because I had a good good eye
[18:24] And I learned about kids who were sleeping in their cars sleep people sleeping under bushes. They were actors
[18:31] And these are just people who are in the audience with you
[18:33] So you're getting to know these other seat fillers because as you said it is a minimum wage job. And then I got sick
[18:39] I was keeping my head above water the rent was paid
[18:43] I got sick. I
[18:46] Got a word form of cancer. It's usually curable, but it wasn't
[18:53] I was in a study with 35 people because I tried chemo and it
[18:58] it
[18:59] I couldn't take it
[19:01] I'm little. I can't even take a aspirin. It's not like I'm the anti addict. I just I was never
[19:06] Anything that I could do can't even drink
[19:09] My whole family's like that. Anyway, so they put me in a study immunotherapy
[19:15] Knocked out my immune system, but it saved my life and I
[19:19] Honestly, don't think I would have done it except I love my mother so much and she was not someone who could ever
[19:25] Survive in a nursing home. What do you mean you wouldn't have done it?
[19:27] I don't think I would have gone through what I went through with the treatment because it was harsh and harmful
[19:31] And I nearly died and I went down to 80 pounds
[19:35] I wouldn't have gone through it except I love my mother so much and we did have three geriatric dogs and she depended on me
[19:42] so
[19:43] But I was too sick to do anything and I couldn't pay the rent
[19:47] And the manager at our apartment said well honey. I'm not gonna evict you
[19:51] But can you just move so I said oh sure? Oh sure. I'll find something
[19:57] I didn't have credit. This is how stupid I was. I didn't have credit. I had no job. I couldn't even stand up
[20:02] So we wound up in my mother's old LTD that stopped running when we got to Sherman Oaks rouse parking lot
[20:08] and the night manager was really good to us. He let us go in and clean up and
[20:13] He fed me with the old deli stuff at rouse
[20:16] Luckily, he's retired. He'd be in trouble
[20:19] But and I tried everywhere to get services. I was living in my car
[20:24] You and your mom and three dogs and I was going everywhere trying to get help
[20:27] I signed up everywhere section everywhere
[20:30] There was nowhere. I didn't go nowhere nowhere
[20:34] But there weren't the services then that there are now they were there
[20:38] But not like there are now they're really as dependous now
[20:42] Still, they're not enough, but anyway, so
[20:46] I'd gone everywhere I could I didn't know what to do. I couldn't stand up
[20:50] I didn't have cancer anymore, but I couldn't stand up and it was the homeless around my car
[20:56] Who adopted me
[20:59] Specifically the alcoholics who said to me you should go over to Hollywood to that chicken line over there
[21:05] There's a guy who's a real nut and he'd probably help you
[21:10] So I was so desperate. I didn't know what else to do because I was
[21:17] So I went I went over to Hollywood. I got in in J. Goldinger's line who founded food on foot
[21:26] And it is his genius that laid the foundation that we have today
[21:31] You went I got in the chicken line for food
[21:34] In order to talk and see if there were any services there was I saw no services and this guy comes up to me
[21:40] J. Goldinger and he says
[21:42] So I just said just so that people are clear, which is one of the things that
[21:46] The organization does is it gives it gives hot meals gives a hot meal
[21:51] It gives a hot meal and it gives a lot of takeaway shell stable items. So anyway, I went over
[21:57] And I'm standing in line listing in the wind and he came up to me and said
[22:02] So what's your story you anorexic you're drug addict what you're skinny. What's going on here?
[22:08] I burst into tears
[22:13] He said okay, okay, okay, enough of that. He said he said
[22:18] Go through the line
[22:19] Don't leave when the serving is over and I'm going to take you back and meet your mother. Don't go
[22:25] He was like that with people probably like you were um
[22:30] So at the end of the serving I got into his SUV
[22:34] He met mama and saw the dogs. So this is a remarkably clean car. What's going on here
[22:39] He talked to the people around my car
[22:42] He talked to the night manager
[22:44] And then he came back and he gave me his card and he said I want you to go find a place to live tomorrow
[22:49] And I'm gonna pay for it for a year
[22:54] I didn't know any better
[22:58] So I went to a woman Connie um who took would take three dogs and I told her what had happened
[23:06] At an apartment house and she said oh honey, this is a scam
[23:11] And so she called him and he showed up
[23:14] With the food on foot
[23:15] Car and he said I'm going to rent this place months to months for a year
[23:22] He was legitimate and he did and he turned him and he said now you have to be in my food line
[23:26] You're not eligible for the job's housing
[23:28] But you've got to be in the food line every Sunday and I want an email from you every every week about your life
[23:35] So when you says in the food line meaning volunteering to help no in the food line
[23:39] Oh to actually how to eat to eat yes, I'm a subsequent and then he said
[23:45] I want you to take a look around at the street
[23:48] He said I want you to take a look and tell me everything you see and write me every week which I did
[23:54] Twice a week sometimes this was the condition of him paying your rent. Yeah, yeah, and I did so
[24:00] Long story short
[24:03] He fixed the car
[24:06] He got me a vacuum cleaner. He paid for nursing from my mother
[24:12] And he gave me the sport I needed he was also kind of a mentor
[24:18] My mother died in my arms at 98 listening Frank Sinatra
[24:21] In that apartment with the three dogs that her feet they outlasted her and I got back on my feet
[24:27] I started doing audience stuff again and
[24:30] Working through and so I went back to him and I said okay Jay
[24:35] How can I repay you when he said he's to pay it forward to some degree
[24:39] Anybody who has never been homeless and has not come close close to being homeless which has nothing to do with wealth
[24:45] But you know, you have enough that you don't think about being homeless
[24:49] That we are all a little bit. I don't know how to put it. We're all a little bit assholes like the way that you know
[24:55] I was a definite asshole. So you for example, you know
[24:59] You know people who say well the homeless are lazy try being homeless. It's the most unlazy thing you can get up
[25:04] You got bugs all of you dirty and you're in a place to use the talent and you have to go you have to go find food
[25:08] You have to go find
[25:10] The amount of work you have to do to just stay alive
[25:13] If you're lazy and no two services are next to each other and no two services are next to each other so these these these these
[25:20] Narratives that people who don't deal with homelessness other than seeing it and and and and having it be a nuisance in our lives
[25:28] You know, there's a narrative that we have and this is why I do it and and when I heard your story of somebody who came from wealth
[25:35] Who was a trust fund baby
[25:39] And then had nothing and was now living with her mother and three dogs in a car. It's that story of
[25:47] The and it's a story right now Simon is all over this city
[25:52] In every age group and I promise you like you're living a good life and life happens around you
[25:58] We saw it happen with with lockdown like we're all fine and then all of a sudden the world is completely different and and
[26:07] How ill prepared we are for what the world has to provide that what the world what happens to us in the world
[26:14] We're not I was stupid in so many of the ways I lived my life
[26:18] That's why I wanted you here, which is your story is is
[26:21] But I met someone if somebody saw you sitting on the street or living in your car
[26:26] the narrative of you drug addict and a rexick lazy all of these things, but you weren't no
[26:31] I wasn't but I still wasn't able to do it. You had bad luck. I had someone reach out a hand and help me up
[26:38] and he also
[26:39] mentored me in a way
[26:41] because I've come from a long line of manic depresses and I have depression and
[26:46] He was very big about when people got into the program to do one random act of kindness
[26:50] He didn't require anything else during the week except find a job
[26:54] but one random act of kindness
[26:57] To help someone in some way really look at them and this is not just giving them a sandwich. You don't want
[27:03] Or the rest of your coffee or a water bottle
[27:07] This is listening to them something that takes something out of yourself and that's what he drew out of me
[27:13] And I discovered my mother and myself which surprised me
[27:17] But what he taught me was
[27:20] He saved my life son
[27:23] He gave me the focus so that I was not depressed when my mother died
[27:28] He gave me tools to use
[27:32] That uniquely fit me
[27:35] That I could help people and help myself at the same time
[27:39] And it's not some kind of of bad thing or an addiction that doesn't work
[27:45] It works with everybody. You'll find outreach workers right and left to do it
[27:49] Why did he help you?
[27:50] Because he was like that. There's lots of people who needed help
[27:53] He kind of for to pay everyone's rent
[27:55] No, but he just had this guy girl about people
[27:59] Who would come through
[28:01] He gave me the opportunity and he gave me the foundation
[28:04] And then when I push my way into his charity
[28:09] He allowed it because it worked for him
[28:12] I he used to say you got to work ethic like no other Joe
[28:15] Tell me about somebody who came and worked the line on a Sunday
[28:19] Who stood behind the table and handed out donated goods and had never done anything like this before
[28:25] There was a woman whose house burned down
[28:28] During the fires
[28:30] She has money but she lost everything that is a memory memory memory of the past which is
[28:37] really
[28:38] Kits you in the gut
[28:41] And I was talking to her and she said I didn't think I'd be able to stand up today
[28:46] I didn't think I could go on
[28:48] And she said I came here and she said all these people
[28:52] She said I have money in the bank. I can rebuild
[28:55] But these people have nothing
[28:57] And she said it makes me feel so connected
[29:00] It gives me such a sense of community
[29:02] It gives me such a sense of right
[29:05] And and and justice
[29:07] She said what you're doing here
[29:09] She said I can't even believe all these people who are thanking me
[29:11] Forgiving me giving the bag of chips or she said it's food
[29:17] And she said it's nothing
[29:19] And yet it's probably saved my life
[29:22] I had a conversation with the
[29:25] homeless person in New York City
[29:29] Um
[29:31] It was somebody who was young and didn't look like
[29:37] She was couch surfing like that's had some really hard times, you know
[29:40] And I and she didn't look like
[29:43] You know the stereotypical homeless person, you know
[29:45] And talking to her she was telling me that the hardest part
[29:51] Wasn't the food donations or the few dollars that somebody would put in a cup
[29:56] It's that
[29:57] People would treat her as less than human
[30:00] They would ignore her
[30:01] They wouldn't make eye contact with her
[30:04] And she said the the part that destroyed her soul
[30:08] Wasn't actually
[30:10] The fact that she was
[30:12] Without a home and sleeping in friends couches
[30:15] And trying to scrounge things together
[30:17] It was she
[30:19] Destroyed her her confidence that she was she became less than she started to believe the way she was treated
[30:24] And that's what we do every week at food on foot
[30:26] I'm on call for the people in line
[30:28] I
[30:29] Literally food on foot is only there on Sunday
[30:32] Visible
[30:34] But everybody works behind the scenes but what I do during the week
[30:37] Yeah
[30:38] I figure out what they need because they tell me
[30:40] And I'm out in the streets
[30:41] I'm out I'm out at other charities
[30:43] I'm out at support days events
[30:45] Finding out what's going on just just this last Tuesday
[30:48] I was downtown at a support day at the LA Public Library
[30:52] And the Metro was there
[30:54] And they were offering bus passes
[30:57] And so I tackled Amelia and gave her a near full about what we do
[31:01] And she said oh I can come we can do that there
[31:04] It's the humanity right
[31:06] I mean again I'm thinking of somebody else
[31:08] It was a homeless guy outside my office
[31:10] I knew his name I knew his story I knew why he was homeless
[31:12] He used to be a high-flying guy
[31:14] And he was an idiot
[31:16] He admits that he is an idiot
[31:17] And he lost all his money
[31:18] And he couldn't make ends meet
[31:19] And a smart guy
[31:22] And you know he valued more than anything
[31:25] Than I just knew his name would say good morning to him
[31:28] And you know
[31:29] And I think that's one of the things that
[31:32] And even when I came to volunteer
[31:35] And work the tables
[31:37] You know to make eye contact with somebody
[31:38] And say hi what's your name
[31:40] You know
[31:41] And just
[31:42] Have a safe life every time you do that Simon
[31:44] You know
[31:45] You save a life
[31:46] I
[31:47] Occasionally
[31:48] Because I'm not often
[31:50] In all the circles and too busy behind the scenes
[31:52] But I will go and I will thank people for coming
[31:56] Because uh
[31:56] And we're not talking volunteers
[31:58] You're talking people
[31:58] Coming and asking for things
[32:00] No I'm talking about the volunteers
[32:03] I'm talking about the people who donate money
[32:05] And who are there
[32:06] To see what homelessness is
[32:07] And to feel better about themselves
[32:09] But I thank them
[32:11] There's nothing wrong with that
[32:12] No but it's
[32:13] There's nothing wrong with that
[32:14] That's a wonderful thing
[32:15] Yeah
[32:15] It's a good human thing
[32:18] But
[32:19] Basically what I
[32:21] Always do I try to do is to
[32:24] Let them know the impact they've made on these people's lives
[32:26] Because these are people
[32:28] Regular people
[32:29] Who are not spitting on them or looking down their noses
[32:31] Or treating them as if they're dirt
[32:34] These are people who are asking
[32:35] What would you like
[32:36] Would you like this
[32:37] Would you like that
[32:38] Well take an extra
[32:39] It's okay
[32:41] Let's go into the incident into into into difficult land
[32:43] politicians
[32:45] Run on the platform of clearing out
[32:48] Homeless camps and and here in Los Angeles
[32:50] I mean entire blocks
[32:52] Yeah I know
[32:52] Are occupied by homeless people's lives
[32:54] Well that would be all right
[32:55] That would be all right if they had a place to put them
[32:57] Here's the problem with that
[32:59] And it is a problem
[33:01] I think you know from human experience that
[33:04] A great segment of our society believes the world is flat
[33:07] They're going to fall off it at any minute
[33:10] That is not just people who have their criteria for wealth or whatever
[33:15] You have people in the street who cling to things
[33:19] And they are pack rats
[33:21] So it's too much
[33:22] So they have whole communities of excess
[33:25] Now if we were practical
[33:27] And we put a dumpster next to it
[33:29] And we provided them with some hope for the future
[33:33] The whole problem with
[33:35] I have to say we're doing a great job in in Hollywood
[33:38] We really are
[33:39] We really are with getting people off the street
[33:41] And providing them with that
[33:42] What's Hollywood doing that they're not doing on Skit Road
[33:44] Because we have Hollywood forward
[33:46] And quite frankly Mike Foley who's the head of
[33:48] Food on Foot has been intrinsic
[33:50] And in in jumping up and down
[33:52] And telling them like you guys
[33:53] We all have to hold hands
[33:55] We're not going to do this by ourselves
[33:57] We can't be so exclusive
[33:58] We've got to share information
[33:59] And we've got to band together and partner
[34:02] And he's he's so smart
[34:04] And I mean you saw how well how well organized we are
[34:07] At Food on Foot it was not that way
[34:09] You're I mean not to go off on a tangent
[34:10] But you're highlighting something which drives me crazy
[34:12] About not for profit organizations and charities
[34:15] Because they compete against each other
[34:17] They compete against each other
[34:18] And it's going to get much much much much worse
[34:22] And I'm terrified
[34:23] It's drives me nuts
[34:24] I will tell you right now I'm terrified
[34:26] Because what's happening now
[34:28] What's happening now
[34:29] You don't want people on the street
[34:31] That is not what you want
[34:32] You don't want them
[34:33] You want them to have a restroom
[34:34] You want them to have some access
[34:36] And we should be able to put them into shelters
[34:38] Whatever the sisters are so badly managed
[34:40] Most of them
[34:41] The ones that are best managed
[34:43] Hope
[34:44] The mission
[34:45] I have to say they do it better than
[34:47] Any other organization I've seen
[34:49] But they are dependent a lot
[34:51] On the government money
[34:52] As are all these huge organizations
[34:55] Government money and right now it's being cut off
[34:58] And that means we are totally private
[35:00] We have never taken government funding
[35:02] Because we do not operate in a small little area
[35:06] If you're from Bacayama
[35:07] If you're from Long Beach or San Diego
[35:09] You hear about us
[35:10] You're homeless, you want to work
[35:12] We will take you
[35:13] Has zero government funding
[35:15] No
[35:16] Absolutely none
[35:17] Wow
[35:18] Because it's a mess
[35:19] Hey guys
[35:20] Can you tell me a story of a single person
[35:22] You have met along your journey
[35:25] Whether it was a time when you were homeless
[35:27] Or a time
[35:28] Afterwards
[35:29] Can you tell me that
[35:32] Their story
[35:33] Touches you more than every one else
[35:35] That you carry
[35:37] You carry their name with you
[35:39] Uncle Willie
[35:40] Uncle Willie, tell me about Uncle Willie
[35:41] What is it about Uncle Willie's story?
[35:43] Uncle Willie is the son of a supreme
[35:45] Down in Rossin's Springs
[35:47] And he used to have a kids show
[35:49] He got on heroin
[35:51] And he kept trying and trying and trying to kick it
[35:54] And he came to food on foot
[35:55] And
[35:56] It has nothing to do with me
[35:58] But he was at a point
[35:59] Where he really really really
[36:01] Wanted to be in housing
[36:02] Wanted help
[36:04] And as I said
[36:07] Somebody didn't answer the phone
[36:09] I do
[36:10] I do
[36:12] So Uncle Willie came
[36:14] He said, John, I got to get in shelter
[36:16] He said, he said, I went through treatment
[36:18] But he said, they don't give you any help
[36:19] When they put you through treatment
[36:20] They want you to go right back in
[36:22] So they can get more government money
[36:23] He said, I need
[36:24] He said, I need shelter
[36:25] And so I contacted him
[36:27] With the shelter that were remain nameless
[36:29] I'm gonna hold on
[36:30] I'm gonna back up for a second there
[36:32] The treatment centers get government money
[36:34] Because they're everything's compartmentalized
[36:36] And they get government money for each person they treat
[36:38] So they don't
[36:38] There's an incentive
[36:40] There's an incentive not to keep you in the system
[36:42] Because then you get more government money
[36:44] Yeah
[36:45] The problem is the follow through in the support
[36:48] You can't throw people in housing
[36:49] Any people
[36:51] Without giving them support
[36:52] And government agencies do not have
[36:54] It's not their fault
[36:56] They don't have the social workers
[36:57] And the outreach workers
[36:58] Who can
[36:59] They have 300 cases each
[37:01] How can they do this?
[37:02] Okay, so back to Uncle Willie
[37:04] So he's a heroin addict
[37:05] He genuinely wants to get clean
[37:07] And he did
[37:08] And after he got clean
[37:09] He called me and said, help me get into shelter
[37:11] Help me, Joan
[37:12] I said, okay
[37:13] So I got him into a shelter
[37:16] That I thought was good
[37:18] A lot of these charities are businesses
[37:22] And they lean on endorsements
[37:25] And what people see
[37:26] So they have one shelter
[37:27] That's like it's a small world tour
[37:29] I call it
[37:30] And everything's perfect, it's clean
[37:32] Everybody's happy, yada, yada
[37:33] Everybody's been rehearsed
[37:35] And everybody gives a good story
[37:37] Then you have all the other shelters
[37:41] Uncle Willie got in one all the other shelters
[37:44] And I had been...
[37:45] This is way back
[37:46] This is way back
[37:47] I've known him 15 years
[37:50] And he called me up and he said, Joan
[37:51] He said, I have to room with this guy
[37:53] And he said, he's a cutter
[37:54] And he has AIDS
[37:55] And he said, we share a bathroom
[37:57] And he said in the shelter
[37:58] And he said, he bleeds all over the place
[38:00] And he said, I've asked him to move me
[38:01] And they say, I'm the problem
[38:03] I said, how are you the problem
[38:05] He said, well, he said
[38:07] And he's mental
[38:08] And he said, I can't keep this up
[38:10] And he said, I'm afraid
[38:12] He said, because he was older
[38:14] Then, and he was afraid
[38:17] And he said, I'm cleaning up the toilet
[38:19] I'm cleaning up the bathroom
[38:20] All the time, it's blood everywhere
[38:23] I said, okay
[38:24] I said, we gotta get you somewhere else
[38:26] But before that happened
[38:27] He was thrown out of the shelter
[38:28] Because he got angry
[38:30] And he said, you can't do this to me
[38:32] The secret about all these shelters is
[38:34] You can't get into any kind of
[38:38] Disagreement in them
[38:39] Even if you're not at fault
[38:40] Because if you're part of it
[38:41] They will oust you
[38:42] And then you have
[38:43] A thing on your
[38:45] That under your name and social security number
[38:47] That says you're a problem
[38:48] And they won't take you
[38:50] And that's the truth
[38:51] Hopefully it's changing
[38:53] But that is what has been happening
[38:56] And you tell me how you put a lot of people
[38:58] Who were treated like animals on the street
[39:01] You put them in shelter
[39:02] And you don't have any staff there at all at night
[39:05] And they were not
[39:05] They're just peer counselors or us
[39:07] Security guard with two weeks training
[39:09] And expect everything to be okay
[39:11] It's not
[39:12] You need someone to be able to pour oil on the water
[39:15] Night is when it happens
[39:17] After hours is when it happens
[39:19] That's why I answer all evening long
[39:22] So Uncle Willie is now
[39:25] thrown out
[39:25] He has no place to go
[39:27] He networks
[39:28] I get him a bus ticket back to Detroit
[39:30] Where he has relatives
[39:32] He calls me from Detroit
[39:33] And he says, Joan, he said, I'm going to come back
[39:35] I'm in better shape
[39:35] Like he said, I'm stable
[39:36] It's been a year
[39:38] And he said the problem is
[39:39] He said, all my relatives are using
[39:40] And I don't want to deal with it
[39:42] So he comes back
[39:43] I get him a really great case worker
[39:45] Because she's a friend
[39:47] And she really, really does care
[39:49] Unfortunately, she burnt out
[39:50] She worked for Lasso
[39:51] That happens a lot
[39:53] Because they outreach workers are tremendous
[39:55] But they're up against
[39:57] They have quotas
[39:58] It's like any business
[39:59] And there's so much they can't do
[40:01] And they have too many people
[40:02] And there's not enough that they can do for them
[40:04] And you have mental
[40:05] You have
[40:05] You have
[40:07] What is it about Uncle Willie that
[40:09] You carry his money?
[40:10] Uncle Willie kept
[40:11] kept going
[40:12] And he kept calling me
[40:16] He kept calling me
[40:18] And so finally
[40:19] We got him a place to live
[40:22] Downtown he has a place
[40:23] And he came through
[40:26] And he helps other people
[40:27] Lots of people came through
[40:29] Lots of people help other people
[40:30] What is it about Uncle Willie?
[40:31] Because he was such a heroin addict
[40:33] He fell so far down
[40:34] He was in a ditch
[40:35] Do you work with others who've been in a really bad shape?
[40:37] No
[40:38] No
[40:39] Not a man who's been on heroin
[40:41] Since he was 20 years old and he's now 60
[40:43] Wow
[40:44] No
[40:47] And he is the one who said to me
[40:50] When I first met him
[40:51] He says, I like you
[40:52] I said, why?
[40:55] He said, because you always tell me the truth
[40:57] And the truth is the only thing that keeps you standing when you hit bottom
[41:03] So he was in line last week
[41:05] He comes in line
[41:07] He brought a guy
[41:08] With him from downtown
[41:10] Who was homeless
[41:10] And he said, this is Joan
[41:11] Oh, he said the famous Joan
[41:15] He said, why does everybody like her?
[41:18] And Uncle Willie said, because she's the one
[41:22] When everybody else turns their back on you
[41:24] She'll still be there for you
[41:31] So that's why I do it
[41:32] Because these people endure and they're admirable
[41:35] And I get more truth on the street
[41:37] When I go around to all these different charities and explore
[41:39] And find out what works and what doesn't
[41:41] And I'm not against any of them
[41:44] But I see the fallacies and what
[41:46] The services that
[41:48] Oh, just so much
[41:49] And I see what goes on
[41:52] The people I depend on the most
[41:54] The people who are on the ground
[41:56] Who are being served
[41:58] But this role of truth
[42:00] I find very interesting
[42:01] Right
[42:02] Which is you say when
[42:03] Because they can handle it
[42:05] The way they can handle it
[42:06] The way that
[42:08] Uncle Willie described you is
[42:10] When you're at your worst
[42:11] She'll tell you the truth
[42:13] And
[42:14] Jay
[42:16] Was
[42:17] Very honest with you
[42:19] One would think that for people who are struggling
[42:21] That
[42:23] Being nice
[42:25] That does work
[42:26] But nice is a surface term, isn't it
[42:28] When anybody ever says
[42:29] Oh, you should meet me so nice
[42:30] I go
[42:31] Oh, boy
[42:33] Tell me you're good
[42:33] Tell me you're honest
[42:34] Tell me you're kind
[42:35] Tell me you're fair
[42:37] Tell me you're decent
[42:38] Don't tell me you're nice
[42:39] That's a social term
[42:41] It's like glitter
[42:41] But don't we need to lift people up who are struggling
[42:44] Exactly, be kind
[42:45] But sometimes the truth is difficult to hear
[42:49] It depends
[42:51] When you got yourself
[42:53] Back on your feet
[42:54] And you've had a home and a job
[42:57] What was the reason you decided to continue to volunteer
[43:00] As opposed to just go
[43:01] Build a life and live a life
[43:03] I was good at it
[43:05] And I liked the people I helped
[43:07] I liked them genuinely
[43:08] And I saw them not treated well
[43:10] But I want to know
[43:12] How did this spoiled little rich girl
[43:13] Find such empathy
[43:15] For people who are always had
[43:17] And it should have been
[43:18] It must be a gene that pops out
[43:20] When you're 50 something
[43:21] Didn't grow up like you
[43:22] They didn't live like you
[43:23] And here you are
[43:24] Yeah, well
[43:25] Actually someone said that to me
[43:27] Well, we need a social worker
[43:28] Really understands Hollywood
[43:30] And you know
[43:31] Has lived experience
[43:33] And he said you know
[43:34] And I said
[43:35] He said like you
[43:36] I said I'm from Beverly Hills
[43:38] It's talent
[43:40] You know how people operate with people
[43:42] If they're good with people
[43:43] And they care
[43:44] And they want to help
[43:46] You have all these people out there
[43:49] And you just know
[43:50] There are so many wonderful people
[43:52] Out there in the street
[43:53] Helping you have no idea
[43:54] I'm not an anomaly
[43:56] I'm just
[43:58] Usual it's just that
[43:59] I don't stop
[44:01] And it's not a job
[44:02] I'm a volunteer
[44:03] It's a vocation
[44:05] How much does the service
[44:07] Help them get healthy again
[44:09] Like do people
[44:10] Is there a higher likelihood
[44:11] That they're going to get healthy
[44:13] Like where does the service come from
[44:14] Because they have someone to go to
[44:17] But like you
[44:17] Or somebody in the job program
[44:19] Yes exactly
[44:20] Or they're more likely to succeed
[44:22] In the job program
[44:23] Program
[44:23] When they also volunteer
[44:25] That was the reason
[44:26] There was a random act of kindness
[44:28] Required by J. Goldinger
[44:29] It's no longer required
[44:31] Because it's more fully fleshed out now
[44:33] Right, right
[44:33] But there it is
[44:34] There it is
[44:35] This to me is the insight on all of this
[44:37] Which is you're more likely to help yourself
[44:39] Solve your problem
[44:40] When you live a life of service
[44:41] And helping other people
[44:42] Well, there's something else
[44:43] It's going on
[44:44] That I hope will happen
[44:45] Randy Wyatt
[44:45] I think you met her
[44:46] She's absolutely wonderful
[44:47] She has two kids in her own
[44:49] She wants to start
[44:51] A program
[44:51] At food on foot to help youth
[44:54] A lot of different organizations
[44:55] Are doing this
[44:56] But I think
[44:56] I think they think
[44:57] Food on foot
[44:58] Way
[44:58] I think we're better at it
[44:59] Okay
[44:59] I'm prejudiced
[45:02] You have so much emphasis on kids
[45:05] Using fentanyl
[45:06] Because they say
[45:07] God
[45:07] I mean
[45:07] I grew up in the just say no era
[45:09] Of everybody said
[45:10] Yes
[45:11] During the Reagan era
[45:12] Because I'm an old person
[45:13] In the 70s
[45:14] In high school
[45:16] And what I saw was
[45:17] I most of my friends died
[45:18] I was always a designated driver
[45:20] Because I'm not kidding you
[45:21] I can't even
[45:21] Asperg nuts me out
[45:23] You give me some of coding
[45:24] I'm going to be out for a week
[45:27] But
[45:28] What I see with today's youth
[45:31] Look, I would never want to go back
[45:32] And be a teenager
[45:33] Or hormones go crazy
[45:34] I wouldn't go through that again
[45:35] For all the teen China
[45:37] Let me
[45:37] Let me have my face
[45:38] Like I sure pay on fine
[45:41] But for
[45:42] For most people
[45:43] For most youngsters
[45:45] You hit a point
[45:46] Where your hormones go wild
[45:49] And I don't care
[45:49] Your ins
[45:50] You don't know
[45:50] Your focus is not
[45:52] Always the best
[45:53] And you don't
[45:54] And your parents
[45:55] Haven't taken out a license
[45:56] To raise your right
[45:57] They haven't learned
[45:59] A lot of parents just
[46:00] Let kids
[46:01] Just out there
[46:01] So the co-critory is
[46:03] Don't join a gang
[46:04] Don't go to a rave and try
[46:06] Help somebody
[46:07] So we're trying to institute a program
[46:09] Where we get together
[46:10] Groups of kids
[46:12] And let them
[46:13] Help other people
[46:14] And see that it's fun
[46:15] This is not a downer
[46:17] Did you have a downer when you went
[46:18] Not at a lovely time
[46:19] No, you had a wonderful time
[46:20] And also the people in our line
[46:23] Who have nothing
[46:24] Have a good time
[46:25] I get that all week
[46:27] I get
[46:27] I come to food on foot
[46:29] To feel better about myself
[46:30] Because I'm treated well
[46:31] How do you deal with burnout
[46:33] And the emotional labor
[46:35] I don't get burnout
[46:36] Of outreach
[46:37] I don't get burnout
[46:38] And what I do
[46:39] I get burnout in my own life
[46:41] And then I just pick up the phone
[46:43] And talk to somebody who's
[46:44] I have a lot worse than I am
[46:46] In their lives
[46:47] And uh
[46:49] Basically, maybe I help them
[46:50] Maybe I don't
[46:51] But I always get practically
[46:52] The same thing
[46:53] Nine times out of 10
[46:54] I said I can't help you
[46:55] Dear God, I wish I could
[46:57] And you know what they say
[46:58] But you listen to me
[46:59] You answered the phone
[47:01] Nobody else answers the phone
[47:02] Nobody else talks to me
[47:06] That's nothing
[47:09] And it saves my life every week
[47:11] What is the one thing someone can do today
[47:13] To help their
[47:15] Homeless or unhoused community
[47:17] Kind
[47:19] When I
[47:20] At the beginning of food on foot
[47:23] It wasn't quite as heartfelt as it is now
[47:26] Right at the beginning when I was first
[47:28] What does kindness look like
[47:28] When you say there's one thing we can do today
[47:30] You say because
[47:31] What does kindness look like
[47:32] Your face
[47:33] That helps
[47:34] What does that mean
[47:35] It means you look at people kindly
[47:38] You smile at them
[47:39] And you put yourself forward
[47:41] In order to be interested in them
[47:45] If somebody asks
[47:46] And you have nothing
[47:47] Look because nobody carries change anymore in this
[47:50] Smile
[47:51] So if you get something bad back
[47:53] I think people are uncomfortable to say no
[47:55] And so they turn away and ignore somebody
[47:57] Ignore that you don't exist
[47:59] And so if somebody has nothing to give in that moment
[48:01] I always say the same thing
[48:02] What should they
[48:03] What should
[48:03] What does kindness look like in those moments
[48:05] Well for me it's
[48:06] I'm so sorry
[48:08] I don't have any money to give you
[48:10] I'm poor too
[48:11] However
[48:13] Maybe you might explore this
[48:15] And this what's going on with you
[48:16] Now I talk to them
[48:17] You don't have to do that
[48:19] Basically all you have to do is say
[48:20] I'm so sorry
[48:21] And smile and go on
[48:23] A little bit of humanity
[48:25] It's a small thing
[48:26] But it works
[48:28] And it's like osmosis
[48:30] It's really like osmosis
[48:33] One kind smile
[48:36] It really does translate
[48:37] I'm not kidding you when I say
[48:40] You probably save a life
[48:42] By coming to food on foot and smiling at somebody
[48:45] I know I've been told that many times
[48:47] During the week when I'm out there
[48:48] And I am out there
[48:49] Joan thank you so much for coming in
[48:51] Well thank you for coming in
[48:51] You are a saint
[48:53] Oh no
[48:54] God no
[48:55] Please please
[48:56] We're not a religious experience
[48:57] And we're not a cult
[48:58] You were saint like
[48:59] No
[49:00] No I was originally supposed to be a nun
[49:03] My grandmother decided I was the youngest child of the youngest child
[49:06] So I was supposed to be a nun
[49:08] And my mother said oh no
[49:10] Well if you refuse to be a saint
[49:13] Then just thank you for
[49:14] It's somebody who cares
[49:15] The way you care and the way everybody should
[49:18] Thank you for caring to such an extreme level
[49:21] That it shows
[49:22] Simon do me a favor
[49:23] Please
[49:25] Let people know
[49:27] That I'm at food on foot for a reason
[49:30] If anybody likes anything that I said
[49:33] Because out of everything I've seen
[49:34] I'm telling you I've seen hundreds
[49:37] This one works
[49:39] And it should be all over this nation
[49:40] For anyone who lives in Los Angeles
[49:42] Come down and volunteer at food on foot
[49:45] Go to their website
[49:46] foodonfoot.org
[49:49] Register
[49:50] Come and volunteer
[49:52] If you have a company
[49:53] Or if you don't have a company
[49:54] You just have means
[49:56] You can donate money
[49:56] You can donate stuff
[49:57] That they need
[49:58] Again go to the website
[49:59] See what they need what you can give
[50:01] I've done it
[50:02] It is inspiring
[50:04] And it
[50:05] I think it forces all of us to recognize
[50:07] That everybody has a story
[50:09] And you don't necessarily know what that story is
[50:11] And for us to guess what somebody's story is
[50:13] Is very
[50:15] You're going to get it wrong most of the time
[50:18] And I think the lesson here is
[50:20] If we all had a little empathy
[50:21] I mean that's all it is
[50:22] It's empathy
[50:23] If we all had a little empathy
[50:24] To recognize that everybody is a story
[50:26] And if we had a little less judgment
[50:27] A little more concern and care
[50:30] You'd be amazed how much you can help
[50:31] And if you don't live in Los Angeles
[50:33] Please either steal their model
[50:35] And set one up in your city
[50:38] Or
[50:39] Or if you have means
[50:40] Please donate some way shape or form
[50:42] Joan
[50:43] If you won't be a saint
[50:44] At least accept that you are an inspiration
[50:46] A bit of optimism is a production
[50:48] Of the optimism company
[50:50] Lovingly produced by our team
[50:51] Lindsay Garbenius
[50:53] Phoebe Bradford
[50:54] And Devon Johnson
[50:55] Subscribe wherever you enjoy listening to podcasts
[50:58] And if you want even more cool stuff
[51:00] Visit SimonCinic.com
[51:02] Thanks for listening
[51:04] Take care of yourself
[51:05] Take care of each other

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