Sharing Food and Humanity at Ala Moana Park

     It's the Fourth of July, and Ala Moana Park is packed with beachgoers and campers who staked out places early to make the most of the summer holiday and catch the big fireworks display tonight. There are boisterous volleyball games in progress and there's the aroma of teriyaki beef and chicken on the grill.

     There are also signs of other kinds of campers--homeless people who have moved their carts and backpacks to the far edges of the park. Most are trying not to call attention to themselves, because if they get kicked out, they've got nowhere else to go.

      I witnessed a nice thing--a local family piling paper plates with teri beef, mac salad, and corn on the cob and taking them over to a group of very surprised and grateful homeless folks. "No big deal," the tank-topped patriarch of the family said in handing over the plates. "There's plenty to go around. Let's all enjoy."

      Reminds me of a quote I liked enough to save, from philanthropist Dick Grace: "You don't need just money for philanthropy. It begins with looking at the homeless on the street and acknowledging their humanity, not letting them become invisible. It doesn't cost anything, but it means a lot."