09/27/2026
I had someone recently attempt to insult me by quoting an obscure passage from the Bible and using it in a most inappropriate and cruel way. No worries, that is on them. In the hands of some the Bible can be a weapon. In other hands it is a Holy book. As with all holy books I respect those who find the answers they are seeking inside. My Bible is not the only holy guide, just the one I follow. And SAFPAW is not an organization based on religion but rather the humanity we see in all we serve.
During 25 years of outreach to folks not housed and their animals I have witnessed so much that haunts me to this day and always will. The people I have served are no angels just as those I have met who are housed, and indeed financially well off are no angels. I have learned that one’s status in life is not the same as one’s ability to show compassion. But I have also met some true angels who walked this earth disguised as homeless. So many and they taught me all about this path I’ve been on. Some have challenged me because they did not make our relationship easy at all, but then what good am I if I only cared for the easy?
At the end of any day it is not perfection that I am seeking. It is to always get someone a step further in getting them, and sometimes an animal companion, off of these mean streets. But the resolution is never an easy one nor does it always look like how I wanted it to look. And that has taught me that it is not about me to begin with. If we are to be of any count as an Outreach Worker it will be when we discard self and focus on the one in front of us.
We will be judged by how we treat them, no matter what faith we follow.
Laurie Green
Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare - Safpaw
[email protected]
