Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings Serves Homeless

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

The SoupMobile's 7th Annual Celebrate Jesus Christmas Extravaganza is now over and in the books. We took 500 homeless men and women right off the streets of Dallas and put them up at the downtown Dallas Hyatt Regency Hotel for Christmas. They all received new clothes, fabulous gifts, lots of love, and we held a huge banquet for them and in their honor. Most important is that when they awoke on Christmas morning it was in a warm safe bed at the Hyatt, NOT in a cardboard box under some bridge.

More than 2,000 volunteers from the community came to the Hyatt and helped us with the event. The world famous Vocal Majority Chorus came (pro-bono) and performed for our homeless guests at the mega-banquet. The Hyatt Regency put on extra staff to make sure our homeless guests got the very best of service. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings came to the banquet in his tuxedo, rolled up his sleeves, and served the top of the line food to our homeless guests.

Here are some of the comments from the event:

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said: "They (the homeless) have given me the best Christmas I could ever have had."

Volunteer Cheron A. said: "OMG, OMG, I cried!!! This will be an event that I will never forget as long as I live."

Volunteer Shana T. said: "It was the most memorable event ever."

Homeless man Richard said: "Thank you SoupMan for caring about me."

Homeless child Morgana said when she got a giant Teddy Bear as a gift: "Thank you Santa."

The SoupMan said: "Our homeless guests didn't just receive great gifts and a wonderful stay at the Hyatt - they also received a huge infusion of love, caring, and compassion."

Yes, our 7th Annual event is over and we've already started planning for the 8th Annual event for December 24--25th, 2012. You won't want to miss it. Meanwhile remember that homeless issues are year-round. Please remember to support your favorite homeless charity throughout the year with both your volunteer time and your financial support.

2,000 years ago Jesus said "Feed MY Sheep.' It was NOT a suggestion. It was a call to action. Please give prayerful consideration to joining with the SoupMan and his fabulous SoupTeam as 'together' we go about our Father's business. More details about partnering with the SoupMobile can be found at www.soupmobile.org.

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

p.s. Remember, you still have time to make a Tax Deductible Donation to the SoupMobile by Dec. 31st. Won't you please give this prayerful consideration. http://soupmobile.org/donatenow.php

Cowardly Men Abuse Homeless Woman

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that I bring you the following story. It's a story about a homeless woman who goes by the street name 'Susie.' She was recently abused and degraded in a horrific incident at a local Dallas barbershop. Cowardly men shaved her head and eyebrows and tormented her.

The incident was captured on video and has gone viral on the Internet. This homeless woman was made sport of by the men in the barber shop. They treated her with the utmost disrespect and were cruel in both their actions and comments that were heard on the video.

The SoupMobile has had search teams looking for Susie for the past several days. We also have an 'investigator' who has extensive experience finding homeless people out searching for Susie. Our goal is to find her and bring her in from the cold.

Susie's story may be the tip of the iceberg. Over the past several years, stories and videos of gangs of thugs assaulting homeless people have become only too common. It's a hard, dirty, and difficult life if you are homeless. It's even worse if you have to fear for your safety every day. If you are a homeless man, life is extremely difficult, but if you are a homeless woman, life is almost impossible.

I shouldn't have to say this, but it's NOT okay to abuse homeless people either verbally or physically. They are not sub-human and they are not deserving of abuse. The vast majority of the homeless are good decent people. Yes, they are down on their luck, but decent people. These are real live human beings with feelings, hopes, dreams, and a desire to get out of homelessness.

The men in the barbershop that abused Susie are NOT men. They are cowards. Real men do not abuse women---homeless or otherwise. Real men do not make sport of abusing women. Real men do not degrade any homeless person. Yes, the men in the video are cowards.

So what can we do about this problem? Frankly there are no easy answers. As horrific as the Susie story is, we were lucky it was captured on video. We have a chance to find Susie and help her. We may also be able to bring the perpetrators to justice. Unfortunately, there is much abuse of the homeless that goes unreported. You can help by reporting any suspected abuse of the homeless to the authorities.

There is another way you can help. Christmas is just around the corner. Let this Christmas season be a time that you reach out in love and kindness to a homeless person. Maybe you volunteer at a charity that works with homeless people. Maybe you make a donation to a homeless cause. Maybe you pray for the homeless. Whatever you do, please know that homeless people need our help. I pray for a day when Susie stories will be a thing of the past. Let's all do our part to help make that prayer become a reality.

p.s. This video from Channel 11 is about the Susie story. Fair warning that some of the incidents in the video may make it difficult to watch.



May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

WINTER WONDERLAND!!!

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

In 1934, songwriter Felix Bernard wrote one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time. It was titled ‘Winter Wonderland’ and in the decades since, more than 150 different artists have recorded the song. It’s a song of fun, laughter, joy, and a celebration of winter.

And for some of us winter is indeed a time of merriment and good cheer. And why shouldn't it be? We live in nice homes or apartments, drive decent cars, have family and friends, and even if it gets a little cold outside we have the luxury of heat in our homes, cars, and offices. Ah yes, for most of us it’s truly a Winter Wonderland. But there's the rub----'For most of us'.

It seems a few people have fallen through the cracks. Actually, more than a few! In the Dallas area there are more than 10,000 homeless people. The lucky ones get to stay in shelters. However, there are thousands that are not so lucky. They spend their days on the streets and their nights sleeping in cardboard boxes, behind dumpsters, in abandoned buildings, and in the woods. For them it’s not a Winter Wonderland. It’s really more of a Winter Nightmare.

Oh you might be thinking that's too strong a statement---Winter Nightmare! But let’s look at it from the perspective of a homeless person. It’s the first week of December in Dallas and temperatures are hovering close to freezing. Making matters worse is that it’s been raining. Cold weather plus freezing rain is not just a little uncomfortable for a homeless person---it’s life threatening. Just imagine that tonight you go outside and stand in your backyard and get soaked in the freezing rain. Then imagine crawling in a cardboard box and trying to get dry and warm. Then imagine waking up in the freezing dawn with stiff limbs and damp clothes and no prospects for it getting any better. Then imagine doing it all winter.

Winter Wonderland for the homeless? I don't think so. Christmas is fast approaching. And while our nation has gone thru some tough economic times the last couple of years, most of us are doing okay. Maybe not great for everyone, but for most we are doing okay. What are your plans for Christmas? Are you giving or receiving? If you are going to be experiencing a fun Winter Wonderland, might you consider helping others?

In a Christmas event called CELEBRATE JESUS, the SoupMobile is taking 500 homeless right off the streets this Christmas and putting them up at the downtown Dallas Hyatt Regency Hotel. They will all get new clothes, fabulous gifts, lots of love, and we will throw a huge banquet for them and in their honor. Most important is that when the wake up on Christmas morning it will be in a warm safe bed at the Hyatt---NOT in a cardboard box under a bridge. Would you like a piece of this action??? Maybe you would like to volunteer with us at the Hyatt? Maybe you can't volunteer but would like to donate for the event? Can you do something to help? Most people can. It doesn't have to be a Million Dollars---but it could be. Maybe its $5. Only you know best how much of your Winter Wonderland you can share.

By the way, we practice what we preach. My wife Shana, a.k.a. The SoupGirl, and I make a pact every Christmas. We do NOT buy each other gifts. We take the money we would have spent and donate for the homeless at Christmas. We don't have a million to share but it’s more than $5. We are sharing of our Winter Wonderland. Won't you give prayerful consideration to doing the same? For more details on how you can volunteer or help financially, go to www.soupmobile.org and click on CELEBRATE JESUS.

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan