Zippered Hoodie

Tonight, our church cell group met up at one of the many corner shopping centers in Irvine. Usually these have a “food court” and outdoor seating. We have met here before, but it was the first time we were approached by homeless people. You hardly ever see homeless people in Irvine. The rumor is that Irvine police picks them up and drops them in Santa Ana.

Anyway, during our discussion how our week went, one (there were two of them) came over trying to make conversation. He said he was a veteran and thought one of us was ex-military. There was no obvious reason to doubt him, but I thought he was just panhandling. To my surprise, he did not ask for any money and left after some awkward conversation. Later however, he came by again and tried to shame us (“Hey, you guys are Christians, right?”) into buying them two hoodies. I mean it does get cold at night, and I do not know if there are any shelters in Irvine. However, it was already 10:00 pm at night, and nothing is open in Irvine after 9:00 pm.

The shaming worked on me though. I was the only one carrying a hoodie. After the ask, our group was just looking at one another in silence. My hoodie on the back of my chair was pretty obvious, so I offered it up. As I handed it to the homeless guy, I read the label and it was an Eddie Bauer zippered hoodie. I think it was a birthday gift from my sister from several years ago. By then, it was too late to take it back. I looked up Eddie Bauer’s site, and it seemed to be this one:

$42!? That is a pretty expensive zippered hoodie. At first I was kind of upset; not because I gave away an overpriced jacket to someone that probably need it more than me, but the fact I was manipulated into doing so. If the homeless person just asked, I probably would have given it to him anyway. It was the implied “if you don’t give us two hoodies, you guys are not really Christians.”

Sigh. It is true that as Christians, we should be charitable. I have more jackets and hoodies at home, some that I have not worn in years. OTOH, we cannot be expected to individually give our way out of the homeless problem. It is a very complex issue, often involving mental illness and substance abuse, and my hoodie will have zero impact. Though very unlikely, I do hope that my hoodie will keep one homeless guy warmer, and somehow help him to seek more comprehensive help.

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Eddie Bauer clothing is so overpriced. Here is one from Costco for $22 and it has a cellphone pocket, thought likely not useful for someone who is homeless. Maybe I will get this to replace my “donated” zippered hoodie.