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THE PHILADELPHIA HOMELESS RUN BACKGROUND |
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Background Updated 3/6/2007
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On a bitterly cold day in January 2005, Irene and Les Zan from Great Valley Presbyterian Church (GVPC) drove down to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway looking for the homeless. Their son and daughter-in-law had been there on Christmas Day, 2004, handing out pbj sandwiches, home baked cookies, blankets and gloves - a day when regular citizens were opening presents with loved ones in their warm homes.
That was the spark that ignited the Zans to venture out on this frigid day but try as they might, they could not find one homeless person. You see, we are so used to passing them by and turning a blind eye that it took a few minutes to see beyond the tree lined parkway, and into the shadows. It's like suddenly walking into a dark room and waiting for your eyes to adjust. There they were, huddled along the wall, across the field. There they were, asleep on park benches. There they were, perched on multiple tiers of the shut down fountain in Logan Circle. How can they be warm out here? Is the will to survive so strong that one can get accustomed to sleeping on hard concrete with the temperature at 16F degrees, day in and day out? Once a month since that cold January day in 2005, the Zans head down to Philadelphia to meet with the homeless, rub elbows, listen to their story and share the Gospel with them. They are now joined by a multitude of volunteers from GVPC, who like the Zans want to share God's love with the homeless.
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What is City Hall doing about the homeless? |
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The fountain at Logan Circle on a beautiful day.