2001, unemployment forced poverty and homelessness on people who had never expected it to affect them.

They are forgotten,
as invisible as if they did not exist,
another realm on the sidelines of our reality.
We pass by shrunken limbs
and faces etched with the pain
of self-loathing and shame.
Or the harried faces of mothers,
struggling to survive,
their innocent children unwilling warriors
in the battle against poverty.
In most minds,
the situation is not blame free,
an assumption is made
that somehow
"they" did something to deserve it.
Now, more than ever,
the lay offs throughout the country
are forcing more
into the arms of destitution.
No longer are these people invisible,
they are our friends,
our neighbours -
and if it can happen to them,
it might happen to us.
While we are still able,
let us count our blessings and
help those in need.
Let's feed the hungry
and shelter the homeless,
offer succour where needed
and a shoulder to lean on.
If we each do our part,
we can help others get through this
maintaining their dignity,
through our respect,
in their depths of despair.