Dale was very young, maybe 11, when I found myself without a job; what to do? I had to feed both of us until I found work. Near to where we lived on Quentin Road in Brooklyn was a community outreach program to help the poor and feed the homeless; it was run from a storefront office. I contacted Mike King who had started this program and ran it. I found out much later on that he had once been homeless himself and so understood what it was like. Each week he gave out boxes of food to those who needed it; he and others also made up sandwiches which Mike drove to the Coney Island area where they handed out sandwiches to the homeless and hungry. Dale and I started helping out making the sandwiches each week that would go to the homeless. On Thanksgiving and other holidays there was turkey and trimmings for the homeless and poor. He held these events in a room near the front office. 

It started out at first that I received a box of food each week from Mike King that fed Dale and me and was most welcome and needed. Later on, I worked as secretary in Mike’s office for a nominal fee. I answered his phone and made various calls for Mike, called local newspapers and let them know of holiday events for the homeless and set up dates for them to come and photograph these events. Dale and I were photographed with a group of volunteers who helped Mike King prepare food for the homeless; I still have the local newspaper clipping with the photograph hanging on my wall. Among other duties, I created flyers and posters on the office computer, printed them, and distributed them to advertise this outreach program and also the special holiday events. Plus Dale and I were in Mike King’s street fairs selling our wares in front of the office; profits went to Mike King’s program for the homeless. Dale had sports cards, various other cards, and magic cards, games and comics and more that he sold and I had the greeting cards I had made with the graphics software program on my computer, plus I sold other items as well. 

It was a wonderful experience for both of us; and one Dale felt was so good for kids to be part of, and he said it’s an experience he hopes to repeat someday with his children.