On Saturday 17th of February more than 400 people gathered together in a school sports hall in London. They came bearing gifts and donations such as food, socks, blankets, gift vouchers and many other items which, to us, may seem dull and ordinary. However for 300 people who sleep rough in and around London, these gifts made more of a difference than we can possibly imagine.
A charity called ‘The Love Brigade’ organised this event, operating though a Facebook event they originally intended to prepare 50 bags of donations to give to 50 homeless people, however as word of the event spread more people signed up and by the time the day came demand was so high that 300 gift bags were being prepared to be handed out.
To see such widespread compassion amongst the people of London is, undeniably, a fantastic sight; people donated not only items to be given away, but also their own time to go and distribute the donations amongst London’s homeless. However the event has raised eyebrows from some including, most surprisingly, the homeless people to whom gift bags were given. Although many people who sleep rough in London do so out of necessity, particularly non-citizens who aren’t entitled to free shelter, many also do so out of choice. One man who received a gift bag said that he worried that charitable events such as The Love Brigade’s would encourage more voluntary homelessness amongst people who, were they to want to, could easily find shelter, and merely choose to live outside the system.
However surely we can’t deny people the help they need purely in the fear that a minority of them are not deserving of it? What it comes down to is a matter of opinion, and there is no right or wrong answer. Whether The Love Brigade’s actions contributed to a positive of negative effect, what is truly admirable is the selflessness that was exhibited by the hordes of people who turned up for no other reason than to improve the lives of others, and the significance and of that can never be downplayed.
