See the Carpet of the Sun

THIS BLOG IS ABOUT ONE OF MANY FIGHTS BEING WAGED AGAINST HUNGER AND POVERTY.
THE LAST POST IS THE FIRST. WE PUSHED AN EMPTY CART TO MAKE A STATEMENT ABOUT HUNGER AND POVERTY, AND TO JUST BRING ATTENTION TO THE PROBLEM.
PLEASE CHECK OUT THE LINKS AND DO SOMETHING, AND AS I SAID, THE POST AT THE BOTTOM IS THE FIRST AND MAYBE WHERE TO START;

Carpet of the Sun....If you know Renaissance, you get the reference.....
It's 5:15 am Sunday, and 12 hours ago I was steady pushing banging out the last of the marathon. I wiped out my back, S1, S3, & L4 &5, in 2001. broken wrist in 91, and last year was in a bus accident and it messed up my shoulder and elbow, and took a fall and tore my acl... not as able as I was at 30, and it is humbling to say the least. That's why I'm back in college. I give out, my knee gives out when overused, and I drop things when I try to lift using my left arm. From the broken right wrist my hand sometime seizes, carpal tunnel and in pain right now... but I don't want disability. My father was a union man, he went to work every day, and worked hard. It took me longer to accept any help because it was a matter of pride for me, but maybe that was foolish. So I make adjustments and to try to survive, make a good life for myself and my family, and earn a decent living and quality of life, which is why I'm back in college...
....there are many stories like mine, and you and I will never hear them..... but should we let those stories be ones of sorrow or joy? Anyone can deal with suffering and hardship, but they shouldn't have to be treated like dirt or made to feel invisible.
Yesterday, as I was coming from The Stadium, WJCT, WTLV-12, and The Coliseum, I passed behind Maxwell House and then Sulzbacher. At Sulzbacher two residents stopped me ask asked who (what) organization I was with (?) I answered "none". Then they asked who was paying me to do this, I answered "no one", and it hit them, I think, what it was about; I told them a little bit about the push, and that they weren't invisible, at least not to me. That the city may try to hide the problems of poverty but that I still see them, and they are thought about, even if they never know it, by many people. The woman started to cry a little, so I hugged her, and went on and finished the 26.2 miles. (best guess closer to 27 miles)
The solitary walk back to Chamblin's where the car was, in pain, on a mission to complete just an idyllic gesture, is a great time to think.
The cart started where food was sold in bounty and abundance, Past pawn shops and banks, past the poor places and through affluent areas, past churches and other missions, past libraries and schools and colleges, past hospitals, past memorials and fountains and hospitals and museums, past city agencies and a jail and courthouses and city hall and parks, and all the places where people conduct their lives in our culture.
America was once great, but are we still? We CAN be, but would a great nation or people allow it's members to suffer, society to fall in decay, and have the most affluent sell our manufacturing to China for a quick profit, and sell us out? Free trade must be fair trade, and I can point to loads of reasons for how things are, but there is one underlying reason at the end of the day.... greed.
We once understood we are only as strong as a nation as our weakest links, so we kept each other strong. This dawned on us after the great wars (WW1 & WW2), but we grow complacent, and will suffer for it-unless we do something, and remember what is important and what made us great to begin with.
It isn't a hand out that people want, it is a hand up, and we share in that responsibility.
You can't ignore what Christ said about it in Matthew 25th Chapter:

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

"Do unto others" does not mean to plan to divest them from their wealth in any means possible, and "Love Thy Neighbor" isn't a command, it is a challenge. Can you do good things for those you disagree with and do not like? That is the lesson Christ taught, but I seldom see carried out. I hate the bad acts I see but always try to love the person, which is why I count liberals and conservatives as friends when I am staunchly in the rational middle. Every world religion commands us to be as good as we can be, and there is no excuse for anything less. Some people still remember this idea which makes us good people, some of them are listed here:

Loads of thanks to the wonderful people that supported and especially to those who walked....
Mike (IGA), Shawn, Shelby, Trish (The Troopers), Roger and Susan (of FSCJ Kent Campus student government), Dave and Robert (residents of Trinity Rescue Mission), Julie and Betty (Baptist Hospital Cardiac), my son, Alex.... these people pushed the cart, and made a statement... special thanks to Melissa Ross, The Folio (better late than never), and WTLV 12 & 25..... you all made this idea a reality-and Monte Belmont from WRSI (check out wrsi.com) who did Monte's March all by himself and raised $15K for foodbanks in Western Mass....
This may have raised a nominal amount of money directly, but I hope this inception marathon grows and has reminded others of our shared responsibility to care for each other.

on the move

It is almost 8:30 and the cart should be here at Kent Campus by 8:30!
Mike from IGA started us off after the Pledge, and Shawn, Shelby, and Shawn's mother, are getting the cart to Kent a little ahead of schedule!

Ready to go!

In about six hours we will be gathering at the IGA on Blanding and 103rd, at 6:30 am. We will have presentation of colors and the pledge then get started. Mike, the manager of IGA, will start it off, and then Boy Scout Troop 360 will take over until Kent Campus, where FSCJ Student Government takes over.
My little yellow low gas indicator light is on, and I'm broke until at least Monday, but I'm one of those people that trust in Providence and trust in God to provide.....,.. remember the parable of the sparrows?
We all need to have more faith: faith in ourselves and in each other, and faith in goodness, and faith in the fact that we have the power to change the world, a little at a time.
Email me at skotdavidwilson@yahoo.com for updates or any questions, and check my facebook account (be careful, I have two, so look for the one that mentions this event) for progress reports.
Time to catch some sleep, I'm gunna need it...

FSCJ Kent campus student government is in, and so is Trinity Rescue Mission. Will update later tonight, but still need participants for about 5 to 7 pm.... This is a great statement about hunger and poverty, and our SHARED responsibility to address these concerns.....
I am going to Jaguar Signs and Banners later today to work on graphics for the cart. Boy Scout Troop 360 is in, IGA starts it off at 7 am. We will be gathering at Rowe's IGA 103rd and Blanding at 6:30 am, present color and give our Pledge of Allegiance, have a prayer, and start...
I will post a list of all participants later, I've been going 90 to nothin' all day, and hoping the yellow "low gas" light stays off, but that's life...
Pick up wife's glasses, go to one appointment, pick up son from school, and go do graphics all by 5 pm, so catch ya later...

A Marathon Against Hunger

Push the Cart

A community marathon against hunger

18th of January, 2011 UPDATE!
I am going to Rowe's IGA to pick up the cart in order to have graphics applied to it by Jaguar Signs & Graphics. First Coast News is covering that and will be running a story. I STILL need to find some participants to join us...

Link to participate or pledge/sponsor/donate

http://pushthecartform.blogspot.com/

10th January: The event and why we need you:
This is an update and request and invitation to participate in, or sponsor or support, an event designed to both raise money and awareness concerning hunger and the needs of the food distribution services in NorthEast Florida.
The event will be held on a Saturday January 29th, 2011 starting at 7 am and will consist of pushing an empty shopping cart a total of 26 miles and 385 yards through Jacksonville to symbolize hunger. There are roughly 13 two mile legs which will take about one hour each and I am seeking 12 other caring souls to commit to a leg of the journey. At 2 miles an hour average it should take about 12-14 hours to complete.
This event was inspired by the collaboration of a food bank and a radio station in Western Massachusetts which rose over $15,000. (go to WRSI.COM and search "Monte's March")
I would do the entire distance myself if not for a torn ACL for which I will be undergoing surgery in the very near future. Our fellow citizens need our help and I need yours to get this done. I need to do this before I undergo surgery because after it I will have to wait three months to heal. For me it will undoubtedly be painful, so what I am asking of you is much less than I am willing to do myself.
I am seeking private citizens and corporate sponsors to pledge an amount per mile, and am suggesting $10 to $100 per mile for business and corporate sponsors and $1 per mile for private citizens, but these affordable amounts are merely suggestions. I will also be seeking people willing to work on this even with me as well. Proceeds will be donated to agencies listed on the Fight Hunger website. I hope also to have the involvement of area supermarkets, who will be asked to provide an empty cart at store locations and assist in raising public awareness to this need and event.
If you or your agency, organization, or company has the will to assist or participate, please contact me as soon as possible. Will you help me push the cart?
Links are posted for the participation/pledge/sponsorship forms.

Thank You!

Skot David Wilson
6724 Cherbourg Avenue South
Jacksonville, Florida 32205
(904) 781-8635 skotdavidwilson@yahoo.com


(I am looking for those willing to commit to push the cart two miles, and for sponsors; and I am also looking for those who will help promote this and give logistical support)