‘I will remember this long after the food done’
ALL BUT forgotten by his family and subjected to public ridicule on a daily basis, Joshua Campbell, who prefers to look at the glass as half-full, was quick to share that “in everything, it’s the thought that counts.”
Campbell was among the hundreds of indigents who were fêted by Food For the Poor and the Salvation Army at Emmett Park in downtown Kingston on Thursday.
“My family don’t give me a sweetie in over five years, so for a group of strangers to feed me, and a whole heap more, is amazing, and I will remember this long after the food done,” said Campbell, who was attending the treat for the fifth consecutive year.
The 62-year-old father of four told The Gleaner that he had been a carpenter until around 2010, when he developed a drinking problem and fell on hard times.
He stated that his inability to hold down work mixed with his love for alcohol resulted in his common-law spouse evicting him from a house they shared in east Kingston.
But in spite of the hand life has dealt him, Campbell pointed out that Christmas activities, the feeding of the homeless, in particular, is something that brings him joy each year.
“God knows best in everything, and I just hope that in years to come, I can be back here offering help, not being helped,” said Campbell.
Inside and outside the massive grounds, other persons could be heard praising the organisers of the event, none more so than an elderly woman with a walker, who exclaimed: “Thank you, Jesus! Bless them!” as she received her gift package.