Christian Artist Installs Sinks in Downtown Atlanta So Homeless People Can Wash Their Hands
On March 19, in Atlanta, Georgia, a team of volunteers gathered to help the homeless fight back against coronavirus.
Among them was two-time Grammy-winning musician and Atlanta resident Lecrae Moore.
The “Messengers” singer is an active member of his community and consistently preaches servanthood and Christ-likeness in the lyrics of his music.
“When the pandemic hit, I thought, ‘What is the homeless community doing about these warnings?’” Lecrae said to WSB-TV.
So he reached out to his friend Terence Lester, speaker, activist and executive director of the nonprofit organization Love Beyond Walls.
Together, Lecrae, Lester and other members of the organization met to assemble and install 15 handwashing stations throughout local parks and bridges.
Yesterday, we covered parks and bridges with love and support.
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Thank you to those of you that have supported our work and continue to encourage us.
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We are adamantly working to make “Love Sinks In” a more permanent project.
.#lovebeyondwalls #LoveSinksIn pic.twitter.com/xnAQl94HBd— lovebeyondwalls (@LoveBeyondWalls) March 25, 2020
Taking into account previous recommendations to consistently wash hands with soap and water to stop the spread of pathogens, the team knew that the homeless were at a huge disadvantage.
But the portable, refillable sinks, capable of holding up to five gallons of water and enough soap to match, would provide the homeless a fighting chance to reduce the spread of infection.
So they used their resources and got to work, one sink at a time.
“It’s working,” one Atlanta resident said, smiling as he washed his hands.
Thank you @quicktake!
.#lovebeyondwalls @lovebeyondwalls pic.twitter.com/Ar7ldmTIY4— Terence Lester (@imTerenceLester) March 21, 2020
“Social distance is a luxury that the homeless can’t afford,” said Shirley Raines, founder of the nonprofit Beauty 2 The Streetz that provides services to homeless people in Los Angeles, California, according to ABC News.
“I think the homeless are a forgotten community.”
“When coronavirus started getting bad here, the homeless that I help were reaching out to me, telling me that no one was helping them,” she added.
That’s what makes the actions of Lecrae and Love Beyond Walls so special.
Despite the uncertainty and worry of a worldwide pandemic, these volunteers looked beyond their own needs to serve others.
Their sacrifice is modeled in the mission statement posted in bright red on the LBW website: “Our mission is to raise awareness of societal needs through technology and storytelling, and mobilize people to take part in it.”
This group saw a need and met it, including handing out “like a gazillion cheeseburgers,” according to Lecrae.
The smiles we get from doing this current work is all worth it.
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Sam says, “thank you all for not forgetting about us!”
.#lovebeyondwalls #LoveSinksIn pic.twitter.com/l7G451KIcq— lovebeyondwalls (@LoveBeyondWalls) March 25, 2020
“We’re out here doing our part to ensure that people have access to basic necessity during this pandemic,” Lester said in a video posted on Twitter.
Lecrae told WSB-TV that he was looking for a way to specifically serve people in Atlanta because it holds a special place in his heart.
“It’s a major city and in a major city, like this, it speaks very loud. The love is loud, appreciation is loud, but the problems are loud as well,” Lecrae said.
“The city has shown me so much love, so I wanted to be sure to show it back,” he added.
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