Homeless people walk among us every day yet go unseen sometimes by the scores of passersby consumed in their own daily luxuries.
But the sight of a homeless camp in Chicago brought one young boy to tears – not because he was afraid of them, but because he simply wanted to give money to help.
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Though only 5 at the time, Jahkil Naeem Jackson understood that the homeless didn’t have the same basic necessities that his parents gave him.
One day, while feeding the homeless with his aunt under a viaduct, Jahkil found his life’s purpose.
“It just made me feel sad, sad to see other people on the street just lying down and not having a home or a bed,” the now 8-year-old said. “Homeless people need to have more people helping them.”
Jahkil, with the help of his family, set a goal in February to pass out 1,000 “Blessing Bags” to the homeless before the end of summer.
By the beginning of August, Jahkil had passed out 735 bags filled with toothbrushes, toothpaste, socks, combs, shampoo, water, sanitary napkins, towels and other items donated to him by others in the community and organizations such as Heartland Alliance.
Jahkil and his family assemble the bags, separating them by men and women bags, and go out to various parks and shelters to hand them out. He’s greeted with “God, bless you,” by many who accept his gift.
“After 1,000, I’m going to keep going with a thousand more,” Jahkil declared. “It makes me feel good because I like seeing other people happy.”
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During an annual point-in-time count across the U.S. in 2015, officials recorded more than 564,000 homeless individuals. Sixty-nine percent were staying in some sort of shelter, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, while 31 percent lived outdoors.
Chicago, Jahkil’s hometown, reported 6,786 homeless people in 2015 – an 8 percent increase from the previous year. The city’s homeless population ranks 7th among other major cities across the U.S.
Jahkil is far from eradicating homelessness, but his “Blessing Bags” initiative is a good start.
“For him to be on the positive side [is] definitely a treat because he could be one of the kids who just want to play video games or just be outside up to no good,” his mother, Na-taé Thompson, said. “He could have a million other things on his mind but he wants to help the homeless.”
For more information about Jahkil and his “Blessing Bags,” go to his website at iamnaeem.com.
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