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Pair wakes up early to feed the homeless A Buddhist and a Baptist find friendship and support with each other and by reaching out to help the chronic homeless Date published: 1/3/2008
By CATHY DYSON On the bleakest mornings, when it's tough for anyone to leave a warm bed, two women volunteer to go out in the cold. One is a Buddhist, the other a Baptist, and each has lost someone dear in her life. But the untimely deaths have brought the friends closer together--and to their meetings in the kitchen of Fredericksburg's cold-night shelter. It's 5:45 a.m. when the two arrive in separate vehicles, and there's no time for small talk. Daw Pomeroy gets out her cast-iron skillet and spatula, and Donna Morris unpacks bread, juice and jars of jelly from her tote bags. As Daw--pronounced "Dow" like the chemical company--hovers over the stove, Donna hovers over the diners. Most are the chronic homeless, people who sleep at the Bragg Hill Family Life Center when the temperature drops below freezing. Donna is their confidante and friend, the woman who knows about their health and family issues, where they sleep in tents and what they prefer to eat. Daw is their cook. She insists on making meals from scratch, on giving the men and women a good start to a frigid day. "For some of them, it's probably the only hot meal they get," Donna said. Daw nodded in agreement. The women come from vastly different backgrounds, but each complements the other. Daw grew up in Thailand. She was in high school when an American soldier visited her home, and she told her mother how much she liked the man. She eventually ran off and married Barry Pomeroy. Donna grew up in Fredericksburg, the daughter of Baptist preacher Elwood Campbell. Friends called her "Poo" in the ninth grade, and she can't believe the nickname is still with her at 54. Daw and Donna knew each other for years, when Donna managed the National Bank of Fredericksburg. When Daw's husband was killed in a boating accident in the Caribbean, Daw was distraught. She didn't know how to handle the grief or the finances. "When he died, I had to hang on to Poo," said Daw, a 60-year-old who lives in Stafford County. "Now, we just hang on to each other," answered Donna, a Spotsylvania County resident.
Date published: 1/3/2008
This list is huge and yet I can think of so many others that deserve to be on here instead of myself! Thanks to whoever did this. This makes me realize that there really is a lot of good in our community! Thank you to all those that help others!
Thank you to all of you!
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