College of Business Administration

GROUP MEMBERS:

Michelle Bermoy
Brenda Chaidez

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

“To provide a meal and information for downtown homeless San Diegans who do not seek assistance from homeless shelters.”
- Our Mission Statement

To recognize and take seriously the moral worth of relationships, especially those characterized by caring explains the Ethic of Care, which is also the purpose of our project. We set out on a journey wanting to help the homeless in downtown San Diego who for whatever reason did not seek assistance from the government or other local organizations. We wanted to provide them with information that perhaps they were not aware of as well as provide them at least one meal during this holiday season.

Many times we pass by a homeless person on the street and pretend to ignore their existence. Realizing the importance that human interaction signifies, we wanted to walk the streets of downtown San Diego, not only offering food and information on shelters, substance abuse, and sexually transmitted diseases, but also a listening ear.

We distributed sack lunches which included two ham and cheese sandwiches, two bags of chips, two canned fruits, two juices, and handouts on homeless shelters, sexually transmitted diseases, and substance abuse. Most homeless people welcomed our help and were eager to talk to us. They were often drunk or under the influence of some other substance but they spoke from their hearts. They thanked us and many told us to continue studying, perhaps something they wish they could have done.

The streets that we chose to target were off of Broadway in downtown San Diego and around 9th, 10th, and 11th Avenues and J Street. We walked through these streets on the nights of November 19 and 26 from 7 PM to approximately 10 PM. We were not distributing the entire time. On November 26, we finished at 9 PM but stayed talking to a group of homeless men who were camped out in front of what seemed to be a factory. They spoke about their life experiences, among which were the Vietnam War, a college degree, and an alcoholic addiction. We learned a lot from them. We were reminded of the Virtue Theory we discussed in class.

The Virtue Theory is to focus on achieving our personal ethical ideal based on who we are not what we do. Talking to these homeless men we found that we had much in common. We talked a little about politics and a lot about humanity. We all concluded that people put too much focus on what they do to feel and not of whom they are. They ignore important issues surrounding them, in order to, focus on what they are doing. They do not pay attention to what their principles are because they are too concerned going about their daily routines. This leads to a lack of empathy towards disadvantaged people.

We chose not to be involved with a specific organization because often homeless people who choose not to seek a shelter’s help do so because of a lack of faith in the assistance that is offered by the organization. We also wanted to feel like we set out and did something on our own, without the help of an established organization. We collected $380 contributions from our sororities, family and friends, as well as from ourselves and were able to feed 100 homeless people in downtown San Diego. This added great meaning to our work.

The attributes of work that are meaningful to us are: permits autonomy, builds relationships, offers a diversity of experience, and is fairly compensated. This social change project allowed us to work on our own terms because we chose not to affiliate ourselves with an organization. We were able to talk to the people we helped and built some form of a relationship at least for that moment. We were able to see how people on the streets live, allowing us to experience something different. Most important of all, this project compensated us greatly. The joy that we were able to give outweighed all the costs that were incurred. We were compensated with a feeling of satisfaction and humility.

Seeing people living in the cold streets with children, by themselves, or in a group helped us appreciate what we have but most important of all we learned that regardless of what you do, your ethical being is determined by who you are.