Street Roots wants to take the time to give special thanks to all of our hard working vendors. It’s this time of the year that we call the “February freak out” at SR. We’re months into the rainy season and tensions are high, people are cranky and the city is in a bad mood. For someone experiencing homelessness, all of these elements are compounded, and living on the streets becomes a living hell.
The health and wellbeing of individuals can become life and death in a matter of hours. Things like walking pneumonia and the flu are commonplace, and being able to prepare for the temperature changes can be a real challenge. It’s the pits for many.
That’s why it’s important to call out the vendors, and to thank them for staying upbeat and maintaining paper sales and for being involved in neighborhoods around the city.
Saying that, we can’t thank the vendors without thanking the readers. We so appreciate the relationships being built and maintained every day throughout the city. It’s these relationships that make SR special. The newspaper is just an added bonus.
Additional paper sales for vendors may mean the difference between a warm hotel room verses a shelter or sleeping under a bridge on a cold winter's night. Thanks all, and enjoy the read.
— Israel Bayer
