Food, shelter, clothing, a job, and core relationships such as family and close friends form the base of a stable life. Without these anchors, it is almost impossible to do anything else with your life. A person who must struggle to find a meal every day, for instance, has great difficulty envisioning a future that is free from want. To people who are homeless or have been homeless, gifts of shelter and food are actually a second chance at life. Being disconnected from the place on earth you call home is traumatic, and the homeless and hungry are often emotionally shattered and physically and financially desperate; reconnecting to that fundamental life current requires help. -Caroline Myss