I'd forgotten

about a little rainy night of no importance in Eugene, OR, a few years back. No importance, until . . . well, it was Jack's idea. He had some extra dollars on his food stamps, so we bought a loaf of Wonderbread, peanut butter, and jelly and set to work making sandwiches on a sidewalk outside Safeway. Bikes to downtown, and soon street dwellers were set with a sticky treat. We left a few deliveries by sleeping grizzled heads. Anyway. Jack. Possibly one of the most badass persons alive. I feel unworthy and blessed to have been a plastic-knife weilding sandwich assistant.

A Gift Idea

While Bozeman doesn't have many beggars, we are still a frozen home to many unseen homeless. Numerous families in the valley live quietly from couch to couch, car to car, and I've seen them slipping with their children into the woods off Story Mill. To learn how Mercury is partnering with Family Promise of Gallatin Valley this holiday to enact a change, go to www.mercuryads.com and follow the cardboard house. A charitable, tax-deductible contribution could make a powerful and thoughtful gift this season.