We see them on the street corners, in parks, on the news and in the media. We hear statistics on how the population is growing every day, but often their stories go unheard. Fifty Sandwiches may sound like the order for a large luncheon, or the new name of a catchy deli — it is instead it is the effort of one Boise State alumnus to bring the faces and stories of the nation’s homeless population into the spotlight.
The project is a goal come to life for Justin Doering, who graduated in May 2015 with a degree in communication. Doering’s interest in homelessness and the homeless population has captivated him since he was 16.
“I began focusing my school projects throughout high school and college around the homeless and the perceptions of homelessness. It amazes me that there can be this population of half a million people that are for the most part ignored by much of society and given this blanket judgment that the reason they are homeless is their fault,” Doering said.
Justin Doering
Doering will embark on a cross-country trip in which he will sit down with members of the homeless population, providing a meal in exchange for an interview. He will document their stories and turn them into a book titled “Fifty Sandwiches.”
“The primary focus of this book is to construct an unnerving emotional bridge between the reader and the struggling stranger they walk past every day. There is much more to the homeless then meets the eye,” Doering explained. “Everyone sees the rugged-looking man holding a sign on the street corner, but people don’t see the family sleeping in their car at Walmart.”
Doering created a Kickstarter campaign that ends in mid-May to raise funds for the project. Over the next few months, Doering will finalize trip details and plans to begin the journey at the beginning of July. It will last three to four months.
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, about 564,708 people are homeless on any given night in the United States; 36 percent of them are families and 8 percent are veterans.
“Fifty Sandwiches hopes to capture the stories and experiences of an overlooked population to change the public outlook and show the public that homeless people should not be defined by their living situation,” Doering said.
If you would like to donate to the Kickstarter campaign, visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1832135334/fifty-sandwiches?ref=project_link
By Becca Burke
BY: SHERRY SQUIRES PUBLISHED 1:25 PM / MAY 5, 2016