Dumpster Diving

Well, not exactly dumpster diving but he was clearing out the cans from the recycling box.  This isn't an isolated incident in Canada but it seems to scream out that some people have to resort to raiding garbage cans in order to sustain themselves.  These are the invisible people in our society who venture out in the wee hours of the morning to try to make a buck any way they can.  It may not be legal to raid garbage cans but it's not criminal in my mind.  In a perfect world, everyone would have a decent roof over their heads and nutritious food to eat.  In a perfect world, there would be adequate jobs for everyone and everyone would want a job.  This is far from a perfect world and I wonder if it ever will be.

The man I saw collecting cans had a grocery cart crammed full of large garbage bags which I assumed were filled with cans he'd obtained from other apartment complexes.  He seemed neatly and cleanly dressed and he didn't look like a street person.  I've lived poorly in my life but never came to the point where I'd even consider collecting cans to help with the bills.  Either I was too proud or this man is much poorer than I've been.  I wonder what his story is.

My husband often worked two jobs to support his family but I would have been horrified if he'd dumpster dived.  But I bet he would have done even that if his family was hungry.  He would have done whatever it took.  

I like to think that no-one has to do that in Canada but I'm obviously wrong.  I can only think that it happens because somewhere, somehow, there's a home without enough necessities of life or it wouldn't be happening at all.

We fortunate ones reside in our little cocoon of comfort and we try not to see the far less fortunate among us.  But they are there, in the shadows and in the early morning hours gathering our discarded pop and beer cans just to survive.