Photo-essay is a set or series of photographs that are made to create a series of emotions in the viewer.

1. Elizabeth Pisarek

2. This past Saturday,
Dec. 1st, Matt Hughes
makes his way to the
Kansas City Public
Library: Central Library
off 10th Street that
opens at 10 am to
begin his day. This has
become an everyday
routine for him for the
past 2 and ½ years.

3. Outside the
library, Quin Miller
holds onto his
only source of
heat, hot water,
for his hands that
morning in 18
degree weather.
He got it around 5
am at Quiktrip.

4. Matt dozes off to sleep
because he could
barely sleep last night
on the park bench
dealing with the cold
weather conditions.

5. Jack Flores and
Max Cooper hold
back there
comment after
Patricia Roberts
rudely walks by
with a snobby
“move” comment.

6. David Turner
wipes away a tear
of lil Jasmine after
Patricia abruptly
steps on her tail
and frightens her.

7. Patricia barges right
through Quin and his
friend, Anthony Carter.
She said to me she
needed to be first in the
library to print off
something important for
her job.

8. Mark Evans debates over
waiting for the library to
open or walking to
McDonald’s to dumpster
dive for food for that cold
and windy morning.

9. After telling Matt
the library
opens in 10
minutes and we
won’t be waiting
outside in the
cold anymore,
He lets radiant
smile that
brightens my
day.

10. The library is open
now and mobs
like on Black
Friday go hurrying
inside. However,
they are rushing
inside for warmth
and not for self-
seeking gifts of
any kind.

11. The homeless settle down and spread throughout the library for the day. On the third floor,
many of them are just soaking up the warmth before they do anything to preoccupy their time.

12. Mark decided to
go to the library
because the cold
was just too much
to bare right now.
His trash bag, that
he never loses
sight of, has a torn
up pillow and a
ragged sleeping
bag inside.

13. Matt starts off his
day by diving into
a good book.

14. Ping Lee is
working on
an
assignment
for UMKC
Nursing
about
scabies
while Matt
is reading
about “A
Simple
Path,” by
St. Teresa
of Calcutta.

15. Kevin Gray has a
warm washcloth on top
of his head because
he has a headache
while Ronald Phillips
looks at him to
pastime, not knowing
what Kevin is doing.
Kevin is listening to
Latin, Gregorian
chants to block out his
surroundings and
mollify his headache.

16. Eric Howard is
mentally working
on the crossword
puzzle of the day
in the newspaper.

17. When the library
closes at 5pm
and the sun
begins to set, the
homeless make
there way to
“their” bench to
settle down there
for the rest of the
night. Kelly Hall
took rest at the
bench right
outside of The
Kansas City Club.

18. Kelly had no pillow or
blanket, no backpack
or trash bag, only his
hat, coat, and pants
to keep him warm
throughout that cold
December night.

19. A thought to ponder about the homeless
❖ Warmth, dry clothes, water and food are
never guaranteed each day for the homeless.
“I have shown you in every way, by laboring like
this, that you must support the weak. And
remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He
said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'”
- Acts 20:35