Toothbrush Day

Friday was toothbrush day. I guess it goes without saying that in these poor areas, dental hygiene can be neglected a bit. There's a grandma of several of the kids that Veronica lets come and eat. She's clearly not quite right in several ways, and Veronica tells me she lets her come because otherwise she wanders the streets and she's worried she'll get run over and killed. She shuffles in every day wearing a thin, dirty t-shirt, caprice pants and worn-out sandals.  She rarely speaks. Just sits on one of the plastic chairs waiting for the food to be served, and then shuffles back out sometime afterwards. I suppose she's lived in the neighborhood her whole life.

 At any rate, this lady doesn't have more than 5 teeth in her mouth, I wouldn't guess. She sits eating with her head cocked a bit to one side, pounding the food into submission with her jaws. She's older, but it's common to see clear signs of tooth decay in adults younger than her as well. Of course, this can lead to a whole host of health problems, even illness and infections throughout the body.

So a while ago, after talking with Abby, my Mom went around to some local dentists in the Grays Harbor area and got donations of toothbrushes and toothpaste. There were several that were very generous and we had two large bags of supplies.

Over the past month, Veronica has made some changes. They have started serving food everyday again. That's a major leap of faith considering the amount of food it will require. But she has also started to set up a system to make it all work. The parents or guardians of the kids have officially "enlisted" them at the center. There is a critical second reason for this, but the first reason is now she knows how many kids to expect daily. About 120 for now. Also, she can assign roles to the older kids. This, in particular, has been awesome.

There is a small group of older children, 12-14 in ages I would guess, that are small group leaders. They make sure their group of kids is there, seated, ready to pray, ready to eat, and behaving. A few older teens oversee the leaders. And of course Veronica, the 2 or 3 adult volunteers (and Abby and I the days we're there) are always available. It's great to see the leadership skills and sense of responsibility being developed. They are developing a vital skill that will benefit them for life.



Big thanks to hometown dentists, Dr. Tomlinson, Dr. Cowles, Dr. Earnest, and Dr. Lemon!!!!!!! THANK YOU so much!!!!



 So that was how the toothbrushes were dispensed. The group leaders took a handful and passed them out to their kids as they sat in their groups waiting. This may seem unremarkable, but undoubtedly some of you have been to a very poor location and have seen what can happen with gifts. An outsider showing up with something to pass out for free can be an absolute nightmare. The poverty and need combine with greed, desperation and a mob mentality that can literally endanger the safety of everyone there as the crowd presses in shouting and reaching for anything that can get.

I wouldn't call the scene here in Bienvenido "quiet" exactly, (they ARE kids after all) but at least it was calm and organized. Everyone got a toothbrush, and almost everyone got toothpaste. When the toothpaste ran out, we tried to make sure a sibling had one so at least it would be in the house.

But first, I lectured them sternly about using it, not just getting a prize. "Raise your hand if you're not going to use it," I said. A few hands went up.

"You won't use it? Well that's good to know because we can save yours for a different kid then."

"Oh, no, no." The hands dropped quickly. "I'll use it," they all said enthusiastically.

I hope so. I'll have to check in when we get out there next.