On Hunger Awareness Day, Think of Judy

was doing my regular Angeleno thing: yapping on the cell phone (hands-free, of course) while fighting evening rush hour traffic on Beverly Boulevard. The street is an unusual amalgam of ultra-Orthodox synagogues and kosher markets, upscale hipster boutiques and a significant number of recession-era closed storefronts.

It was an unseasonably cold, windy day (even for Los Angeles standards). Trash was whirling in the air as palm branches blew from their trunks and flower petals deftly closed up to survive the night. Suddenly, the sight of a homeless woman made me immediately stop. Los Angeles has the highest number of homeless people in the nation, with approximately 88,000 souls on any given night sleeping on our streets. Whether I'm downtown, on the Venice boardwalk or even in glitzy Beverly Hills, homeless people are as much a part of the city's landscape as celebrities.

This woman was emblematic of this city's disgraceful homeless situation. She was huddling behind her over-flowing shopping cart in front of an empty store front with the old store name, Shelter, emblazoned across its flapping awning. Directly across the street was a Goodwill resale shop. I hopped out to talk to the woman, whose name I learned is Judy. Her weather-beaten, deeply wrinkled face was framed by a black hat and offset with her glistening blue eyes. She was amiable and excited to talk. She wasn't on drugs or drunk and seemed to have fallen on hard times. Despite its challenges, Judy told me she prefers the streets to shelters. Even though the wind was whipping down Beverly Boulevard, she said she would be fine because she had just received extra goods (hence the brimming shopping cart) from her daughter who had recently relocated to Tampa. I tried to find her again and I haven't been able to. It's as if she disappeared.

As a Los Angeles resident, it's hard to not be disillusioned by the tens of thousands of other Judy's on the city's streets. And homeless people aren't only living in big cities. As we know, there are an increasing number of Judy's scattered in cities, small towns and suburbs in every corner of America. This situation is all of our responsibility. And we all are part of the solution.

As part of National Hunger Awareness Day today, we can start by helping one person. Consider carrying snacks to give to homeless people, donating to or volunteering at your local food pantry and becoming an advocate for the surprisingly pressing matter of hunger in America.