Meth Lunches is the story of Kim Foster, who becomes involved with her urban and messy Las Vegas community, including the homeless. The title refers to the lunches she prepared for a day laborer hired to build a backyard patio. It's the first time she's confronted with the homelessness and drug abuse prevalent in her neighborhood. The day laborer is a meth addict.
What ensues is Kim's journey as a foster parent for children stuck in the system as their parents struggle with addiction and homelessness, as a provider of food for the struggling people in her neighborhood during the pandemic, and as an eventual mother to her adopted son and daughter. She's a fucking saint.
In the past, there were times when I was really broke and living out of a van. I've lived in some of the worst neighborhoods in New York City (Washington Heights, then Hells Kitchen when it was really hellish), Los Angeles (Mid-Wilshire), Baltimore (Fells Point), Minneapolis (everywhere), and Las Vegas. I lived for a time near the Huntington neighborhood where Kim lives. I've seen some of the same things Kim described, but the big difference is that she got involved, got her hands dirty, and tried to make a difference. I was just traveling through and trying not to end up on the streets myself. And once on the other side—a good job, wife, kid, house—I never looked back.
Most of us have seen homeless people from the safety of our cars and offered a dollar or an energy bar. But how many of us have gotten out of the car and offered help. Yeah, me too. But Kim does; Kim gets her hands dirty and describes in honest, unbiased stories how she helped. She also describes her disappointments. The meth lunches finally came to an end; the day laborer unable to kick his habit. The kids she fosters go back to abusive parents, and her free food pantry feeds many but is also abused. But she keeps moving forward, continues to fight the good fight.
The messiness is what attracted me. The stories are well told and often gut-wrenching, but there's irony and humor. I love her voice and the way she works her scenes.
Of course, there's no happy ending here. Questions come up: Is there a portion of our population who are just the collateral damage of our society? What can society, government, do to help the homeless and addiction? Her book needs an ending, and the stories she tells demand some kind of resolution. The reality is that there is no happy ending to what she describes. She doesn't want to admit it's a Sisyphean effort so offers up systemic solutions to bring her book to a tidy end. Frankly, I didn't like the ending, and I'm skeptical of any all-encompassing solutions. I guess I believe there will always be collateral damage in our society, that all we can do is make it incrementally better than it is.
Yet, I love Kim for her unwavering belief and efforts. She's one of those rare people who get their hands dirty and work to make a difference. God bless her. And READ THIS BOOK.