Gray skies covered with clouds that couldn’t decide whether to sprinkle water or pour it on made downtown streets seem particularly bleak.
Of course, it looks bleak along Imperial Avenue even when there isn’t a cloud in the sky. The section of Imperial from Petco Park east to Interstate 5 is busy with the comings and goings of those living in the margins.
In only a few minutes studying the scene on a Friday earlier this month, an observer saw almost as many people talking to themselves as others.
A woman approached an abandoned backpack and thoroughly inspected what was inside, only to be scared off by a couple of men who were also interested in the backpack’s contents. One of the guys grabbed a jacket before they moved on.
As afternoon approached evening, the day brightened. Cars containing San Diego State athletes arrived outside the Father Joe’s Villages Joan Kroc Center located at 15th Street and Imperial.
For the past year, SDSU cornerback Xavier Hamlett has been organizing efforts to help the homeless. A recent GoFundMe campaign raised more than $3,000, allowing Hamlett to purchase food, water and other necessities to distribute.
“What drives me to make a difference is seeing so many people struggle,” Hamlett said. “It truly breaks my heart. Helping others has always come naturally to me. Every time I’ve given to the homeless, I’ve seen how much even small gestures, like a meal or a genuine conversation, can mean.”
The athletes arrived a couple hours later than originally anticipated.
“It takes a long time to make 300 hamburgers,” Hamlett said.
No one complained.
Word spread quickly when SDSU linebacker Brady Anderson pulled up in a black truck loaded with the food and other items, and a line began to form as soon as Anderson lowered the truck’s tailgate.
“It makes you feel good to see the smiles on their faces,” Anderson said. “A lot of people don’t get to eat good, home-cooked meals. With everything we’ve been blessed with, if we can bless them with a burger, we try to give back.
“Seeing the struggles that these people go through every day, it makes me feel good to give them something, even if it’s just a smile on a rainy day.”
Hamlett, a Lincoln High School graduate, understands more than most about the homeless situation.
“I’ve had my ups and downs,” he said last season. “I was staying in my car a little bit.”
Watching from a distance as the athletes distributed everything was a man named Joe Gant, who lives in the building next door to the Kroc Center.
“When I see people doing this, I see them doing the Lord’s work,” said Gant, who has lived downtown the past 15 years. “I see them doing what God would want us to do. We’re all brothers and sisters.
“It means a lot to these folks. I was in that situation. I had three daughters and three sons and their mother with me. We slept in Father Joe’s on the cafeteria floor. … It warms my heart to see people help people.”
Everyone has a story, like a man named Fernando who graciously accepted a slice of pizza handed to him by Anderson.
Fernando was a waiter for more than 30 years at restaurants in Little Italy and Coronado, he said, before suffering a deteriorating hip condition that required a replacement.
“I couldn’t work anymore, money got down and I became homeless,” Fernando said.
Father Joe’s helped him get back on his feet.
“They got me to the clinic, got my surgery, now I’ve got my own studio here,” he said, adding, “through all that time, I have seen people doing this. It’s a blessing from God, to do this for the people experiencing homelessness, recovering from addictions. … The way it’s supposed to be is not thinking too much about yourself and thinking about others.”
SDSU football players Myles Murao, Connor Poulson, Prince Williams and Jelani McLaughlin helped Hamlett and Anderson with distributing the food. Two of Hamlett’s Lincoln classmates, Chris Curtis and Angela Carroll, ed them as well.
More than 200 people received pizza, hamburgers and a bottle of water. In addition, Olivia Hicks, Aji Mbye, Shaquena Foote and Thaia Wilson from the SDSU women’s track team cooked up white rice and brown stewed chicken and ed the others to assist with distribution.
“You just want to be there for people and help lift them up,” Hicks said. “One small thing can make a big difference.”
The group also handed out snack bags packed with a bag of chips, popcorn, apple sauce, soda — and a Bible verse. They also distributed hygiene bags that included underwear, socks, a comb, shampoo, mouthwash and deodorant.
SDSU soccer players Brynn Korpela and Alexyz Nakamoto and volleyball players Natalie Hughes and Campbell Hague also came downtown to help distribute the food and bags.
“We’re not from San Diego, we don’t come downtown that often and I don’t see this where I’m from,” said Hague, a sophomore from Kansas. “Seeing for ourselves what’s going on and truly understanding is eye-opening.”
Said Hughes: “It’s a wake-up call to be more grateful. Obviously, we know what we have, but sometimes you need to take a step back. Sometimes I take what I have for granted and there’s people that are grateful for this food that we have every day.”
On an adjacent sidewalk, six other football players — Dalesean Staley, Eric Butler, Jason Mitchell, Jordan Napier, Brian Pierce and Jerry McClure — provided free haircuts to anyone who wanted one.
Like Hamlett, Napier, too, has known struggles.
“I can relate,” said Napier, who grew up in San Bernardino. “I’ve got some less fortunate ones in my family, too. Growing up, there was surely some times where I didn’t know where I was going to sleep at night.
“Being a person who is in college and getting paid to play a sport, it’s good to come out here and do what you can.”
Said Anderson: “All these people are thankful and appreciative, and it makes us want to do even more.”
“We’ve got this platform,” Hamlett said. “I was talking to the volleyball girls. They want to get their whole team out here next time. We’re going to collaborate with the basketball teams. Even the fraternities want to reach out now.”
“We want to do it every Friday. We’re working with our NIL coordinator and talking to the San Diego Food Bank. Conversations on how they could help out. We work closely with the Lucky Duck Foundation, too.
“Hopefully, we can just do something for the community. … Seeing people struggle struck me. I want to help.”
As the Aztecs’ effort showed, Hamlett is not alone.
