Jahkil and his family assemble the bags, separating them by men and women bags, and go out to various parks and shelters to hand them out. He’s greeted with “God, bless you,” by many who accept his gift.
“After 1,000, I’m going to keep going with a thousand more,” Jahkil declared. “It makes me feel good because I like seeing other people happy.”
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During an annual point-in-time count across the U.S. in 2015, officials recorded more than 564,000 homeless individuals. Sixty-nine percent were staying in some sort of shelter, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, while 31 percent lived outdoors.
Chicago, Jahkil’s hometown, reported 6,786 homeless people in 2015 – an 8 percent increase from the previous year. The city’s homeless population ranks 7th among other major cities across the U.S.
Jahkil is far from eradicating homelessness, but his “Blessing Bags” initiative is a good start.
“For him to be on the positive side [is] definitely a treat because he could be one of the kids who just want to play video games or just be outside up to no good,” his mother, Na-taé Thompson, said. “He could have a million other things on his mind but he wants to help the homeless.”
For more information about Jahkil and his “Blessing Bags,” go to his website at iamnaeem.com.