The limousine that pulled up in front of the Foreman-Reynaud Community Center on Saturday afternoon idled for a second before the back door opened. Cautiously stepping out of the vehicle were a half dozen men from around the Lake Area. They didn’t speak much as a small crowd greeted them, but there were smiles and a few nods as the group walked into the lobby. Awaiting them inside were a barber, a hot shower, a set of new dress clothes, a three-course dinner, health information and advice from community members on how to find gainful employment.

It was all part of an event created by the Lake Charles Chapter of the Ruff Ryders, a local biker organization, to help provide assistance to a portion of the Lake Charles homeless population.

The event was the result of a joint effort between Abraham’s Tent, the community center and the Ruff Ryders, along with donations from Delta Downs, New Look Fashion and Louisiana Healthcare Connections.

“There you go, man. First door on your left,” chapter president Russell Gordon said to the men getting out of the limousine.

The first door on the left was the entrance to the evening’s barber station, where Reginald Allen, known in the Ruff Ryders as “Google,” was setting up to provide free haircuts for the guests. Gordon, who rode in the limousine with the night’s guests, stayed outside for a few minutes to talk about what the event meant not only to his organization, but to the six Lake Area residents receiving the help.

“The ride over was nice. We had a chance to drive around the city and talk with them a little bit. Not all of them wanted to open up, and that’s OK,” he said.

The focus of the event, Gordon said, was to help people however they could. It wasn’t about getting background stories or their intimate life details. He said it was about providing assistance to people who needed it most. Gordon added that the organization plans to stay in the lives of the six men beyond Saturday’s festivities.

“We plan to do more things with them than just what you see tonight. We want to make sure they have IDs and make sure they have access to talk to people about getting jobs, do things for them to encourage them to get off the street,” Gordon said.

In the main section of the community center, the other members of the Ruff Ryders were straightening the white cloths covering a few tables. As the six guests waited for their haircuts, Stephanie Chretien, community center executive director, was dutifully hanging the evening attire that was donated for the event. On the hangers were pressed black slacks, a white shirt, a black belt and black socks. She said the endeavor began with a phone call from the Ruff Ryders and a request to continue some of the things the community center has been doing for decades.

“We’ve provided showers here for the homeless for the last 20 years plus. The Ruff Ryders organization came to me asking if they could use our facility to prepare the meals for them. That was an honor for them to come to us,” Chretien said.

After a few hours filled with food, socializing and messages from a local pastor, the event came to a close. The men who stepped out of the limousine early Saturday afternoon looked completely different by night’s end, dressed to the nines in the donated formal wear. Standing outside away from the Ruff Ryder members clearing tables and packing away food was 27-year-old Frederick Fenner. He was one of the participants in the night’s event, and he talked about some of the moments he enjoyed the most.

“The talks were good. The food was great and so was everything, really. It was really nice,” he said. “The pastor that spoke with us tonight is planning to take us to church tomorrow. It was a good night. We heard a lot of positive things.”

The preacher Fenner was referring to was the event’s keynote speaker, pastor Barry Thomas of Shiloh Baptist Church, whose past is similar to the present for people like Fenner.

“I’ve been homeless before,” Thomas said after the event. “I wanted them to know that their condition isn’t their conclusion. It’s not a permanent deal, it’s just temporary. They just need to reach down within themselves and find some potential and bring themselves up.”

Continuing the night’s message of staying active in the lives of the six men beyond what Saturday offered, Thomas said the group was not only going to be given a place to stay for the evening, but also a church to attend the following day. It was all part of a mission to help one person, who would then help another, and so on, he said. He also mentioned that he and Chretien planned to meet in the coming week with other local churches to find more ways to give back to an underserved segment of the Lake Charles population.

“Tonight, they were leaving with a full belly, but they didn’t know where they were going to lay their heads. So, I decided we were going to put them in a motel tonight,” he said. “The van is here to pick them up, and we’re going to take them to the motel. The vans will pick them up in the morning and take them to church and then to eat afterward. We just wanted to keep their hopes up and keep that hopeful spirit alive.”

(Rick Hickman/American Press)