Back on his feet, he’s now giving back by feeding those in need

By Andrea Domanick

Monday, May 4, 2015 | 2 a.m.

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Every Monday night, Siloh Moses prepares dinner for a few hundred people he calls his “future friends.”

They are homeless, jobless or otherwise in need. They gather on the alphabet streets in the city’s core to enjoy a hot meal, pick up clothing, receive job support and take advantage of other resources provided by Moses and dozens of volunteers who call such nights “Give Back Mondays.”

Moses launched the grass-roots effort last year, and it has since grown into a Facebook group of more than 700 members who use social media to coordinate community giving efforts under the hashtag #ServingHopeLV. They estimate they’ve provided more than 11,000 plates of food, 9,000 pieces of clothing and 6,000 bottles of water to Las Vegans in need.

“We’re not there just to serve those in line but rather to get them out of the line, to give them resources to get back in the workforce and find shelter,” Moses said. “Sometimes you meet people who are OK with being homeless because, often, that’s all they’ve ever known. We’re looking for those who have a desire to get out (of homelessness) but who might not know how to ask for help.”

Moses knows firsthand how hard that can be. About two years ago, he landed on the street after losing his concierge business and his home in Summerlin during the economic downturn.

For months, Moses ate out of Dumpsters and slept in public restrooms before he could bring himself to tell someone about his situation and ask for help. He got lucky; he reached out to a former boss, who let Moses sleep in a 12-by-14 foot office with a computer. The shelter and Internet access gave him the momentum he needed to look for work and ultimately start supporting himself again.

But Moses knows not everyone has someone to turn to.

“As soon as I got back on my feet, I knew the first thing I wanted to do was give back and show appreciation and offer the same tools I had been given,” he said.

With a large bowl of spaghetti in hand, Moses headed to West McWilliams Avenue near G Street, where the Rev. John B. McShane has said Mass and fed the homeless for 14 years as part of the St. Benedict Labre Homeless Ministry. Moses’ bowl of spaghetti served about 30 people that night. He wondered how many he could feed with two bowls.

He asked some friends to come back the following week, and soon the effort spread by word of mouth and social media.

The group operates solely on what Moses calls “people power.” It accepts no monetary donations and offers no financial support. Instead, volunteers are grouped into teams to provide whatever resources they can, from food to clothing to bus passes to identification and Social Security cards. Others help people make resumes and look for jobs, often serving as lines of communication to coordinate interviews and follow-up. Volunteers have even helped families move and delivered Christmas gifts.

Today, as the group continues to receive more supply donations and volunteer interest, Moses is focused on refining their process and services. If it keeps growing, he hopes it could eventually branch to out to other volunteer efforts beyond homelessness.

“Sometimes the people you come across are really smart, but stuff just happens,” Moses said. “They don’t want to be there, but they need tools and the right push to get out.

“The worst part of being homeless isn’t being homeless,” he continued. “It’s how other people treat you when you’re homeless. It’s the guy who’s on the way to work and crosses the street so he doesn’t have to walk past you. No one smiles at you, says ‘Hi, how are you, how’s your day going?’ You literally feel absolutely alone in the world. No one deserves that.”

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