Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 11-4-16 Online Edition

Opinion Feature
Woman Creates Homeless Ministry
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Sarah Noonkester, founder of Total Care For Oth- ers Homeless Food Ministry, is a unique woman who feels she was destined to help homeless people.
Ms. Noonkester is the single mother of two children, and she says although she doesn’t have much money, what she does have, money can’t buy.
“I have a lot of love for children and a ton of faith that everything is going to be al- right.
“I was 16 when I started using drugs. I started by shooting up heroin and pow- dered coke for three years. I got involved with drugs from being around my friends, be- cause I saw them using so I started using with them. By the time I was 18, I went into tooting coke and smokingf crack cocaine. That’s when everything fell through. That’s when I started lying about dif- ferent things just to get what I wanted as far as the drugs. I had fake identification cards to get into the clubs.”
Ms. Noonkester said she started prostituting when she was 18, and spent some time in jail as a result.
“When I was 19, I started dating my first husband, Kevin. He took me off the streets for a while. He got killed in an accident a month after we were married, and after he died, I went back to using again. For a long period,
SARAH NOONKESTER
I never looked back.
“I think I hit rock bottom
when I used the money from my husband’s insurance set- tlement to buy drugs.”
Ms. Noonkester said it was during her years being homeless when she decided enough was enough.
“I’ve come a long way since then, and for the past 12 years, I’ve been feeding homeless people. I started in Richmond, Virginia, and now I’m doing it out of my home in Tampa. I believe homeless people should eat the same food as I do.
“Every Saturday, I come to the park on Tampa Street and 7th Avenue to feed homeless people. I get there about 11 a.m., and really enjoy giving back.”
Recently, Ms. Noon- kester received the Mother of the Year Award from the Pre- development Center for Spe- cial Needs Children. She’s currently receiving calls to as- sist women with substance abuse issues. She also talks to youth on the street about drug abuse.
Citizens Comment On Latest Clinton Email Scandal
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Last week, James Comey, Director of the Fed- eral Bureau of Investigations announced that he is re-open- ing an investigation about whether Secretary of State Hillary Clinton used a per- sonal email address to send classified information. The news of the latest twist in the email scandal came 11 days be- fore the General Election.
Some Tampa residents shared their opinions about the latest scandal.
Mrs. Carolyn Collins said, “I think (James) Comey made an error back in July and he should have been consistent with policy. Now, he has come out with another incomplete statement. This could be harmful to people who have not made up their minds about who they want to vote for. I hope it won’t cause them to change their minds.
“He (Comey) made this worse because now, he could alter the election because of this. For me, the emails are not
the issue. I look at who is sta- ble in mind, not just who will hit the nuclear button. ... I look at who is the most qualified candidate to lead this country. And Donald Trump is not fit to lead the country. Hillary Clinton’s qualifications ex- ceed those of all male presi- dents who have gone before her. And I do believe that if she were not a woman, she would not have had to face all of the issues she has had to endure.”
Supt. Charles Davis
said, “I still feel the same about her. She is a much, much better candidate than Donald Trump. He said she could shoot someone and feel that it would be alright.
“And, as far as values and morals are concerned, when the scandal with her husband came about, she stayed with him and they worked it out. Donald Trump is on wife #3 and we don’t know how much longer she will be there.
“Anyone who votes for him is either getting some money out of the deal or they are un- learned.”
Mrs. Cheryl Washing-
ton said, “The issues with the emails matter, but I still be- lieve that she is the best candi- date for the job. She has 30 years of experience and that is more than any of the males who served before her.”
Ralph Smith said, “It has not changed his mind about Hillary Clinton. We have looked at this email situation for over a year and a half ex- haustively. She made a mis- take, but I don’t believe she should be criminally convicted for that mistake.
“But for the rest of us, we should know that with Wik- ileaks and all those others there are not private emails. Emails are on a bunch of servers and we should be aware when we email things.”
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