Even on the coldest of nights, while Donald McBenge would wind himself into a fetal position under a blanket, he was rarely ever concerned with surviving through the night or finding that next hot meal.

McBenge, who’s been homeless for several years, wants to find his family. Most importantly, he wants to find his sister.

“My sister lives somewhere in West Virginia,” McBenge said.

Finding his sister, Patsy, has been an ongoing challenge. When the one person he’s been looking for doesn’t want to be found, it has been a challenge. The last time he talked with her she said she wanted nothing to do with him.

“You’ll always be a drunk,” McBenge remembers her saying to him. “I don’t want to be bothered.”

And for several years McBenge was just that. In the mornings out on the streets of St. Louis, the now 57-year-old, would often wake up drunk.

If he was able to walk he’d hunt down aluminum cans hoping to cash in a few bucks for a few drinks. Bartenders knew McBenge well, as he was often waited outside for the bars to open at 2 p.m.

“Alcohol made me forget about all of my problems,” McBenge said. “That’s all I wanted to do was drink, drink, drink.”

There were several reasons why he began to drink. He had a brief construction job in Houston, but when he came back to St. Louis unemployed and found out that his mother had passed away, the emotions and the alcohol just seemed to work hand in hand. Both his parents were now gone. The family restaurant, which McBenge’s parents had owned, was now under new management.

He was alone, drunk and an emotional wreck.

“I didn’t care what happened to my life,” McBenge said. “I slept out on the street.”

Hoping to escape all the turmoil St. Louis was throwing at him, McBenge scraped together enough money for a bus ticket to Joplin. The majority of his daily activities included walking around Joplin searching for cans. If there were no cans he’d just walk around. His sleeping area was by an abandoned building just off Main Street. If he was lucky, he’d earn enough money to purchase a bottle of whiskey or a few beers.

“I was too worried about drinking,” he said.

McBenge, who’s never married and has no children, was able to find free meals and a bed most nights.

If he wasn’t drinking, officials at Soul’s Harbor, a Christian-based organization, would be more than happy to help him out.

Homeless individuals and families down on their luck can stay at Soul’s Harbor as long as there is always an active attempt in the job search.

For McBenge, finding labor jobs wasn’t difficult. He was able to find a job at Tyson’s chicken in Noel, Mo. for six months.

But he was still drinking and Harbor officials found out.

“I got kicked out of here for 30 days for drinking,” he said.

Just as many homeless individuals do, McBenge spent his days wandering the streets and looking for good places to sleep.

“You try to find a place where you ain’t going to get wet, and you hope it’s not cold,” he said. “You just try to get up the next morning before the police see you.”

Life on the street is routine, for McBenge anyway; it’s how he managed to get by. He’d often be found in downtown alleys looking for aluminum cans.

When there were no cans he’d just walk around by himself. Joplin drivers began recognizing McBenge and would honk as they drove by. Although often drunk, he’d do his best to wave back.

“He’s just a guy that needs some help,” said Joan Lewis, Souls Harbor director. “He needs a place where someone will care about him.”

For 23 years, Lewis has helped run Souls Harbor. She’s seen hundreds of homeless people come in and out of the system.

Although many homeless individuals just don’t care, Lewis said she always does her best to lend a helping hand.

“It’s rewarding to have that opportunity to give people hope,” Lewis said. “They leave with a different outlook on life.”

In what seemed to be just another day in a Joplin bar, McBenge ordered a beer. He took the first sip and became disgusted with himself.

For the first time in several years, McBenge was able to make the right decision. He knew he was killing himself.

“I don’t want to fall back to those bad habits I had,” he said.

Now that he’s no longer drinking, McBenge hopes to quit smoking as well. He’s been a pack-per-day smoker for several years.

He’s hoping to see a doctor soon.

“I’m going to ask about them patches,” he said. “I hear they work.”

Now that McBenge is sober, he’s now able to begin working labor jobs.

The kitchen staff at Soul’s Harbor just hired him to be a dishwasher.

If everything works out, McBenge hopes to save enough money for an apartment and begin a new life.

And, he’s also hoping to find his family. Although he admits that being alone on the streets is best, it’s also the most challenging.

“The hardest part of being homeless is that you don’t have any friends,” he said. “Everybody needs friends.”

While McBenge still has a long way to go before he gets his life back together, he said he knows what he needs in his life to help him get back on his feet.

“I last saw my sister over 20 years ago,” he said. “I figure it’s time to find someone in my family and let them know I’m OK.”

He’s hoping to find a phone number and give her a call.

If anything, he’d just like to talk with his sister and see how she’s doing.

“I hope something good comes out of it,” he said. “I care about her really.”