In 2015, Brian Peterson and his wife, Vanessa, had just moved to Santa Ana, California. Outside the couple’s apartment, a homeless man was often yelling on the street corner.
One day, Peterson was relaxing in his living room, reading the book Love Does, about the power of love in action, when his quiet was disturbed by the homeless man. Inspired by the book’s compassionate message. Peterson made an unexpected decision: He was going to go outside and introduce himself.
In that first conversation, Peterson learned that the man’s name was Matt Faris. He’d moved to Southern California from Kentucky to pursue a career in music, but he soon fell on hard times and ended up living on the street for more than a decade.
“It was the weirdest thing to me,” Peterson recalled later. “I saw beauty on the face of a man who hadn’t shaved in probably a year. But his story, the life inside of him, inspired me.” And even though Peterson hadn’t picked up a paintbrush in about eight years, he found himself asking if he could pain Faris’s portrait. Faris said yes.
Peterson’s connection with Faris led him to form Faces of Santa Ana, a nonprofit organization focused on befriending and painting portraits of members of the community who are unhoused Peterson sells the portrait for a few thousand dollars, putting half of the profits into what he calls a “love account” for his model. He then helps people use the money to get back on their feet.
Many of Peterson’s new friends use the donations to secure immediate necessities — medical care hotel rooms, food. Faris used the funds from his portrait to record an album, fulfilling his musical dreams. When the check was delivered, “they both wept in my arms,” Peterson recalls.
Having painted 41 of these portraits himself, he’s discovered that the buyers tend to connect to the story of the person in the painting, finding similarities and often friendship with someone they might have otherwise overlooked or stereotyped.
“People often tell me, ‘I was the one that would cross the street. But I see homeless people differently now,’” Peterson says. “I didn’t know that would happen.”
4. Why did Peterson offer to paint a portrait for Faris?
A.He was touched by Faris’s life story. | B.He was inspired by a book about love |
C.He wanted to regain his skills in painting. | D.He aimed to form a non-profit organization |
5. What’s the purpose of paragraph 6?
A.To inspire readers to help the poor. |
B.To explain the value of the portrait. |
C.To show the effects of Faces of Santa Ana. |
D.To demonstrate the change of the homeless. |
6. Which of the following best describes Peterson?
A.Romantic | B.Caring | C.Courageous | D.Persistent. |
7. What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A.The homeless are better off now | B.Good things happen all the time |
C.People enjoy painting the homeless | D.Peterson’s efforts make a difference |