Longtime Contributor vendor Brent Bidwell passed away earlier this month. He was 32 years old. Brent started selling The Contributor in 2009, and worked closely with staff and volunteers over the years.
“Brent was a ferocious and flawed human being who made me confront some of my own flaws,” said Contributor volunteer Mike Reilly. “For that, I am grateful, and will remember him.”
Contributor staff have already felt a deep absence of his presence in the office and know his customers are also missing him on his corner at Hillsboro Pike and Harding Place.
Carli Tharp, Contributor SNAP Specialist wrote:
“One time, the food stamp office asked us for proof that Brent wasn’t in jail. He had no papers, we didn’t know where to get papers, so I thought this might work. We had him and several staff members sign a note saying he wasn’t in jail, and took a picture of him holding it in an obviously not jail environment. Funny enough, we sent it in, and it worked.
Brent had a firecracker personality. He demanded your attention. He had a great sense of humor, and he used it to make his hard situations easier. He stood up for himself, and fought so hard to improve his situation. I fought for him, too. Serving Brent felt like helping a friend. Helping move him into his place last summer was the victory of victories. I talked about it all year. I was so proud of him and my team. It was a pleasure to know and serve Brent. I am devastated by his loss. He was and is so very well loved.”
Justin Wagner, Contributor Resource Coordinator & Reporter wrote:
“Brent Bidwell was hasty making promises. Whenever we talked our way through whatever challenges he was facing, whether it was housing-related, legal, or more personal, he would always forecast his next steps, often weeks in advance, and commit to a detailed plan of action. It rarely worked out. If it did, there tended to be another burden awaiting him right around the corner. But Brent stared down eviction after eviction, caught in an endless tangle of court-ordered formalities, and endured lengthy bouts of homelessness — for years — and he never stopped promising himself the blissful future he was owed. I wish I had told him that I admired that unflinching hope.
Knowing the better things Brent was clawing toward, his death feels outrageous and unpardonable. I am tempted to think of Brent’s passing as just one of many senseless deaths preventable by a more empathetic world. I am tempted toward bitterness and hopelessness. But Brent always endured. He always saw a way forward. And he didn’t just wait for bleak times to pass him by — he promised he’d outlast them. I will do my best to take after his resilience.
Working against systems which tear people from their homes and spare no expense in keeping them down is numbing, and as times like these demonstrate, rife with tragedy. I owe my ability to continue to the people I’ve worked with, such as Brent Bidwell, who have allowed me to share in the euphoria of their hope.”