My team got to sleep in this morning and didn't have to meet the team in the lobby until 7:45am, woo hoo! We headed to Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen. Here we served breakfast to homeless and needy people. Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen serves approximately 1200 meals every day, including holidays! Doors are open to everyone, without question, no paperwork, no qualification needed. Our team served in all aspects of the serving process from taking trays from the guests when they were done, to pouring drinks, to dishing food on their plate, to greeting, and more. We saw all walks of life come through, from those that had on raggedy dirty clothes, not showered or clean, to those that had on a suit and briefcase in hand, all races, all nationalities. I was back in the kitchen area serving food on the plates as the guests came through one by one. I worked next to a lady named Marge, whom I got to spend some time talking with. Before I went to NY, I always had my own impression in my my mind of what a tough NY woman would look/sound like. Coincidentally enough, Marge fit that description exactly with the sound of her voice with a bit of roughness in it with years of smoking behind it, the strong NY accent, the firefighter husband, and the tough yet sensitive personality. We talked about 9/11 and her husband being part of that day and the many days after. He ended up being in charge of funerals for the firefighters. He was not home much for months. She talked about the endless amount of funerals that she went to as well as her then 10-year old son. I couldn't imagine being a 10-year old attending the countless funerals that he did. She also mentioned that her husband was receiving a very high honored award that week, which she was very proud of. I don't remember the name of the award, but it is a very distinguished award for fireman that you are lucky to receive even once in your career. He's been a fireman for 30 years. We talked about her son growing up in the city and she said it's safer than many people think. That it's no big deal that her son was riding the subway everyday to/from school with just his friends at 12 years old. It's just the way of life. Marge volunteers at the soup kitchen a couple days a week...simply because she wants to. Her heart was definitely in it. The lady on my other side, whose name I cannot remember, was a ballroom dancer. She's moved around from town to town, but keeps ending back up in NYC and always makes time to volunteer for the needy.
In the afternoon, we headed to Henry Street Settlement / Good Companions Senior Center in Manhattan's lower east side. This is a senior activity center. Seniors come to hang out, eat a meal, play cards, socialize with other seniors, etc. We assisted them with serving the food, helping the seniors get their meals and clean up. However, our main purpose there was simply to spend time and engage with the seniors. And that we did! I was able to sit down and talk with a few of the seniors and believe it or not, a few of us danced with them for a bit! They had music playing (60's, disco) and myself and a few team members got a few seniors up and dancing! We had a blast! And so did they! We truly enjoyed bonding with them and simply just letting loose and enjoying life! The other team spent a good portion of the day at St. Paul's House, where my team was the day before. In addition to serving breakfast to the homeless, on Tuesday's at St. Paul's after breakfast, they set up a food/clothing pantry and assist the homeless in picking out some clothes to take with them and some food also. One of my team members, Craig, was able to assist a gentleman in picking out a nice outfit for an upcoming interview he had. And Craig even showed him how to tie his tie. It was a special moment for Craig to be part of this gentleman's journey of trying to get back on his feet.
What I learned today is whatever your preconceived notions about a certain anything may be (in this case for me it was my predefined idea of what a homeless/needy person looks like), you are probably wrong. Not until you experience it first-hand can you truly understand the real situation and decide what your belief is. I had this particular picture in my mind of what a homeless/needy person looks like and on my very first serving assignment I was proven wrong. There were plenty of clean-cut individuals that came into the soup kitchen for a meal. Maybe life is just starting to go down-hill for them or maybe they're on their way to getting back on their feet but still can't afford all their meals. That the guy you just passed on the street that "looks" well-off may not necessarily be and may be in just as much help and need as the ones who truly do "look" homeless. And with the high energy we had at the senior center, it reminded me that sometimes all is takes is a simple "hello" with a smile to make someone's day, life is short, enjoy it, and dance a little (who cares if you look like a fool). Enjoy the moment you're in....today...right here, right now.
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