Today my team at work & I served lunch at a soup kitchen in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. We prepped (read: chopped 50 pounds of onion and them some..) and served lunch between 11:30am and 1:30pm.
Now I am someone who is used to snacking all day. By the time noon rolls around, I’ve mentally checked out of whatever I’m doing and am only thinking about where I will get lunch from and what it will include.
Here is a wake up call: serve lunch to those who are perpetually hungry...while you are hungry yourself. The same people you walk by on the street and don’t interact with, the ones you feel pity for in your stomach but feel helpless to actually help - those are the people we served today. And I don’t mean served ala buffet serving line, I mean they sat down and we served them a three course meal and beverages and gave them supplies to wrap up any leftovers they may not have finished.
I get panicky if I don’t eat when I’m hungry - and I put my needs first, I stop whatever I’m doing and find at least a snack, if not a full meal. These people live day to day, hour to hour wondering where their next meal will come from - because no one is putting their needs first. It felt good to give them the attention and respect that they deserve. And in return, they were significantly more polite and respectful than any shopper in line at a store on black friday.
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