It was early afternoon, the air bright and crisp; the
ground still damp from the sudden downpour that had just trickled to a halt. We
stood on a corner, looking around to receive the slightest indication that we
were in the right place. Across the street, under the canopy of a local shop I
saw a man leaning on a railing, hands folded in front of him. It almost seemed
like he was watching us while trying to make it not seem so. As I looked around
the area, I spotted another kind of rough looking man glancing in our
direction. And another, this one a woman holding herself in a proud manner, but
watching us nonetheless. I checked the time. Nearly 1 o’clock. The peering
faces that were slowly gathering, though not gathering close enough to let
anyone know what was happening, told me that we were indeed in the right place.
A lady
walked around the corner with a couple small bags in her hands. We waved her
over to see if she was who we were to meet, and after quick introductions, we
discovered that it was time. Within minutes, there were tables set up in the
space on that corner, and a man strumming on a guitar behind it all. Once the
tables were up and the food in it, we looked up to see a line. The haggard
faces that had been peeking out where among the first. As they slowly moved
forward they were greeted with a smile. We offered them sandwiches and said
they could help themselves to the snacks on the table. Some shyly took little;
some stuffed their pockets and scampered off. Most hung around for the hour and
a bit we were there, talking with each other and with us. When the line had
slowed, we told those who were still there that they were welcome to come take
more, because we had lots to give. Not long after that we were handing out
grocery bags and small boxes for people to take a few bananas and oranges and a
couple granola bars with them. Some were still a little leery about taking
more, but we reassured them that the food was there for them.
Before
we knew it, it was time to pack up. The few people who still remained had bags
full of food to take with them. They left with full bellies and warm hearts,
thanks to all those who had worked hard to bring food out. The team who had set
this up hung around to chat a bit afterwards, thanking each other for their contributions,
and thanking us for coming out as well, but we thanked them, because it was our
pleasure, it really was. We all walked away from that experience knowing we had
made a difference in someone’s life that day, and we all knew it couldn’t stop
there. That was only one day, and these people we met struggle through most
days. While we knew we as a group may not return in the future, we knew that
there were people who showed up every week to make this happen, and they would
continue doing so as long as they could.
