A day of service

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.