No Soup For You

Today, I might have taken a cab to volunteer at a soup kitchen in Beacon Hill, Saturday/Sunday's Bread.  Yes, all of the limos and town cars were booked. I walked into the church (no, I was not struck down) and met the group of people I would be working with for the afternoon.  It was a mix of young and old people, everyone seemed very friendly.  It was my first time there and I learned that Saturday/Sunday's Bread was started because there were a lot of institutions providing food for homeless and marginally homeless people during the week, but not on weekends.  

The head of the kitchen informed us that the meal of the day was shepherd's pie, green beans and salad with bread and cookies on each of the tables.  I couldn't believe that there was no soup at the soup kitchen!  We weren't allowed to make the shepherd's pie, but made tons of salad (red peppers are my b*tch!) and set tables, laying out the bread, cookies, juice, water and condiments.  As we were cutting up vegetables, the chef told us to make sure everything was cut into tiny pieces as most of the people we'd be serving had severe dental issues. 

At about 2:30, the floodgates opened and 80+ people walked in, primarily male.  They eagerly devoured the food as fast as we put it in front of them and were clamoring for seconds.  Ladies, if you ever need an ego boost, head to the nearest homeless shelter... I got more sweet compliments and requests for my phone number than I can count!  All of the people seemed so grateful for the food and a chance to talk to us and kept thanking us profusely.  Talking to a lot of the people there, I felt pretty sad.... some of the people were clearly well-educated, some seemed quite well read and talked about former jobs and schools... I wondered how they got to where they are now, but it didn't seem appropriate to ask. 

After we cleaned up the dining room and kitchen, I left... smelling slightly of shepherd's pie, but feeling a sense of accomplishment and happiness.  I would definitely recommend going and I hope to go back soon!