Lunch lady

Yesterday, the departments on my floor got together and volunteered at Project Homeless Connect, serving lunches to the homeless who depend on this service. I'd never volunteered for this event, and I was impressed by its scale. At the venue, the city's homeless could get a meal, shop for groceries, visit with a dentist, go to the DMV, get a massage, set up a bank account, receive foot care and partake in many other services.

Our group was responsible for taking orders and serving meals in the "cafe." I approached several clients, offered them a choice of turkey or vegetarian sandwich (almost no one wanted the vegetarian), a cookie, a bottle of water, and a choice between an orange or banana (banana was the overwhelming favorite). I then collected the food and served the client whose order I took.

We completely outnumbered the sit-down lunchers, so I was placed on take-out duty, where I essentially took orders from the line of clients and handed them a bag with the contents they requested. We were also supposed to monitor for those who tried to get more than their alloted share, but it was tough since the pace was pretty quick and I have a very hard time saying no to people in need.

It was interesting to see the mix of homeless in San Francisco. The stereotypical crazies were definitely represented, but there were also an alarming number of young people who clearly had fallen on hard times. For some, it was their first time at the event and they were visibly embarrassed to be accepting help. Others seemed to make the most of the experience and were quite engaging. One gentleman, for example, danced up to me and demanded "lobster from Maine, Dom Perignon and caviar!" Sadly, I only had a turkey or vegetarian sandwich to offer.

Obviously, these events always help put things in perspective. They remind us of all that we have and how lucky we are in our abundance. And furthermore, it was a great opportunity to spend time with co-workers from other departments in a non-work setting and get to know them a little bit better.