When I woke up this morning in my cozy little cot, I was sad because I remembered today was my last day in the city and we were done working with YSOP. Yesterday my group went to St. George's soup kitchen to help prepare and serve lunch. This soup kitchen was different from St James in that it was set up in a more traditional way where the guests come up to a table to pick up their food.
I was inspired by the amount of love that these volunteers have been pouring into the community for years. The volunteers at this soup kitchen were able to provide a large, hearty meal to around 80 people. They also provided another service that may not be as obvious. They gave these people a place to congregate and converse. They open their doors well before they start serving the meal so people can come in, warm up with some coffee, and talk to one another. This is social capital.
In class we discussed how important social capital is to each and every individual. Having a social network of can provide information on things like shelters, jobs opportunities and where to get a warm meal. People in a social network also provide support and understanding. In similar way the volunteers also add to the social capital of the people they serve. Whether it be a job listing or some sort of food, shelter or clothing assistance, volunteers may hear about these opportunities through other social circles and can share them with the group. One unique thing about St Georges is that they also had a table set up to educate their guests on the government's daily recommended servings of fruit, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy. This is also a very beneficial service that could be implemented at all soup kitchens and food pantries. A lot of cheap food is lacking in nutrition, so it is important to educate individuals who may not be eating healthy foods. It is difficult for many people in poverty to have a balanced diet because pantries often are lacking in fresh produce and protein sources. People then rely on a limited income or government assistance like SNAP to purchase foods to supplement. However, when someone has such a limited budget, it is often appealing to go for quantity over quality. If you only had $6.18 to spend on meal each day, how would you stretch it out? Perhaps when food banks are assembling packages to be distributed, they can pack them in a way that the canned food can be combined with fresh produce. If organizations have monetary donations, they could purchase gift cards to grocery stores. These could be given out near the end of the month when many people are starting to run out of government funds.
However, I think the most important thing this soup kitchen gave to their guests was so something everyone longs for. I think about my friend writing me a quick note saying she appreciates me, notes and pictures from my little cousins and a care package from my mom just because. That makes me feel loved. During our orientation at YSOP we were challenged to look at and talk to the people in poverty who address us while we are in the city. This was a difficult challenge for me. It is easier for me to walk past someone because then I won't feel anything emotions and I can just get on with my day. The more I thought about my old mentality the more sad I became at how I treated those people.
Now we are on our way back to Des Moines. Tonight I will sleep in my nice warm bed and tomorrow I could go back to living my life the way I did before. Or I could remember the joy in an elderly man's face when we looked each other in the eye and waved across the soup kitchen. I could remember the man I passed on the street who was wishing everyone a good Thursday. And the smile on his face when I responded "you too". I know it is unlikely everyone will respond in such a positive manner, but so what? There is nothing wrong with treating everyone you come into contact with as a human being with feelings and emotions. I believe that everyone desires to feel wanted and loved.
Moving on from this week and this class, I am going to continue to volunteer with organizations that support the poor, hungry and homeless. I am also going to be more conscious of the way I treat everyone I come into contact with. I'm going to stop walking by and pretending people aren't there because if I was in their shoes it would break my heart. I know it sounds cliché, but try to put yourself in their shoes. If it's too hard go to a local shelter and volunteer. Serve at a food pantry or soup kitchen. Over the past two weeks my eyes have been open and perceptions changed. The biggest thing that I have learned is that people are in poverty for so many different reasons. Not everyone who finds themselves, hungry, homeless, or in poverty has the same story. Nor do they all have the same attitudes. Just like any other social group, I have to understand that they all want different things and are all individual people. Maybe I had a bad experience with someone who panhandling in the subway. Does that mean that I should ignore everyone? Of course not. One or two or ten problems cannot stop me from serving a group of people who need my love and support. That is what I learned in New York and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to serve there. Now I'm ready to see what Des Moines is going to teach me. Stay Tuned!
Knowing that cheap foods often lack nutritional balance what else should we focus on aside from educating those in poverty about making nutritional choices? How can they make nutritional choices when they don't have the money to buy more expensive, non-processed foods? You mention perceptions changed, can you be more specific as to what perceptions and how they have changed?
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