The organization in which I am working at provides medical services, dental services, weekly food boxes, clothing, bagged lunches for the homeless, hygiene kits, monthly homeless community dinners, AA meetings, GED classes, computer classes, and job coaching classes to local low-income and homeless individuals. This organization has strong religious ties and is funded completely by donations and volunteers. Working for the food pantry on the weekly food distribution is the most insightful opportunity I’ve had so far. Three hundred to four hundred low-income families come and wait in a long line in front of the organization for their weekly food box or sack lunch. Many individuals come early to claim their space in line with lawn chairs. There is one security guard to ward off any impatient or potentially harmful individuals. The security guard makes the long line full of families, homeless, and volunteers wait to enter the building until they open and are ready to being distribution. Before they open, there will often be a homeless man or two knocking on the front door until the guard lets them come in to use the restroom. The homeless often leave their carts or valuables out front in the care of others or the security guard, while they wait in line for their lunches, hygiene kits, and bathrooms. While they do not provide showers for homeless, the organization refers them to another organization where they offer showers.
Many of these volunteers have and still use/d the organizations aid and a few have even been homeless. These individuals desire to give back the organization that has helped them, and they are usually of the same faith. Their stories tell a dramatic tale of their struggles with alcohol, health, family issues, as well as personal economic catastrophes. They credit the organization and most importantly god, for helping them through their time of need. On several occasions while working at the food pantry, volunteers and employees have stated “they get what we give them”, “beggars can’t be choosers”, or stating that the poor need to put their faith in god and work harder to make it out of their situations. This is disturbing since these individuals are an aid organization providing for these families and individuals in need, yet they do not see the larger societal structure oppressing these individuals that led to being in need. It may be that I have worked along side and spoke to the few volunteers that believe this, however, this lack of larger structural knowledge among some volunteers still has an effect on the organization.
I am excited to continue speaking with the volunteers and staff, as well as to begin conversing with the hundreds of families and homeless individuals that come through the organization each week. I am particularly excited to participate in this month’s homeless dinner, in which I will be able to prepare, serve, and eat dinner with local homeless individuals. This will allow me to understand the homeless’ view of the organization as well as what it means to be homeless in this town.