Alright. Day three of AmeriCorps Week. I have to say, it has been great so far!
The Sioux Falls VISTA Team-Daniel, Amy, Melissa, Amanda, (myself)Dominique, Tami, and Cassie all worked together to pull off this wonderful event.
I am surprised to be honest. I have volunteered in soup kitchens before and I have to say, this is the best time I have had. A large chunk of that had to do with the amazing quality of VISTA's we have now (as well as my delicious expresso high). However, there are some noteworthy differences between typical soup kitchen work and cooking for the St. Francis crew.
One, we are amazing cooks. Really. Our tacos and homemade baked goods (thank you Melissa and Tami!) we sooo good. We even took pictures. Hopefully they will be posted soon.
Two, St. Francis is very interesting, cozy, and warm. My previous experiences with soup kitchens have been okay. As a result of the lack of funds in the nonprofit world, they usually are a bit run down and are as efficient as possible. This efficiency has often compromised the atmosphere of the place. It ends up being a bit impersonal despite your best attempt to change this.
Not so at St. Francis. The transitional living shelter is located inside of a quaint and fully stocked home. The common eating area feels more like large family kitchen then it does anything else. There are also couches and a large t.v. for those who wish to sit back and relax before or after a meal. The kitchen was well stocked and the people were very hungry! We came prepared with food and they definitely brought their appetites!
Primarily, St. Francis house focuses on single men as their core demographic. The men that stay there are required either to get a job and begin saving for a better life or to at least volunteer several hours a day. In return they are given beds in this beautiful home, free food, and other opportunities. These men were kind and very grateful for our wonderful cooking skills. I think more so they were happy to have our company. We brought the VISTA charm and they could not resist. The happiness that we felt as a result of being out of the office and in direct service was apparent. Everyone gave what they could to make a beautiful meal and we had fun doing it. We did not keep segregated from the others in the house but talked to them and interacted. Afterward, we ate with them and helped them clean up. This was their home and we were as much their guests as they were our fellow citizens, allowing us a chance to understand more about what it means to be human in this crazy world.
For one night, a large group of strangers came together. We cooked for them. We were merry. We celebrated. We thanked each other. We cleaned and we went home.
It was simply wonderful.
Driving home, listening to slow soulful music while it was raining outside, I replayed the images in my mind.
The men, hardened in some ways by a life harder then they had any right to expect, and yet soft enough to pray before dinner and smile happily at the strangers sharing their meal.
The VISTA's bumping into each other in excitement to do as much as possible while also feeling restless because we always want to do more. I am sure we would have painted the kitchen if we could have!
The delicious taco's that were way too large to actually eat in any civilized manner, ETC.
It was a evening well spent. I am satisfied and very, very grateful.
