Tim is one of the friendliest guests of the soup kitchen I’ve ever met. He always smiles and enjoys joking around. The other day as I walked past he called me over and, chuckling to himself, said: “Breanna, are you a nun yet?” I laughed and told him that’s not where my life is headed. “Well, if you keep working here,” he said, “I bet they’ll get you soon!”
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Someday are better than others. Today was hectic at the soup kitchen. The cops came looking for one of our guy guests. A woman had a bad reaction to a drug she had taken and paramedics had to be called. Then another woman came in with a nasty attitude. But our volunteers and guests, of course, took it all in stride and treated one another with goodwill.
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Students in 11th grade stopped by the Soup Kitchen and Kids Cafe on a tour of the Benedictine Ministries. While there, we talked a lot about the Catholic Social Teaching call to Family, Community and Participation. This teaching suggests that all humans have a right to participate in society and that we are called to reform society to meet the needs of all. At the soup kitchen, we bring people together – donors, volunteers, guests of the kitchen – to gather as community in which all are acknowledged. The more we get to know one another, especially those who are most unlike us, the more we recognize the gifts and struggles each person brings to our society. The more we recognize how to include people who have been left out, the more we might feel called to reform society to meet the needs of all.
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“Yesterday was my birthday,” said an 11-year-old at the soup kitchen, “and the volunteers here sang to me and gave me a birthday gift! I got a warm blanket, fuzzy socks, and even some fancy Chapstick – you know, the kind rich people use.”
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I often ask kids at the soup kitchen the same thing: “How was school today?” And I get all kinds of responses. Usually it’s something along the lines of: “fine,” and I get an occasional: “we didn’t go today,” but this time I got a: “not good!” So I asked the ten-year-old why her day wasn’t good. “I punched a boy in the face and broke open his lip,” she said. “You did?!” I responded. I’m not one for fighting and always encourage peaceful interactions, especially at the Soup Kitchen. “What happened? Why did you punch him?” I asked. Immediately she replied: “He touched by butt. I told him not to but he did it anyway. He never listens and doesn’t respect my privacy.” Then her mom jumped in: “Well maybe you shouldn’t be wearing those tight pants to school!” This really threw me off – this ten-year-old is being sexually harassed, struggling to figure out how to best address the situation, resorting to fighting because that’s all she knows that works, and at the same time her mother is victim-blaming her for her clothing choices rather than supporting her in identifying good touch/bad touch or teaching her how to address the situation in a non-violent yet constructive way.
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I’m intrigued by this statement put out by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services: “Families with low incomes are 50 percent more likely to have moved in the past year and nearly three times as likely to rent, rather than own a home.” That, combined with knowing that many students in this area switch schools when they move and that switching schools can set a child six months behind in their education compared to their peers, makes me wonder how some of these children will ever have a chance to get ahead in life.
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We just got a thoughtful letter from a donor who is paying attention to governmental policies: “I have enclosed a small donation. I hope your food pantry and soup kitchen does not show a large increase in people needing help due to the recent SNAP changes. Blessings.”
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At the Soup Kitchen tonight, there was a special tray of cupcakes with a note on top: “Today is our guest Tyrone’s birthday! He wanted coconut on his cupcakes. Soup Kitchen volunteer Katherine made them for him. Please give these to him.” This, to me, is true love: paying attention to and celebrating another.
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“I just love to be at the Food Pantry and hear you address each guest by name,” said Sister Mary to a volunteer. “Well, I always think it could so easily be me on the other side of the table,” the volunteer replied, “so I want to make sure everyone is treated well.”