I walked into the kitchen of Love & Care Ministries this morning, and there was Janet (the boss). She was back on the job doing her normal routine (even though her father had passed away yesterday). I knew she we would be there because she handles grief the way I do – “get back to work, back to a familiar routine, and process the loss away from family.” She’ll be in the kitchen, again, in the morning – I’m sure of it.
This morning we served breakfast to 50-60 homeless and working poor – Cream of Wheat, toast and jelly. For lunch, we had the biggest crowd I’ve seen – over 300! My co-worker, Lacee, had warned me that lunch on Thursday was always crowded. We started serving at 11:30am and the line for lunch did not slow down until 12:30pm. It was crazy.
Before lunch, I went with Larry, the boss of the food pantry, to the warehouse to pick up food supplies for the food pantry. No need for an upper body workout today – I had a fantastic workout with “P-90L” (“L” stands for Larry). We transported hundreds of pounds of canned goods – loading them on the truck at the warehouse and taking them off the truck at the food pantry. Once again, 40 degrees outside, and I was sweating profusely (I know that’s a shocker to most of you!).
Today, I really felt like my presence was felt and necessary for several reasons:
- Larry really needed my help moving all that food!
- Janet and I had a chance to talk, and I could really see her processing her father’s death.
- Two volunteers that normally come on Thursdays did not show up.
- Anthony, our co-worker called in sick today (he left early yesterday because of illness).
- The “friends” that we serve are beginning to be comfortable with me.
The one thing that is really illustrated to me every day is how grateful the vast majority of our friends are for what we do for them. Yes, there are a few that have bad attitudes, but far more than 90% of the people we serve are grateful and appreciative. Knowing their circumstances, it’s hard for me to believe how thankful they are. God is definitely present at Love & Care Ministries.
Blessings, Kris