Take a moment to think about your day. What struggles did you face? Did you have a bunch of homework you needed to get caught up on? Were you late to work? Did you have an argument with a friend?
I'm sure at some point today you thought about what you were going to eat for lunch or dinner. Dine in or go out? Italian or Mexican? But did you have to wonder where your next meal would come from? Did the weight of not knowing when or where the next time you would eat weigh upon your shoulders?
For many of us, the answer to those questions would be of course not. We can go home and open our fridge. We can go out to a restaurant with a friend or run over to the dining hall to grab a quick bite. Not being able to acquire food is not a thought that runs through most of our minds, but for millions of Americans, that thought is racing through their heads constantly.
Millions of Americans cannot tell you what the next meal they are going to eat will be. Millions of Americans cannot tell you when their next meal will be. Millions of Americans are hungry.
I was able to witness this first hand at the St. James Food Pantry the last couple of days. St. James provides foods and services to the homeless. Every Monday through Thursday the staff and volunteers hand out a nutritious meal to anyone who needs it. This meal includes a sandwich, a drink like water or chocolate milk, a fruit and vegetable, and some sort of snack like a pudding cup or doughnut. Anyone who comes in between the open hours are able to receive this meal. Every Tuesday through Thursday, the pantry offers a service where people can pick up produce and bags of food based on their family size. They are able to pick the produce they want and then are given prepackaged bags. These bags include various goods like bread, canned fruits and vegetables, rice, pasta, crackers, etc. The staff even give the option of a sharing table where clients can leave cans they don't want and take cans they do want.
I was not able to work with clients directly like some of the members on the trip did but I was able to see them as they received their food. I was in the back prepackaging bags of food. This was a pretty stressful and face paced job. At first it was a difficult task because I kept having to look at the list to know what exactly should be put in the bag but after a couple times I had the system down: corn, greens, pasta sauce, pinto beans, black eye peas, applesauce, Mac and cheese, pasta, rice. Over and over again I put bags together and filled in the empty table as they were given to clients. Over and over again I saw the thankfulness in clients' eyes as they were handed bags of food. Over and over again I saw the sadness and anger in clients' eyes when we told them we could not give them any extra.
As much as St. James does, they cannot do everything. There will still be people wondering when the next time they will eat will be. There are still people wondering how they are going to feed their children at the end of the month.
"Look at us with an angry heart, anger that will help you help me," -Jo Goodwin Parker.
Shouldn't this anger us? Shouldn't the fact that our fellow Americans are suffering spark some kind of fuse inside all of us? Shouldn't we feel something for these Americans who just can't catch a break?
When you see that homeless man standing on the corner asking for change, what do you think? What do you see? Do you see a man who just hasn't tried and is expecting others to take care of him? Or do you see a man who is down on his luck? A man who one bad thing happened to and it spiraled into him living on the streets? Do you see a man addicted to drugs or alcohol? Or do you see a man who had to drop out of high school to take care of his little sister sacrificing his dream of going to college? You do not know someone's story just from looking at them. You do not know how someone came to be in the position they are.
You do know that your fellow Americans are suffering. Your friend, your neighbor, your classmate.
St. James does their best to give their clients second chances. They give their clients the means to feed themselves for the end of the month. They offer nutrition classes and services to find jobs with no judgements. But they cannot do it on their own.
If anything, I hope this has changed your perspective of the way you think of the homeless. Do not be quick to judge because you do not know their story. But I do hope this has opened your eyes. I hope you feel something within your heart; anger, compassion, discouragement, anguish and I hope it drives you to make a difference.
"Change your thoughts and you'll change your world."
McKayla Baker
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