Sometimes the best moments in life occur when two things happen: (1) when we least expect it and (2) when we throw all caution to the wind and dive in. I’ll admit this first sentence is very cliché but it exactly describes my experience volunteering at Miriam’s Kitchen earlier this morning.
For some background, Miriam’s Kitchen is a non-profit organization that “provides individualized services that address the causes and consequences of homelessness.” One of the unique aspects that I appreciate about Miriam’s Kitchen (and keep in mind, I just became aware of this today) is the holistic and individualized approach its takes towards each of its guests. This organization’s three areas of programming are meals, case management, and art as a form of therapy. In some ways, Miriam’s kitchen takes a full service approach in that they have food, activities, programs, clothing, and toiletries for their guests. More importantly, Miriam’s kitchen provides its guest with a community to go to everyday which gives them recognition: I believe that to recognize or be recognized is the greatest, most powerful type of human interaction that exists. For more information, please check out their website: http://www.miriamskitchen.org/
Now to reference the beginning of this reflection, this time yesterday afternoon, I was not planning on volunteering at Miriam’s Kitchen. As a member of the Princeton Club of Washington, I received an “urgent” email requesting volunteers to join in the contingent that we send every month to the Kitchen. In some ways this email came from “left field” and felt totally random – “we least expect it.” Next, I was on the fence because our group’s shift was from 6:00 AM to 8:30 AM. This meant that in order to get there, I would need get up at around 4:15 AM and head out for the Metro at 5:00 AM – which is when the first trains depart; I decided to throw “caution in the wind and dive in” – and it was worth it!
The first thing I noticed when I walked into Miriam’s Kitchen was that all of my fellow volunteers were white and I was the only black one. In the grand scheme of things this does not matter; however, I majored in Anthropology and African American Studies which means that I pay attention to details and people because it may speak to a larger cultural/societal trend. After this initial observation, I later asked one of the security guards who was also black if “brothers volunteered here” and he responded “all the time.”
My primary task during the day was to work the door. In this role, I was responsible for greeting each of the guests and handing them numbers that corresponded to the order in which they would be served breakfast. The 90 minutes I stood at the door, I had the opportunity to greet and interact with some genuinely awesome people. There are two people that stick out in my mind. First, there was a guest who had creative artistic skills and drew pictures of the casts of two Tyler Perry sitcoms and the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Second, there was another gentleman who came up to me and pointed me out as a college student. He asked where I attended school and I told him Princeton. Then he responded “Ok congrats, that’s a nice school” – that was a nice moment there, but fortunately one amongst many.
During my time at the door, I had the opportunity to hand out numbers and greetings to about 120 people (the others lined up early outside for numbers before I had even arrived). Each of these interactions were simply refreshing and fun. Moreover, when leaving a lot of them thanked me even though I didn’t do too much. Guests came in steadily throughout breakfast time and came together to form a type of community. In this modestly-sized room, over 100 men and women ate breakfast together. In addition to breakfast, I saw glimpses of the Kitchen’s full-service approach: the case managers making the rounds to each table, the volunteer in the corner handing out toiletries and vitamins, and the lawyer to consult with the guests. Add this visual to a soundtrack of 60’s Motown music and that’s quite an aesthetic!
All-in-all, this was a special experience for me. Aside from being my first post-college volunteer experience, it was an amazing instance of experiential learning. Although I did not talk in depth to any of the guests (being at the door, I did not have the time), my preconceived notions about homelessness in Washington D.C. were further shattered. For instance, in terms of diversity, I interacted with people of every race, men and women, people who were dressed in different ways, and veterans. In terms of the veterans and homelessness, I am somewhat sensitive to this matter because of my belief that anyone who has served our country in the military should not have to experience homelessness. I would like to learn more about this particular relationship and find out if it’s due to a failure of our Department of Veteran Affairs, or perhaps our country’s general unawareness of the issues returning soldiers face upon returning home.
I would like to thank Miriam’s Kitchen for this wonderful experience and opportunity. It was good and uplifting to see so much love – agape type love – so wonderfully generated and concentrated in one place. There was love from the guests who appreciated being recognized and loved, there was love from the volunteers who lovingly prepared and served the food, and there was love from the staff who coordinated this communal gathering – I felt the love all around (note: the blog is entitled “I am Here 2 Love”). I’m looking forward to returning in the near future.
