Just when I decided my brief stint in the deli could never lead to anything, I found myself in a commercial kitchen, making food for strangers. It's Sunday. I dressed in "cute casual" and left for my new Sunday position, volunteering in the kitchen of a homeless shelter.
People were milling around outside when I parked my car—one of only two cars in the lot. I felt a bit ashamed that I have a car... and tried to smile and pretend we don't have any differences, as I passed them. A man inside let me into the locked hallway where I made my way to the kitchen. The cook is a young man who, at least today, was running this kitchen and serving many sets of meals by himself. He put me to work making sandwiches for the sack lunches that some clients would need to take to their jobs. Twenty-eight sack lunches, two sandwiches each.
Joey moves around the kitchen and dining room like a machine on adrenalin. He can mop, cook, serve meals, keep records, and answer the phone with one hand tied behind him. He fried chicken, corndogs and potatoes, boiled green beans, heated mashed potatoes and country-fried steaks. He set up ice service and drinks. There was much he did that I could not see because I was busy!
Joey had a wonderful country/western music station playing—uninterrupted music. I heard classic songs that I've not heard in 15 (okay, 30) years. Particularly moving was a rendition of "Sunday Morning Coming Down." I remarked that I liked his choice of music. Joey said, "Oh, Miss Joy, you can change that to anything you want!" He was SO agreeable—and such a pleasure to work with. WHY would I want to change it? I would like to crop out the "Miss," but he's just being himself. I didn't mind at all when he said, "Miss Joy, you are a cool lady!" So you see, it's one of those flip-flop kinds of things that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.
We talked a lot, during the first hour, before the clients came to eat. He was telling me that he's "never been anywhere," except one time he went to Atlanta. I've forgotten the details, but he found himself, quite by accident, without a place to stay, and he went to a shelter. The shelter took their clients to church. Joey was happy to hear that this church accepted everyone, and really bummed to learn that "clients" had to sit "over there."
"How do they fix their mouths to SAY that?" he asked.
Yep; that real world will follow you around.
I'd been there about 90 minutes when the first clients, pre-release prisoners, arrived. Their meal choices were interesting. Some wanted only fried potatoes, some only chicken, and some requested turkey from the refrigerator because they don't want carbs and fat... Joey says they must be learning some good eating habits in prison. Everyone was kind and polite.
That group was fed and gone within about 20 minutes. The next group were resident homeless. They, too, ate and left in a short time. Looking back, it was so quiet in there compared to any other dining facility during a meal...
After that, we made some preparations for the dinner meal, and I made up some breakfast sacks. I lasted about 2-1/2 hours before heading home with my sore back, aching legs, and full heart.
Next week: same time, same place.
