LOOKING AT "The Real Thing"

       My friend Steve joined me at the shelter today. We arrived around 9:30—earlier than usual. Joey wasn't there yet, but he told me yesterday that people are coming in from the cold, the shelter is full, and we expected about 50 for lunch today. In the outer foyer, Steve and I passed a family with a double stroller and two babies. You need to know they were in the outer foyer because it's warm there. There are only plastic benches to sit on, and it's not warmly lit, but this family has no other place to go today. They are sleeping at the other shelter where people can stay only at night. When morning comes, everyone must leave. So there they sat… waiting for night to come again, and it was only 9:30.
     Steve and I started work on two large pots of Brunswick stew. I took the potatoes, two bags of baby limas, and some cans of tomatoes. Steve brought cans of corn from the pantry. He delighted in using our super-cool can opener. 
       When Joey arrived, he brought more canned tomatoes. Then he thawed about 8 pounds of pre-cooked chicken for the stew, and he put 50 biscuits in the oven. Steve opened three #10 cans of fruit. The menu was complete.
       It took a full two hours to get those pots of stew cooked, and they were worth it! In the meantime, Steve and I sacked 2 dozen lunches. He was of wonderful cheer, and the work rolled off painlessly. I always enjoy teaching others the shelter-kitchen routine.
       Generally, we have between 4 and 10 pre-release to feed. Today there were 18! The group was upbeat and enjoyed their meal, but our gatekeeper said she heard a few complaints that they didn't get enough! We offered them extras. Somebody wasn't listening.
       When our homeless came in, they filled the dining room. We still have the mom with two little boys, and there's a teenage girl with her mom. On a really joyful note, Gatekeeper let the family in the foyer come to lunch! Both infants were sleeping, but I put a beanie baby on the toddler's stroller.
       My little artist fellow brought one of his drawings to show me—Superman. He took the graphite-pencil set I gave him to school where he keeps it in his art class… I SO hope these hard times don't drag him down.
       The lunch hour became quite long, and my back began to scream about the extra time I was putting in. People came in from church, and we continued to serve up the stew. Mr. Huggy took his plate into the dining room to eat it there. Generally, he just takes it home.
       Many of our patrons made special efforts to thank us today! I never need thanks, but Steve made a note of all the thanks we got, and how good that felt. Maybe it's the seasonal spirit, but as long as they are feeling something good, it doesn't matter.
       Joey and I made hasty plans to serve quiche, broccoli and applesauce next week, and Steve and I headed for the door. I said good-bye to Gatekeeper and passed into the foyer… where a thin old man sat on a plastic bench with his head in his hands. I turned around, and Gatekeeper let me back in. "I didn't feed that man," I told her.
       "It's okay," she said. "He's just there to get warm."
       Steve was waiting for me outside. "I don't think I've ever seen the real thing before," he said.
       I'm sure he has, but he just hasn't stood that close to it. The real thing hurts…