~No one can make you feel inferior without your consent~ Eleanor Roosevelt
For some people in this world, their main job is to find a way to survive on a daily basis in very tough conditions. One could be fighting in a war or living on the streets. On Friday night after work, I walked into the Simpson House to help serve meals with others from my church. It's attached to Simpson Methodist Church which is located a couple miles from where I live in Minneapolis and just down the block from one of my AA meetings. All the doors were locked when I arrived, so a nice man standing and waiting outside for a meal showed me where the buzzer was to be let in. I walked into the musty smelling building and there were stairs leading up and ones leading down, so I headed downward towards a lit area.
There was a gym to my left with mats spread all over in rows. My brain is slow in processing things most of the time, so I first thought that I was looking at a place where the church kids play. However, after a double take, I soon realized that this was a homeless shelter where people sleep and not just a place where meals are served. The dark-colored, twin size mattresses looked like they were made from the same material used in boxing rings. They were all inches from each other, so I was a little stunned by this new image as I have lived a pretty sheltered life. I felt apprehensive as this could have easily been my life since I started out as a homeless orphan in Korea.
One of the employees at the house saw that I was lost and led me to a nicely equipped, organized, large kitchen. There were huge pots of spaghetti sauce on the stove. I met one of the pastors at our church, his wife and their kids and then they introduced me to others. When I was chatting with his wife, she asked me how I found the church. I told her that I attended while in rehab and that I liked it, so kept coming. I've been pretty open with people and I'm always curious as to how they respond when I mention things like rehab, alcoholism and drug addiction. She was completely cool with it and I felt welcomed by everyone there. While I waited for everything to cook, I took a tour of the shelter.
One of the employees kindly took a short break to show me around. Among her many duties, is to take reservations when the phone lines open up in the afternoon. Our first stop was the women's bedroom which contained about 22 dark blue, boxing ring beds in a stark, white room with no carpet. There were a couple bunk beds, but most of the mattresses were on the floor. She said there were a couple beds still available for the night, but of course, when it's very cold, it fills up fast. Next, there was a wooden locker room next door, so people wouldn't have to carry there belongings all day. In the hallway, there were round tables for women to eat their meals if they didn't want to eat in the dining hall or they could use them for other activities. She then led me into the gym where there were about 44 beds for men. In addition to beds on the gym floor, there were some lining the hallways next to the gym. There is a lottery among those with reservations to determine which beds will be theirs for the night.
People are allowed in at 6 pm and then dinner is served an hour later. They must leave at 7 the next morning by law. If there are no volunteers to come in at 5 am to do a hot breakfast, then the shelter depends on cereal donations to serve people. If there is not enough cereal, then people have to leave hungry. I learned that some of the homeless there have jobs and the Simpson House has a good savings program. If you give them 40% of your wages for a few months, then you can have a bed without having to call in each day. After that time, they'll give you all your money back, so that you can use it towards paying an apartment deposit plus first and last month's rent. It's a great program for people trying to get back on their feet.
She guided me to a large area with about 15 couches and a TV in front. People are allowed to watch TV until 10 pm. We walked across to the other side and she showed me a room where they keep donated items like toiletries, clothes, blankets etc. I asked what she needed and she said that now that winter is almost over, they need less thermal wear, however, they always need deodorant, travel size shampoos and conditioners and other toiletries. She mentioned that people have been understandably discouraged when there aren't enough towels and also, large size bras which seems funny until you're the woman seeking one and can't have a bra in her size.
I realize now that there are so many little things that still gave me dignity despite my disease. Things like purchasing undergarments that fit or using a towel after bathing. She then showed me a couple small bedrooms for the volunteers at the house. They had their own very small room with an actual bed and nightstand. She was excited about the new washer and dryer which I could appreciate because I love all the bells and whistles on functioning appliances. Our last stop was the remodeled women's bathroom which was bright and clean and had a couple stalls and a shower room. I think every woman deserves and appreciates a nice, sanitized bathroom.
A few minutes before we were ready to serve dinner, we all said a prayer in the kitchen and then we prayed with the guests in the dining room. For dinner that night, we served spaghetti and meatballs, salad with vinaigrette, buns and for dessert, a chocolate chip cookie. I was bun girl and put the buns on the plate before handing them over to be served by some of the kids and adults. There are different groups that come in each night to serve dinner and my church is scheduled once a month. I heard that some groups have people stand in line, but my church decided to serve people while they were seated. I love that approach because everyone deserves to be served whether at a homeless shelter or at a five-star restaurant. I realize it can't always be done, but in this case, we served hot meals to about 100 people.
My tummy started grumbling because I hadn't eaten, so it was a good reminder of what these people and millions of others go through on a daily basis. After everyone had eaten 2nds and 3rds, there was enough left over for us to eat, so I grabbed a plate and ate at one of the tables. I'm pretty good at striking up a conversation with strangers. I have more difficulty establishing intimate relationships. I sat with a guy who calls this place home most nights. He spends his days at the library reading and improving his typing skills on the computer. I told him that I needed to start going to the library and reading more. We talked about the beautiful library downtown that was built a few years ago. We chatted about the weather and the upcoming snow storm this weekend. We talked about the exact same stuff that I talk about with anyone. Everyone in the room looked like someone I've encountered in my personal and professional life. Just like alcoholics and drug addicts.
For some people in this world, their main job is to find a way to survive on a daily basis in very tough conditions. One could be fighting in a war or living on the streets. On Friday night after work, I walked into the Simpson House to help serve meals with others from my church. It's attached to Simpson Methodist Church which is located a couple miles from where I live in Minneapolis and just down the block from one of my AA meetings. All the doors were locked when I arrived, so a nice man standing and waiting outside for a meal showed me where the buzzer was to be let in. I walked into the musty smelling building and there were stairs leading up and ones leading down, so I headed downward towards a lit area.
There was a gym to my left with mats spread all over in rows. My brain is slow in processing things most of the time, so I first thought that I was looking at a place where the church kids play. However, after a double take, I soon realized that this was a homeless shelter where people sleep and not just a place where meals are served. The dark-colored, twin size mattresses looked like they were made from the same material used in boxing rings. They were all inches from each other, so I was a little stunned by this new image as I have lived a pretty sheltered life. I felt apprehensive as this could have easily been my life since I started out as a homeless orphan in Korea.
One of the employees at the house saw that I was lost and led me to a nicely equipped, organized, large kitchen. There were huge pots of spaghetti sauce on the stove. I met one of the pastors at our church, his wife and their kids and then they introduced me to others. When I was chatting with his wife, she asked me how I found the church. I told her that I attended while in rehab and that I liked it, so kept coming. I've been pretty open with people and I'm always curious as to how they respond when I mention things like rehab, alcoholism and drug addiction. She was completely cool with it and I felt welcomed by everyone there. While I waited for everything to cook, I took a tour of the shelter.
One of the employees kindly took a short break to show me around. Among her many duties, is to take reservations when the phone lines open up in the afternoon. Our first stop was the women's bedroom which contained about 22 dark blue, boxing ring beds in a stark, white room with no carpet. There were a couple bunk beds, but most of the mattresses were on the floor. She said there were a couple beds still available for the night, but of course, when it's very cold, it fills up fast. Next, there was a wooden locker room next door, so people wouldn't have to carry there belongings all day. In the hallway, there were round tables for women to eat their meals if they didn't want to eat in the dining hall or they could use them for other activities. She then led me into the gym where there were about 44 beds for men. In addition to beds on the gym floor, there were some lining the hallways next to the gym. There is a lottery among those with reservations to determine which beds will be theirs for the night.
People are allowed in at 6 pm and then dinner is served an hour later. They must leave at 7 the next morning by law. If there are no volunteers to come in at 5 am to do a hot breakfast, then the shelter depends on cereal donations to serve people. If there is not enough cereal, then people have to leave hungry. I learned that some of the homeless there have jobs and the Simpson House has a good savings program. If you give them 40% of your wages for a few months, then you can have a bed without having to call in each day. After that time, they'll give you all your money back, so that you can use it towards paying an apartment deposit plus first and last month's rent. It's a great program for people trying to get back on their feet.
She guided me to a large area with about 15 couches and a TV in front. People are allowed to watch TV until 10 pm. We walked across to the other side and she showed me a room where they keep donated items like toiletries, clothes, blankets etc. I asked what she needed and she said that now that winter is almost over, they need less thermal wear, however, they always need deodorant, travel size shampoos and conditioners and other toiletries. She mentioned that people have been understandably discouraged when there aren't enough towels and also, large size bras which seems funny until you're the woman seeking one and can't have a bra in her size.
I realize now that there are so many little things that still gave me dignity despite my disease. Things like purchasing undergarments that fit or using a towel after bathing. She then showed me a couple small bedrooms for the volunteers at the house. They had their own very small room with an actual bed and nightstand. She was excited about the new washer and dryer which I could appreciate because I love all the bells and whistles on functioning appliances. Our last stop was the remodeled women's bathroom which was bright and clean and had a couple stalls and a shower room. I think every woman deserves and appreciates a nice, sanitized bathroom.
A few minutes before we were ready to serve dinner, we all said a prayer in the kitchen and then we prayed with the guests in the dining room. For dinner that night, we served spaghetti and meatballs, salad with vinaigrette, buns and for dessert, a chocolate chip cookie. I was bun girl and put the buns on the plate before handing them over to be served by some of the kids and adults. There are different groups that come in each night to serve dinner and my church is scheduled once a month. I heard that some groups have people stand in line, but my church decided to serve people while they were seated. I love that approach because everyone deserves to be served whether at a homeless shelter or at a five-star restaurant. I realize it can't always be done, but in this case, we served hot meals to about 100 people.
My tummy started grumbling because I hadn't eaten, so it was a good reminder of what these people and millions of others go through on a daily basis. After everyone had eaten 2nds and 3rds, there was enough left over for us to eat, so I grabbed a plate and ate at one of the tables. I'm pretty good at striking up a conversation with strangers. I have more difficulty establishing intimate relationships. I sat with a guy who calls this place home most nights. He spends his days at the library reading and improving his typing skills on the computer. I told him that I needed to start going to the library and reading more. We talked about the beautiful library downtown that was built a few years ago. We chatted about the weather and the upcoming snow storm this weekend. We talked about the exact same stuff that I talk about with anyone. Everyone in the room looked like someone I've encountered in my personal and professional life. Just like alcoholics and drug addicts.
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