So today was an amazing day! Today was my Squadron’s 1st day volunteering at St. Anne’s Shelter in Ogden Utah. We sponsored a day (1st Tues each month) to volunteer to serve lunches to men, women and families in need.
We had 8 (including me) sign up to go! Some had volunteered before and some were new. Myself, being a veteran of volunteering, I still get butterflies before going! I don’t know why, maybe b/c the kids and families situations are hard to see (b/c I think of my own kids), maybe b/c I don’t want them to think I’m doing this as a chore- I want them to know I WANT to be here, or maybe it b/c seeing the overall situation makes me think of my family history and how my parents were once (many times over, actually) in these same situations… But regardless, I get butterflies initially and then after a bit, they subside.
St. Anne’s today was a little different. At least for me, it was. The day started like any other, filling out paperwork (where would the world be without mounds of paperwork?) and taking a tour of the facility. Overall St. Anne’s does a good job of trying. They aren’t “funded”. They work off of grants and donations only! It costs upwards of $500,000 a year to keep this shelter open! It houses about 64 men, half as many women and has 4 family rooms which at any one time- accommodates up to 3 moms and 5 kids! They are very strict against alcohol/drug use (screen people if needed). And when at bed capacity- they have folks sleeping on mats in the lobby, dining area, pretty much wherever they can find a spot!
They serve lunch daily to approx. 140-175 people, folks that stay there (resident= 5 days or longer) are set up with a counselor, job placement, chores, etc! They have minimum in house security, 17 cameras on site to help monitor the residents and the males/women are separated for living arrangements. Each floor (men’s and women’s) is equipped with 2 washers and 2 dryers and just enough blankets and towels for daily use (they must wash daily). The food stock is decent, but the stock pile of baby items is extremely low (diapers mainly size 5, baby clothes and baby items), and they could definitely use more linens!
After the tour we started serving lunch! Minestrone soup, chili mac, chili verde, carrots, a pastry, fresh and canned fruit with apple juice! I like to try and make a joke or make folks laugh when they come thru the line… Tends to put a smile on some faces… This time was no different! The serving was going great! I served chili mac with a smile! Then after the 1stround, I decided to let another serve and I went over to be “The Enforcer” , which is just someone who stands at the door and watches for fights and tries to break them up. Me, “The Enforcer”! Really? LOL, it was quite a site to see. I’m over there making macho man poses and people are laughing at me. But hey- made them laugh, right? Then I pretended to be “bulked” with my arms and shoulders cocked out and my back slightly arched- again funny. And one guy says- “you a killa- I can see it” LOL- awkward?!?! After my poses, it got quite, Then a fight kinda started to flare…. What did “The Enforcer” do? Ran to get real security! LOL. He breaks it up and calms everything! Then we are back to serving and listening to the radio… What song comes on? “Proud to be an American”… And we are all in uniform! Well, the radio gets cranked up and after the song ended (and some even earlier in the day), people were coming up just thanking us, praising us and just loving the fact that we were helping them and we are serving our country. It was pretty humbling and- there were a couple misty eyes in the room (mine being one)…
Anyways, as the serving went on and the line died down, we cracked jokes and talked with folks. A few guys tried to hit on us 5 girls and 1 actually tried to advance on me… AWKWARD! Older guy- his line- “Can I be your slave? I would do ANYTHING you wanted!”. My comeback- “Isn’t that what my fiancé is for?” He said “Touché” and walked off with a grin on his face. Funny! One guy decided he was a magician and showed us how a quarter could come out of his stomach- through his belly button…. And yes, he pulled his shirt up and showed all of us! Hmmmm…. Ok. One lady couldn’t resist showing us the most amazing skull hologram sunglasses she found! They were pretty snazzy! Then as we were leaving- she showed us her bike! WTF…. This bike was awesome! Way better than my $96 Wal-Mart bike… hmmm…. Anyways, there were quite a few characters and some very nice, appreciative people!
All in all, I came out of there wanting to do more… I came out of there appreciative of my family… I came out of there humbled and grateful for what I have. My aunt always told me growing up- “when you think you have it bad, know there are folks out there- worse off and with less- that make it every day”. I try to think of that when I get down. But today… Today was one of those days that slaps you in the face and says “Be thankful!” It doesn’t always have to be Thanksgiving to be thankful! Take a look around, look at what you have… And appreciate it… Love your family, your kids, make time for the things that matter…. Life is too short and you never know what tomorrow holds! In this economy and world, one day you might have a job… The next you might not…
I feel blessed… I feel loved… I am thankful!
Katie
