Week 17 - Franciscan House of Mary and Joseph

This week we went back to work with Tony at the House of Mary and Joseph shelter.  We did not make dessert this time like we did a couple of weeks ago (Week 14) - we were too busy this week.  Sadly, this meant that for the first time in our work at the shelter, there was no dessert to give the patrons.  In spite of that, we did have another fulfilling night.  It was a little colder on the night we were there so the patrons were a little more appreciative than normal.  By contrast, the staff was a little on edge.  A week previous to the night we were working, one of the guys who lives at the shelter (in the program where they help with the food distribution as part of their work toward self reliance and getting off the street for good...) was assaulted by one of the guests.  This worker, a man named Angel, is a really great guy.  He is always incredibly friendly with us and has a great way with the shelter guests.  He knows just the right combination of camaraderie and discipline that helps the guests feel welcome but also makes it clear they need to follow the rules.  Unfortunately, last week, Angel had to stop a man from entering the shelter a few hours before he was supposed to.  They control access, particularly just before the men enter the shelter because the women are already in at that point, and the staff needs to make sure that no one causes them any problems.  In any case, the guest who had tried to enter waited around for hours until Angel went outside and then whacked him in the head a couple times with a club.  Angel was alright by the time wee saw him, but he clearly did not enjoy the experience.  The guest was banned from the shelter for a year.  As a result of all of this, the staff on the night we were working was still on alert to make sure the guy did not come around and cause trouble, or that any of his friends did.  As it turned out, the night was very peaceful.  Jen and I were the only volunteers in the kitchen, except for Tony, who seems to be there all the time.  During the distribution, there were not even the normal small scuffles that we see.

Since we have been to the shelter a few times now, I felt a little more comfortable taking a few pictures of the place.  I made sure that none of the guest were near by, since the last thing they need is to feel like a carnival attraction.  I was surprised when I first saw the dorm area, and how packed in the beds and the people are, and I wanted to show that to you as well.  In the picture below, you can see the beds, and if you look closely, can see how there are cots stacked up in the background.  The reason for this is that they use every inch of space in the dorm.  Once people are in bed, the cots are placed in the aisles so that no space is wasted.  When they are full, it is very hard to move through the room.  The lights are low most of the time, since that inspires a calm atmosphere that encourages quiet and sleep even before it is time to bed down.

It is worth noting that this is only about half of the room.  Behind me there are just as many beds.  There are also two smaller dorms for the women and the men who are in the "program" to get off the street.

I also shot a couple pics of the soup from this week.  The soup is made earlier in the day and kept as warm as possible in the large vats in the picture.  It is scooped out and put in Styrofoam cups so that it can be served.  In the picture with the cups, you can see we had about half of it set out.  We fill all those cups and then cover them with a sheet of plastic to keep the warm and to keep stuff out of them.  That is usually complete by about 7 pm, and the last one is served about 9 pm, so a lot of guys get lukewarm soup.  It is the best they can do, however, since they do not have a steam table or anything like that to keep things warm.  All the sandwiches are also made ahead of time, but I did not get a shot of them as they stay wrapped up until it is time to serve, and I did not want to be taking pics when the guests were around.

The soup this time was meat, corn and some other things.  That is kind of what the soup always is, but it changes color slightly from week to week.  One of the program volunteers said it was supposed to be chili, and was unhappy that they had gone in another direction.  When they guests asked me what kind fo soup it was, I told them, "Cream of Everything", which got some laughs.

Overall, it was another good night for us.  We always enjoy chatting with Tony, and with the guests as we work, and there are always interesting stories for us to hear.  Some of them are sad, but at that they are still interesting, and they widen our experience of living in the city and of understanding the challenges that face the homeless.

As a side note, Jen did double duty this week.  She went to the Lakeview Pantry for food distribution on a night when I had to work.  She tells me that it was full and busy, and that the volunteers were a crowd that she had not worked with before, so it was a good time and a nice chance to meet new people.  I am looking forward to getting back there in the coming weeks, as I miss the people and the experience.  I also owe them a couple of side projects that I promised to do, and have not yet had time to take care of.

Next week, I will tell you more about those projects, and another new donation.

For more information on the Franciscan House of Mary and Joseph, go to:

Franciscan House of Mary and Joseph

For more information on the Lakeview Pantry, go to:

Lakeview Pantry