“Today it is very fashionable to talk about the poor. Unfortunately, it is not fashionable to talk with them.” Mother Theresa
In 2006-2007, I lived in Camden, NJ. I was there with the volunteer organization Mission Year. Most of my mornings were spent at Frank's, a homeless day shelter, while my afternoons were spent working with Urban Promise, an after school program. However, the nights are what provided a real sense of community and hospitality.
Many evenings were spent at the Walter Rand Transportation Center hanging out with homeless folks and eating donuts while listening to football games on the radio. On various other nights, our home hosted at lot of dinner parties. The guest list included church clergy, neighbors, co-workers, and people we met at Frank's.
Now 4 years removed from Camden and back in school working on a PhD, I am constantly experimenting with new ways of communicating hospitality to those around me. For a year and a half I worked at the homeless shelter in town, Good Samaritans - I only left because I am now going to school full-time. While working there, I made a lot of good friends and still keep in touch fairly regularly - although not as regularly as perhaps I should. Occasionally, I will find myself driving through downtown and meeting up with folks for a meal or lengthy conversation.
More recently, I've been inviting more people over for dinner. Sometimes it's planned; other times it's rather spontaneous. But either way, it's community - it's family. Let me be clear - I love what food banks and shelters can do for people and the people who work there day in and day out are fantastic, self-sacrificing people doing their absolute best to serve an ever-growing population of hungry individuals.
Yet, sometimes it's nice to have a little intimacy around a dining room table and a home-cooked meal. It doesn't always have to be about the logistics of getting food into a person's stomach. Sometimes it can be about slowing down, enjoying the conversation, and sharing life together.
Much Love.
PhD Student, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
Author, 1,800 Miles: Striving to End Sexual Violence, One Step at a Time
No comments:
Post a Comment