People's Stories

When I graduated from high school, I was 17 years old and I wanted to work. So I found a job in the cosmetics department of a drug store.. I learned that when people buy makeup, they like to talk about themselves and tell their stories. I also learned that I like to hear their stories. By the way, I was paid $1.80 an hour!

After the drug store, I got a job in a government purchasing office. I learned that government workers like to talk about themselves, too. And I enjoyed listening to their stories. One guy had been a firefighter and his hands were severely burned. That was a hard story to hear, but he overcame his disability. He worked hard and always refused offers of assistance. Other guys' stories were racier and more personal. I'm not sure they were true, but they were fun to hear.

Later, I worked in religious institutions. People talked to me about themselves and their families regarding birth, religious ceremonies and r esconversions, illness, death, and problems within their families. I learned the importance of just listening without trying to comment or help in any way unless I was asked.

Now I am 72 years old and retired. I work as a volunteer at #SoWhatElse(SWE), a food bank. People who come there like/need to tell their stories, too.Those stories are painful to hear. The other day, a man came in. It was his first time there. He got a new caseworker who told him about SWE. We handed him a shopping cart full of food. He picked up some of the produce and was caressing it. He had tears in his eyes. While he was scheduling his next appointment, he started talking. He was a recovering drug addict and has been clean for 7 years. For the past 2 years he had to fast every other day because of his lack of food. He expressed his gratitude numerous times and blessed SWE a bunch of times. By the time he left, I had tears in my eyes, too. I was so sad for him, but so happy to be able to hand him the food that SWE provides.

And so I bless So What Else and all of the organizations and donors who make it possible to help feed hungry people in our community!

Stay tuned for another story next Monday.

All donations are tax deductible. SWE appreciates them all!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Food Bank and More

#SoWhatElse (SWE) is much more than a food bank. We also have a lovely donation center. We have clothing for all ages. We have shoes, household goods, baby supplies, a diaper bank, and anything else that people donate. SWE has great youth programs and camps. Their staff travels to meet students where they are, bringing programs to the under-served neighborhoods. The programs are 100% free and offer nutritious meals and grocery pick-ups to students and their families, further creating resilient, empowered communities.  And, we have a whole slew of volunteers. Our volunteers shlep cases of produce to fill up shopping carts, the big Costco size, to give to our clientele. Our volunteers sort hangers and hang up the donated clothes. They fill grocery bags for our home deliveries and they make those home deliveries. They sweep and mop the floors. In other words, they work hard doing whatever needs to be done.  It's heartwarming to see what they do out of the goodness of their hearts...
Read more

The Languages We Speak at So What Else

#SoWhatElse(SWE) is a food bank in North Bethesda. I volunteer there on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We serve everyone who needs food.  English is not the first language of many people who come. A lot of our clientele, volunteers, and staff speak Spanish. I spoke no Spanish a year and a half ago. I love to talk and I want to be able to speak with our people. So I decided to learn Spanish. I use 3 apps and try to practice an hour a day. Now I can manage to communicate with people who know some English. We use a little bit of Spanish, a little bit of English, and a little bit of Charades! When someone comes in and speaks no English, I need help from our fluent people. One day an Asian couple came in. They needed to make an appointment for food. They didn't speak Spanish or English. They only spoke Chinese. I tried to show them how to make an appointment,  but I needed help. I grabbed my phone and pulled up my Google Translate app. We went back and forth for a good 30 minutes. When we...
Read more

Making Connections

A big part of what I enjoy at #SoWhatElse (SWE) is making connections. The most obvious connection is between hungry people and food. Our clientele make food appointments on our website. They come in at the scheduled time and we check them in and connect them with a big shopping cart filled with food. That is the obvious connection, but definitely not the only one. My first connection was with SWE CEO, Dave Silbert. I have known Dave's father, Rich, my whole life because his uncle married my aunt. So we share cousins but we're not related. Through the family grapevine I found out about SWE. I talked with Dave and we decided that volunteering there would benefit me and SWE. I've been there for over a year. Once I got comfortable, I began to make connections with other volunteers as well as other employees. We all share a passion for helping get food to the people in need. At my age, it's wonderful to meet and become friends with so many new people! There are also built-i...
Read more