I had been there before. I was familiar with the rundown, the staff, the layout of the building. Two summers ago I volunteered at Recover House of Worship (RHOW) in Brooklyn in both the community breakfast and in the office. I had also, on several occasions, go with other members of my church to serve in the food pantry. Nothing is like going in on a Saturday morning, making grocery bags for hundreds of people in need, with volunteers from all walks of life. Despite my memorable experiences there before, I had more meaningful encounters with the workers and the beneficiaries on my most recent trip to volunteer in the pantry.

 

While on the factory line -packing pork into a grocery bag and passing it onto the can packers- I made friends with a high-schooler from Mineola who came from different church. He told me about the lengths he took to get to the site and it warmed my heart. People were willing to travel great differences just to help others. As the time shifted we all separated into different groups, some were bag distributors and cart holders and so forth. I found it difficult to find a job or position because there were quite a number of volunteers so I made one for myself, official door opener. Although this may not have been the best or most useful one, I was able to practically help those, especially with bags and carts, to leave after walking up to stairs and offer them a smile and warm greeting. Many of the people were appreciative and I was able to have numerous conversations and learn about a number of people. Specifically, I was able to chat with a lady named Sylvia. The conversation began with her asking me to find someone. After a short while she asked me to insert her the battery into her new smart-phone. Because of that I found out that she had hand problems in addition to using a walking frame. Regardless of these physical difficulties she took the time to have a nice conversation with me and one of the heads of the organization. We discussed Irish history, immigration, the American Political system and a variety of other topics. She was extremely friendly and I left the conversation a little intrigued about the more personal details of her life.

 

Initially I thought of this or my role as a minuscule task but then I soon came to realize that sometimes interacting with people, giving a nice word or a smile, can be just as important as supplying physical needs. Many people in our world simply want someone to talk to, just like Sylvia. In the future, I plan on talking to the people I'm serving more. I don't want to treat people as if they are a robot but as a person, and that requires me to step out of my comfort zone a little more.