Logan-Papp-Second-Visit-2-27-10

On Saturday Benno and I went to the Fathers Heart Ministry on 11th street between Avenue A and B. We worked for 4 hours, which is as long as it opens. On Friday some volunteers bagged 1000 plus bags. Our first job was to do what they called a chain. We walked up a flight of stairs carrying two bags, putting them on the second floor. Everyone took part in this, about 100 people and four trips. Right after each person was assigned different jobs for the whole time. You could be a cleaner, a waiter, a helping cook, and working to restock the bags. Benno and I were both chosen as the re-stockers. With only a little bit of help our job was to bring the bags down when they started to run out. We even got to hand some bags out. Before anyone came the volunteers setup the tables and chairs. Since this was a soup kitchen and food pantry, it became extremely crowded really quickly. Each person eating there could get as many servings as they wanted. That means food had to be made quickly. They also had a band to play music while people were eating. Two facts that I learned were that the soup kitchen/pantry had an increase of 52% of people who went there over the past year. Also in one hour the place serves around 600 people! What Benno and I did was a lot more tiring than it seems. We each had to carry 200 plus bags down two flights of stairs for an hour. Imagine having to run up and down stairs with twenty pounds to carry. At the end I felt satisfied with the work that I did. One person shook my hand and smiled. It shows you something small like a smile can change the mood of someone. The lady who gave us instructions said that people who come in grumpy come out happy because of the service. The people who work there are dedicated. They have been going there for years doing volunteer work. I hope to return and help some more. If you want to see pictures look at Benno’s post.