Ruby G-3/8/10-HUC-2st.visit (last visit altogether)

Julian and I went to HUC (Hebrew Union College) for our last visit. I felt very satisfied. 1) all completed all 5 visits. 2) I felt like i helped a very important cause. Even by doing as little as saying “hi”, it makes them feel like everyone else. Soup kitchens/food pantries create an equality among people in poverty. When interviewing one volunteer named Nicole Arts who informed us that most of the people who come to HUC aren’t homeless. “They can’t afford both. It’s rent or food.” While volunteering I noticed that most of the people eating are men. “The majority that come here are 99% men. There is a large majority of African Americans. I think we get more men because number 1 they can’t cook where they live. They don’t have apartments, they have a room. They can’t afford both. It’s rent or food.” What Nicole said makes perfect sense but I still wonder how these men got to where they are now. New York City is one of the richest cities in the world. That is why some can’t afford everything they need to survive. They are juggling between rent/food/necessities. When we asked Nicole if New York is doing enough to support the hungry/homeless, she responded by saying “I’m sure they could always do more. I know in this area at least that there is still somewhere for them to go on any given night. They could probably make the shelters more safe for some people to actually want to go in them. There are a lot of people who would rather live on the street.” I always wondered what was wrong with shelters. But there must be some serious problems if people would rather live on the street.

“I like interacting with them. I like that connection I have with them and I just feel like they are regular human beings . Just because they might not have a home doesn’t mean that they should be treated not like our equal…You form bonds with them. It’s great.  You get connections with them. It’s a nice feeling. I think I get a lot out of that. I mean, in a way it’s a little selfish because I get a lot out of it.” – Nicole. I felt the same way as she did. Even though I didn’t really connect with any of the people, I felt like the work wasn’t by force. I actually enjoyed my time volunteering at not only HUC, but Village Temple as well.

Here are some other questions that were asked that I didn’t mention in detail:

How long have you been volunteering here?

“Over 10 years”

What made you decide to volunteer at HUC?

“Well when I first moved back to New York, I was living in Connecticut and that’s where I first discovered soup kitchens and I was helping down in Connecticut. I enjoyed it so much, when i moved back to the city, they mentioned there was a soup kitchen. (This was about 15 years ago)

Why is homelessness/hunger your main interest?

“I don’t know why I started in Connecticut at the soup kitchen. I think someone I worked with was part of a soup kitchen and I just like interacting with them so I like interacting with them. I like that connection I have with them and I just feel like they are regular human beings . Just because they might not have a home doesn’t mean that they should be treated not like our equal…You form bonds with them. It’s great.  You get connections with them. It’s a nice feeling. I think I get a lot out of that. I mean, in a way it’s a little selfish because I get a lot out of it.”

You’ve rarely missed a Monday?

“I mean when I do, you feel guilty. We just feel like it’s our job. It becomes our job… we enjoy it. And I know a lot of times when we’re not here they ask for us. They miss us when we’re not here and we miss them.”

Are there certain of them who have been coming for 10 years?

“On and off for probably as long as 10 years. A lot of them come because they enjoy it. They enjoy the food. They think the food service is higher quality then other soup kitchens. They come because they like seeing us, taking to us. They like the environment. So they come.”