Despite a loud thunderstorm keeping a lot of us awake last night, we made it bright and early this morning to Cafe 458 and The Edge to start volunteering. After a quick orientation with Otis at The Edge, four of us went to Cafe 458 while the remaining six stayed at The Edge.
Cafe 458 was a quaint, restaurant-style kitchen where homeless people with disabilities are able to come in and enjoy quality food and friendly service. Preparing for their arrival was no easy feat. We chopped, diced and sliced until every ingredient was used up - the kitchen at Cafe 458 also prepares the food for The Edge - and then we wiped, cleaned and rinsed everything that was left. Diners were seated at 11 am and were served red beans and rice with sausage, peas, green beans, cookies and tea. It was really rewarding to see someone enjoy food that you had prepared with your own hands so whole-heartedly. We worked as cooks, waiters, bus boys, dish washers and the cleaning crew - all at once! After everyone was served we prepared our own plates and got to sit and interact with the diners.
At The Edge we had to help homeless people in Atlanta find jobs. Some of us were assigned to the computer lab, patrolling the screens to make sure they stayed Facebook free and were used solely to look for jobs. Some of us worked the closet, a huge compilation of business clothes, shoes and accessories to make sure once they landed the interview they looked professional enough to land the job. Some of us worked the front desk and some of us even had to act as impromptu bouncers at the back door to make sure only those who had appointments came in to the office and to make sure no one used a false identity to try and get it. At the end everyone worked the cafeteria at The Edge.
In the afternoon we volunteered at the Emmaus House where we actually got to meet the friendly kids that hollered at us from the window of a nearby home yesterday! The 7 to 11 year old kids took no time at all to befriend us and after quick introductions we were on our way to help them with their homework. A lot of the kids were friendly and told us funny stories or songs, but many others where short tempered and not patient. It was definitely a struggle to get some to do their homework. Many of the children were a little to old for their grades or struggling with school so it was even harder to try and help with regular homework assignments. After homework we participated in playtime which can be described in only one word - chaotic. Children were running, jumping and skipping everywhere, they were yelling and throwing things and pulling us here and there. It was an enjoyable but tiring experience - many of us had forgotten how draining it is to be 7-year-old. After that we walked the kids home an got to see the neighborhoods they live in. One of the groups had to walk by an arrest on the walk home and the children did not even bother to look twice. It was a really eye-opening experience to get to experience the lives of these kids which invited us in with open arms (many of the children made cards for the participants during play time) and we're definitely looking forward to learning from them even more in the weeks to come.
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