Cafe 458 was hoppin’ today. As soon as we got there they put us to work. We were chopping tubs and tubs of raw beef, boiling huge pots of water for the noodles and stirring pans that required two-hands for the necessary strength to move its contents. We finished the day’s food right as people started shuffling in – beef tips with mushroom gravy over noodles, peas and carrots, cauliflower, strawberry cake and brownies. A lot of us joke that the homeless in Atlanta eat better than most of us in college (ramen noodles, anyone?). The cafe was so full today that we ran out of food and we weren’t able to sit down until some of the diners left and started clearing out seats. We met an extremely friendly man named Walter, a Filipino immigrant that had worked as a lab technician at a hospital in Texas. After losing his job, he traveled through half the United States before ending up in Atlanta, now he’s just hoping he’ll receive his green card soon so that he’ll have a better prospect of finding a job. Walter was extremely kind and thanked us for the time we were putting in during our spring break. Meeting people like that is really what this trip is about, widening our perspectives. Although we, in particular, don’t hold these beliefs, as Lynn (the cafeteria supervisor at The Edge) and Otis were telling us today, many people think that homelessness is something that people bring upon themselves because of drug or alcohol addictions. It’s important to realize that in a lot of cases homelessness is not a choice, it’s a set of structures that have been laid in place, sometimes even long before an individual is even born, that prevent them from moving forward in life. This is why programs like ACSS are so important; they give people a second shot at a quality life.
Today we stayed at The Edge an extra few hours, performing our usual tasks. It’s been really rewarding not just helping feed or clothe people but also helping them with simple tasks they need to get ahead in their professional careers. People at ACSS are really grateful when we help them with things such as adding an attachment to an email, or starting up a word document – things that we do everyday so easily that we often take it for granted.
Unfortunately, today was our last day volunteering at the Emmaus House because the kids don’t come in on Fridays. As usual, we helped them with their homework and made them sit down for the allotted reading time (20 minutes seems like an eternity to a 7-year-old). We had a lot of fun outside today too since the weather was a lot nicer. We had a lot of piggy-back races, the kids danced “the Bernie” (if you don’t know what that is, YouTube it!) and they drained us of any form of energy running circles around the house and climbing to the very top of the tallest tree in the yard (not even squirrels climb that high!). A lot of the children made us good-bye cards and, since it was the end of the week, they had a little mini award ceremony for the child with the most “good-behavior points” where they got to draw prizes such as temporary tattoos or coloring books from a giant plastic tub. At the end of the award ceremony the kids gave short speeches on how much they had enjoyed our company and appreciated the help throughout the week. It was really hard watching the kids climb the bus yelling their good-byes and asking them to keep in touch by emailing them. We’re really going to miss these kids.
....annnnnd Chelsea found a great poem on the wall at the Edge...she’d like to share it:
To be homeless is not to be ashamed, but to be hopeful.
Not to be embarrassed, but to be thankful.
Holding on and marching forward is all you have to do,
and God will make a way to see you through.
Homelessness is all around us, you see.
Some you notice right off the bat, others are hopeful and free.
Homelessness is just the beginning of a new start,
It’s hard, simple and it sometimes makes you blue.
It could never define the character in you.
To be homeless we all know is oh so hard,
Never give up or be afraid of a new start.
Hold your head up and believe in you,
for all of your wildest dreams can still come true.
We believe in you!!! Goodnight ATL!!
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