A Touching Story

I saw an ad to help prepare and serve a dinner at a homeless shelter. Since, I had never been to a homeless shelter I thought this might be a good experience.

The place I was going to was in a run-downed section of Hollywood. The houses were unkept with bars over the windows. Definitely, not a safe place to be day or night.

When I got to the shelter I checked in with guard and he opened the gate to the underground parking for me. I was glad I didn’t have to park out on the street.

In the kitchen I found three people; two were other volunteers and one was the person who I needed to see, Sally. I was told we were preparing a dinner to feed 65 people and most of the meal was being prepared from scratch.

So I helped placing chicken breasts on a tray, made ice tea and lemonade. Then, Sally asked me to go to the dining room and set the tables for dinner.

I stepped into the living quarters and saw so many bunk beds. There were people sleeping, reading, listening to music or talking with friends. I saw young and old, people from all races, so healthy and some crippled.

This was a 90-day transitional shelter. This was a place for people down on their luck, who were trying to get back on their feet to have a home. When I looked around, I couldn’t believe that some of the people looked like me. I wondered how this could be and what their story was.

I asked Sally how she got involved doing this. She told me it was one of the few shelters that didn’t have an organization come in and provide a dinner. So she started to do it once a month and has been doing it for three years now. If that isn’t impressive enough, she pays for all of this out of her pocket, everything from the food to the paper plates. Wow! What a touching story.

Sally isn’t rich nor is she poor, she is just a single woman trying to get by in life, but she is doing it by making a difference. I must say I’ve never met anyone like her, which is why I want to tell this story. People like her in this world are a rare breed.

By the way, she doesn’t just feed all these people. She brings each meal to them at the table. Her idea is to give them respect and dignity and not feel like they’re getting a handout.

When it was all over and done with, Sally, along with all the volunteers got a big “thank you” from the Diners. I can't tell you how gratifying that moment was to me.

Everyone has a purpose in life... a unique gift or special talent to give to others.