Paying the Way through the Kitchen

Well this is a picture from my camera phone, of my son! This picture was taken the third day that we were at the Shelter.... (Emergency Housing Consortium). I know that we have been going through alot of emotional stuff.. and we still had adjustments to make about our lives. Doesn't he look so enthused??? LOL ... He knows that I am just kidding around. This was also before we got the information that we could even work there as volunteers and that would guarantee a place to lay our heads at night! Yea, there was the lottery system there for the most part, which meant that we had to throw our ID's into the bucket and they could call a certain amount of people and those are the ones that 'won the lottery' for that day.
Luckily, My son and I had won the lottery each.. with our fingers crossed behind our backs! :) Then we found out that there are 'programs' there! Programs to become volunteer workers, and depending on the program, it could guarantee a bed for your either 30 or 45 days! I thought, that is a good idea... I sure would feel better about working for a place to sleep, rather than to just bum, and hope and a prayer that I would know where I would sleep at night!
My son and I were told about working in the Kitchen. WE went into the kitchen one Wednesday morning, and well... we were in luck! We shouted in to the kitchen to a cook named Sherman, asking if he needed help in the kitchen... and lo and behold, we found out later on that day, they had to get rid of the crew that was there, just yesterday... meaning the day before we stuck our head in to ask! So that started the career as a volunteer in the kitchen area. I had worked for a YMCA summer camp before, so I understood the work, and the safety issues that an industrial kitchen needed to operate. My son had worked for fast food places, so he understood the commercial kitchen as well. I thought.. this is not bad... I have experience in this stuff... with all the sanitation, and cleanliness of that type of kitchen
We found out that we actually got to have lockers to put our stuff in, which is something that is so much of a luxury...
So, our first meal prepared was Scrambled Eggs, Waffles and bacon. Of Course there was juice, and water and COFFEE!
I know I was feeling productive at this point! We even got a special table for the Kitchen Staff to sit at! HeHeHeHe.. I know that sounds kind of funny, but working in a kitchen feeding approximately 150 people per meal, is hard work. This picture is one of my son.. before we started in the kitchen.. we were standing in line... waiting on a meal....

PEACE!

And so I am back!

Wow, got to sleep in today! Sleeping in meaning that I slept in til after 6AM... Yepp, that was the time that I was getting up no matter what! I have learned alot of things in the past couple of months, and I still say today as I said the day that I went into a shelter! No matter how much money... No matter what.... I think that everyone should experience living in a homeless shelter at least for One week!
I have found that I have met many different people there. Some that are in there for whatever reason.. Some working the system.... and well... Its kind of amazing how the staff of one of these places can be so compassionate... yet at the same time have that rough edge to make different people listen to them! I have learned that there are resources out there for ones that are really trying to get their lives back together! I have met Viet Nam vets... now this one actually kills me... there are our vets out there that are living in shelters! Let alone, there are older people... that one would call a 'Granny'.. or 'Papa' out there.. that probably have worked their whole lives and then to see where some an end up.... maybe not so much cuz of money.... it can be just about perdicuments... that people have oome across, and have nothing that they could have done about it! To me, it just does not seem fair for some of these people! For me, I thought, wow... How can this be? And yet the shelters can impliment certain rules that feels as if they are taking away out constitutional rights.. but you know, there is no law that says that these places have to house anyone ... let alone feed us!
The first thing that got to me, was the fact that the staff had to deal with so many different types of people that only a special person can do that! And they are just trying todo their jobs! I commend the staff at EHC! I am no longer there, although, my son still is! I believe that there are people he has met there, that he feels that he can help! I give a salute to my son! GO BRYAN!
In my next few posts, I will be telling of some of my experiences at EHC (Emergency Housng Consortium) Its been a real experience and I will never forget the people that I have met!

PEACE!