Daddy Bruce Food Drive

Last Saturday, I went downtown to the five points area to volunteer before Thanksgiving. Five points is an area full of gangs and crime, but also need. I decided that day that I would be very careful to not put myself before anyone else and make myself work hard to try and understand what the people there are going through. I went expecting to hand out food from a table as I had done at the past, but I expected wrong. After signing in, I was assigned to "carts" so I went down to find my part. There were tons of people both giving and recieving, along with about 8 huge semi's from Walmart who had donated all the food that was being given away. I walked up to the manager of the cart area and was handed a cart and quickly shoved toward a table. A box, weighing about 5o lbs. was put into my cart and I was told to go follow the lady. I quickly learned that I was to take the cart with the box of food, to the families car, then walk back and repeat the process. As I was walking with the women in silence, I was thinking of what her story could be and why she needed this box. Honestly, I always though bad decisions had put people in bad situations so I was wondering what she had done. It was about a 5 block walk to her car along beaten sidewalks where I had to lift up the cart to get it over cracks- but it was worth it. I knew I was helping someone and that is something I have always enjoyed. I put the box in her car and walked back quickly, never learning her story. The next lady I helped I decided to try and talk to. "What a beautiful day it is" I said, only to see her looking at me puzzled. She started shaking her head saying "no no". She didn't speak english and so I told her the same thing in spanish. I was beyond excited to actually use this stuff we learned in class for something good. She agreed it was a nice day, and I left her to her thoughts- thinking I sounded stupid and probably said something wrong.The next few people were more thankful for their baskets and seemed to truly need them, and I was so happy to help. The more people I walked with, the more I realized that it isn't always bad decisions that put people in bad places and that sometimes things just don't work out. One family was so happy and wanted to hug me just for delivering the basket. They were all worried that it was an inconvience on me to walk the basket more than a block but I always assured them that it wasn't. It suprised me how much hope these people have and how hard they are working to help themselves. Many people volunteered for a bit to get their basket, so they not only take, but give. One lady stopped and started talking to the minister of the local church and was saying that she is better than she was a year ago, and was so thankful to the minister for helping her.I can't believe how little I see in my area of town and that there is so much more to our town. I had always heard the stories and seen some small things, but to actually be there and help the families, passing by houses that were about to fall down- words just cannot describe it. I did find out what those families lived like and how incredible they are; that day just deepened my desire to work with the needy more as an adult and never forget or become too busy. I hope soon I will be fortunate enought to have another experiance like that.