The last half of the week was a bit less eventful than the first.
Mid-day Thursday I got the call that the cash was ready for our friends travelling back to Vermont. I called them, and we met at the church. I handed over cash and gift cards, and we had a little chat on the couches.
I finally had a chance to ask about their family, and why no one else was helping them. A lot of folks we help either are estranged from their families or have families not financially able to help. This was the case for them. The one side of the family was anxious for them to get home, but mom has medial issues and they are already strapped financially. The other side of the family has very little contact with them, and even though they hope for reconciliation with a baby on the way, it didn't seem appropriate to start that process by calling to ask for money. That might have been the thing that turned a strained relationship into a broken one.
We prayed, and I told them that I hoped this was an investment in a future where God was going to use their lives.
They wanted to take some pictures with me before they left. I couldn't say no, but I'm not a fan of having my picture taken anyway, and I was still wearing the clothes I had been cleaning my house in. I took a picture of them together too, before they hit to road. I hope one day, when their child is old enough, they get a chance to talk about this bump on the road in their life journey and how God saw them through.
While I was in the building, I went to drop some things off in the pantry. One of the really amusing parts of this job is all the random stuff that shows up. This week it was a big green bin full of weird candy, odd flavors of gum, Slim Jims, and assorted unsual snacky items. I'm guessing this was stuff that wasn't selling at WaWa, because they removed it during a reset. We will happily give it away, and I have put up a note pointing out that the gum and candy will make great stocking stuffers.
I also got to chat for a few minutes with one of our key volunteers who was dropping of some rescued food. She started with us as a food recipient, but this year has been a vital part of our volunteer team.
Friday I did a food rescue pick up at WaWa. I came back to the pantry and did a talk and tour for some of our preschoolers. It was fun to show them the WaWa items in the insulated bags (because I didn't leave myself enough time to put it away), because it was a good visual on what food rescue really is.
I had to teach at preschool, and afterwards I had 2 appointments. Appointment #1 was a new guest and a no show. Somehow, my Friday appointments are cursed that way. Nearly every time I make an appointment on a Friday they are either very late or don't show (including people from other agencies I've had meetings with, not just people coming for food).
The second appointment was for a member of our church family. While we handle everyone's information with confidentiality, church members get special treatment because it is a bit more sensitive when they might know many of our volunteers. We don't put names on sign in sheets or the outside of folders, and usually only one or two of us ever know who came through. I try to talk through scenarios with folks in case they see someone they know when they are in for an appointment. At any given time, I have folks dropping off donations, picking up for deliveries, volunteering, etc. So while I value honesty, I also value privacy, and we have a few stories worked out in case a church member gets noticed taking food. Fridays are pretty quiet though, and this person and I were likely the only ones in the building anyway. We chatted, and this person ran an idea past me for a potential area of ministry they would like to lead and I gave some starting tips. With everyone, church member or guest from elsewhere, we try really hard to encourage reaching out to others, even in the midst of needing help themselves.
Afterwards, I spent some time rearranging the pantry. Someone is gifting us a freezer they are getting rid of, so I had to make a spot for it. Every time I think we have maxed out capacity for our space, God shows me a way to move a few things to make sometime else fit.
Friday night we went to the grocery store. I am really not good with names, but I am good and remembering people and things about them. So when someone came up to me and produce and said hi, and I had no idea who they were, I was confused. I'm sure I'd never met them. Turns out, they had heard our missions moment a church a few weeks ago. I tend to think of myself as pretty anonymous, so that was weird. But it was also lovely that they stopped me to say hello.
Other than answering a few emails, no pantry work today (Saturday), and the cycle of a new work starts all over again with tomorrow's donations.
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