We just finished handing out lunches a few hours ago, and I couldn't wait to write about it. The word that best describes my experience this Saturday is 'juicy'.
First, we stopped by the Latino community center, and everyone there was happy to see us again. We always get such a warm response when we go there. The people that hang out there are so happy when we pull up. I went inside for just a minute and made sure that everyone got some food, and I really felt welcomed when I stepped inside. I think that is really rare. A white boy stepping in to a different culture, and getting nothing but smiles and greetings. It just feels good to serve there. Most of the guys don't speak English, so communication is pretty limited, but dang, I really like that place.
We took two cars again because we had too many volunteers for one car, which I think is a great problem. I really like the people that were helping, so it is fun to serve with friends. I have been working pretty hard to tell people about Free Lunch, and to get everything set up, and I was surprised at how much joy is packed in all the work. We just laughed most of the time. We met funny people as we were heading over to the east side. There were a few creepy people too, but people were funny today.
I was driving down a road and saw a guy walking that looked like he could use a lunch, and we rolled down the window and handed him a lunch. We also give out a water and a capri sun with every lunch. People love the capri sun. It reminds me of elementary school cafeteria, and it usually makes people smile when I give them one, I think it is an unexpected surprise.
When I handed this guy his capri sun, he let out an emphatic, 'Woo! Juicy!' He laughed and we all laughed. And we continued to laugh about it the rest of the car ride. I would not have experienced that if I had been at home fixing lunch by myself, and I would like to think that he would not have been able to joke around with someone if I had not pulled up. Free Lunch changed my afternoon. I just really enjoyed it.
Free Lunch is also currently accepting designs for the first annual t-shirt design contest. Submissions are due by April 15th, and shirts will be available in the summer.
27 January, 2007
T-Shirt Design Contest
Free Lunch is hosting its first annual t-shirt design contest. Submit your design by email in jpeg format by April 15th, 2007. T-shirts will be available to purchase this summer.
The winning design gets a free t-shirt and publicity on the site and some other prize that I haven't figured out yet.
If you have questions, my email address is jasoncarrigan@gmail.com
A design review board will pick the best design. All proceeds go towards free lunch.
The winning design gets a free t-shirt and publicity on the site and some other prize that I haven't figured out yet.
If you have questions, my email address is jasoncarrigan@gmail.com
A design review board will pick the best design. All proceeds go towards free lunch.
15 January, 2007
No Hablo Espanol
One of my regular stops is a latino community center on the southwest side of the city. It is one of those places where you can pick up a truckload of day laborers if you can pay in cash. When I serve lunch there, everyone is very appreciative, but I can't communicate with them because the ones I talked to didn't speak english, and yo no hablo espanol. I usually just smile.
This week I took some friends with me that know spanish, so when we pulled up, Kurt asked the dude out front if they wanted lunch and if there were more people inside that wanted lunch too. We ended up staying for about 30 minutes. Kurt and Emily went inside (they are both fluent) and met a bunch of the guys. I waited outside with Santos. Santos told me about his 8 boys and 1 daughter (and 2 wives). I hardly had to say a word, Santos had a lot to talk about.
I was curious to know the story on the community center. The area is heavily populated with latinos, and before the community center, they all hung out at a local liquor store. That started causing a lot of trouble for the community, so someone built the community center (I think there are some apartments above it), and people wait there to be picked up for day labor. Santos said that it helped to clean up the neighborhood.
I have worked with the latino community several times on different projects, and I always go away feeling thanked and appreciated. It is different from the feeling I get when I leave the east side location. Up there when I leave, I feel glad just to be alive. I don't know what the difference is, the circumstances are about the same, there is just so little hope on the east side. I think that is what keeps me going back. It doesn't matter how much money anyone has, if someone loses hope, they are in a bad spot. Nothing is good.
I want to be able to offer what little hope there is in knowing that there is a meal coming on Saturday. I don't know if that makes a big difference in someone's life, but from what I have observed so far, it makes some kind of difference in their day. And that is good enough for me.
On a side note, I handed out more lunches, and had more volunteers this week than I have ever had before. That was fun.
This week I took some friends with me that know spanish, so when we pulled up, Kurt asked the dude out front if they wanted lunch and if there were more people inside that wanted lunch too. We ended up staying for about 30 minutes. Kurt and Emily went inside (they are both fluent) and met a bunch of the guys. I waited outside with Santos. Santos told me about his 8 boys and 1 daughter (and 2 wives). I hardly had to say a word, Santos had a lot to talk about.
I was curious to know the story on the community center. The area is heavily populated with latinos, and before the community center, they all hung out at a local liquor store. That started causing a lot of trouble for the community, so someone built the community center (I think there are some apartments above it), and people wait there to be picked up for day labor. Santos said that it helped to clean up the neighborhood.
I have worked with the latino community several times on different projects, and I always go away feeling thanked and appreciated. It is different from the feeling I get when I leave the east side location. Up there when I leave, I feel glad just to be alive. I don't know what the difference is, the circumstances are about the same, there is just so little hope on the east side. I think that is what keeps me going back. It doesn't matter how much money anyone has, if someone loses hope, they are in a bad spot. Nothing is good.
I want to be able to offer what little hope there is in knowing that there is a meal coming on Saturday. I don't know if that makes a big difference in someone's life, but from what I have observed so far, it makes some kind of difference in their day. And that is good enough for me.
On a side note, I handed out more lunches, and had more volunteers this week than I have ever had before. That was fun.
03 January, 2007
New Years Eve Eve
I served lunch on the 30th. It was raining that day, and there were a lot of people walking around. Sometimes it is really hard to find people and sometimes it is really easy. I went to the east side and met some more scary drug dealers, but it was pretty uneventful. I went to the southwest side and met up with my Mexican friends. There is a pretty severe language barrier with those folks. I don't really know spanish, so I have to get out of the car and show them I have lunch for them. When the first one gets served, they all come running out of the building and I never have enough lunches. I would really like to get to know those folks. I don't know anything about why they congregate there.
The first guy I served that day was pretty funny. I was driving up towards the east side, and I saw a guy walking across a bridge. When I offered him lunch, he smiled and laughed and said, 'now I don't have to go to church!'
Most of you that read this blog know that I do go to church, so I was a little alarmed by his response. Did I just make a mistake? Did I take someone away from church? I came to the conclusion that I brought a little bit of church to him. serving lunch = church. It's really that simple.
I hope you all had a great holiday season. Have a great 2007!
The first guy I served that day was pretty funny. I was driving up towards the east side, and I saw a guy walking across a bridge. When I offered him lunch, he smiled and laughed and said, 'now I don't have to go to church!'
Most of you that read this blog know that I do go to church, so I was a little alarmed by his response. Did I just make a mistake? Did I take someone away from church? I came to the conclusion that I brought a little bit of church to him. serving lunch = church. It's really that simple.
I hope you all had a great holiday season. Have a great 2007!
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