Last Thursday I went to the Denver Rescue Mission website and was ready to sign up for Sunday volunteering. To my surprise there was no listing for Sunday Am service at the Lawrence St. shelter. I guess they were already filled up. Kinda disappointed, i looked to see what else they had. The good thing was that on the DRM site there are many volunteering opportunities. The DRM is associated with The Crossing which is their long term rehabilitation and family housing location. This place is away from down town and a closer to my house just a bit. I want to keep doing this as often as possible, and you know how you skip doing something once and then you just tend to find other excuses not to go. So I signed up.
I really didn't know what The Crossing was about but i figured it was there helping people.
The night before I didn't wanna be late and I didn't really do anything the night before. I stayed home and played video games with some friends. Modern Warfare 2 is such a fun game and it gives me a simple release of energy. I always play with my friends whenever they are available. Mike, Eric, Lane, Johnon, Brian, and a few other people often get on to play. The game can suck time away just as much as World of Warcraft. So I ended up playing until about 12:30am. Knowing i had to get up at 4:30 I zipped to bed. Falling asleep almost immediately and poof, the alarm goes off i do not know what happened but i woke up around 4:50 so i had to hurry up and get dressed. Washed my face and took off.
Driving up to The Crossing I instantly noticed a bunch of differences between the Lawrence shelter. There was no security patrolling outside, and absolutely no homeless people hanging around. The Crossing is an old converted hotel that was purchased by the Denver Rescue Mission to rehabilitate and assist people in need. It is away from down town apparently as to keep those trying to rehabilitate themselves from the seduction of trouble downtown. It must work as there were no people hanging around the location.
The air was crisp and as I pulled up someone else did. I assumed that whoever was in the car also was volunteering. As I walked in I noticed that there was a set of rail road tracks across the street. Funny how i just noticed it as i had to pass over them to get to the place. The doors were automatic and there were a few men sitting around at some tables.
Not know who to talk to I walked up to them and asked who I need to speak to and this large guy with a nose ring says "That's me!" in a gruff voice. This guy had a very close to a shaved head but with some hair, and red shirt with flames. The shirt perfectly matched the rest of him. He seemed a bit rude but gave me the sign up sheet and told me to go to the kitchen. At the kitchen I met Alex who was the only one in the kitchen. He told me that I was to serve food today and had me help bring out a few trays of food.
Breakfast was the following: Country potatoes, grits, pancakes, fruit (cantaloupe), cereal, yogurt, and donuts. The breakfast seemed surprisingly very good and seemed like a lot of it. The potatoes were clearly drenched in butter and fried. the grits looked really dry like mashed potatoes, they didn't look appealing to me at all. The pancakes looked and smelled awesome. I saw Alex making the pancakes and he is really good at it. I was impressed with the breakfast so far.
Some other volunteers there were a family of three. A mother, father and son who was about 14 all were there because the father liked to help out. He had volunteered at the Denver Rescue Mission and they thought it was a good family thing to do. I think that is pretty awesome. There was also someone there named Matt, whom i thought at first was a volunteer, but I found out a bit later he was actually working at The Crossing to get his way into the program. Chris, Charles and Leta (the family) all seemed pretty nice. I served the hot food with Chris, while the father (Charles) was in the kitchen helping Alex. Leta was on yogurt and fruit.
As we got started I was psyching myself up for a fast paced slam bang of a food service. It didn't quite turn out that way. There were about 5 or so people hanging out right as we started and we served them. Me on potatoes and grits and Chris on Pancakes and Syrup. After a bit Alex brought out some chopped ham with potato. After the first five were served another person came in and got food, another and another. It was then i realized that people weren't all lined up like at the Lawrence Shelter. These people strolled in as they felt like it got coffee hung out. We weren't that busy so it didn't matter. In all i think we served about 60 people in a one and a half hour shift we would do that may in less then 30 min at the Lawrence shelter.
Another thing that I noticed was that we served food like a lunch counter (its what it was really) and it was so laid back. Do you want Potatoes? Sure.. How about grits. Eww.. no, but ill take an extra pancake. It's kinda funny to see people come in and get breakfast in their pajamas. This is when I realized that this place is really different then Lawrence shelter.
There was a family that came to eat with two little kids, and a husband and wife eating together. These people were here for the assisted housing program. While another guy came in that was working on getting a job and needed a sack lunch (those are provided here). The guy that greeted me when I arrived came through the line and he was much less gruff. He chatted small talk and said he was finishing a 12 hr shift. Seemed really nice.
I was feeling very tired and the slow pace was really making me want to move around. We sometimes went 5 min without someone coming to get food. That being said there was a little drama. The milk was bad so no cereal and no sugar for the grits (apparently grits are good with butter and sugar, I learned something new!). With no sugar or milk there was not creme or sugar for the coffee. Alex came out and said "It's what we got, you know we work on donations" So a few coffee drinkers grumbled and shuffled back to their seats. A bit later Alex walked out with a paper plate full of individual serving flavored creamer packets. Some of the people jumped on them, while others turned their noses up. It was actually pretty funny seeing some of these grown men angry about coffee.
After a while, Chris took a break and Matt came to help out while he was gone. I really got to know what The Crossing was in this time as Matt was very open. He said that he is whats called a "PC". What that means exactly I didn't know, but he did say that he is what they call people that haven't gotten into the actual program yet. They are people that can stay at The Crossing, but have to work six days a week until they get into the actual program. Matt said that that could be around 120 days because there is a wait list very long for people to get into the program. He said it may be a drag, but it's better then being on the street and he is actually trying to turn his life around.
So now what the program is actually about is that it is a long term rehabilitation and education program for people that have or had problems including drug and alcohol problems, homelessness, certain mental illnesses, and other things that have in some way or another let them slip through the cracks in society. This is a program designed to get them back on their feet and help them get into society. Matt says that you have like a 6-10 month program where you take classes and work and study with people kind of like school. Once you graduate the program gives you not only some money you can put in the bank but also a running car. This sounds like a pretty good deal for someone that has lost their way.
Matt says work is a drag but its so much better then where he was. He has had a lot of issues and had a falling out with his father that pushed him back to drinking. He said he got back on the program, but may be another 100 days til he gets into the actual program part. He also says some of the other people in the program are homeless people just trying to get out of the weather for the winter. He says it's common and that those people will leave around spring time. Kind of makes ya think if some people want to be homeless.
At about 7:15 we stopped serving and started bringing everything back to the kitchen. I helped wrap up some of the food to be served later. Got a whole lot of thanks, even from some of the diners. Was pretty nice but I was so tired I wanted to go home and sleep! Leaving the sun was up and shining brightly. What a beautiful new day and did a good deed.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Denver Rescue Mission Volunteering 8.22.2010
Today I again volunteered down at the Denver Rescue Mission. Running on less then four hours of sleep, but had a great night before.
Saturday night got picked up by Mike and Jen and we rode together and were to meet a number of our other friends. Mike and Jen just got married last month, very good friends and I was very glad that they were willing to drive because I knew I was volunteering very early.
We left at about four and got there early had a great time and ate a crazy ton of crab legs at the buffet. Then went and lost 100 bucks on blackjack (grr i hate you blackjack) but at least i won about 70 bucks earlier playing roulette and craps. Let me tell ya some people just don't know etiquette, but ill get into that another time.
We left around 11:30 and got home around 12:45am. Knowing I had to get up at 4:30 I fed the kitty and washed up. Hopping in bed I was afraid I wouldn't wake up in time. Setting the alarm extra loud I feel asleep. Last thing I remember was listening to some movie i cannot remember now.
Woke up at 4:38 and honestly I could not feel my legs. After a few minutes I was ok, although i was scared I might fall asleep on the way there. The air was crisp and chilly perfect and very dark.
Upon arriving, I checked in and was immediately put on Pastries. Trevell is getting to know me and just told me what to do. I did the first tray and then he put me on coffee plus milk and sugar. I noticed that everything is never the exact same. I guess it is all dependent upon the supplies on hand. No milk last week, milk this week. Not only was there sugar, but a whole box of sweetener. Having to deal with coffee seems to be the busiest job there. Filling up cups, handing them out, giving sweetener or sugar, some people want 'creme' so adding milk. Making sure I have more coffee to hand out. I am supposed to hand the cups to the people as per the rules, but some of them just reach out, some even grab for the sugar right over me. It's kinda funny and I let them. It's not that I mind at all as they are welcome to however much and whatever they want.
I have to say, serving food is an adrenaline rush. I was super tired, yet didn't feel it once while i was working. It reminded me of staying up til 2 am back in high school and then having to open at Burger King. Being dead tired while doing the opening prep, but going full bore once breakfast rush started all the way to crashing once leaving after the shift is over. Back then I had the energy to do that and barely miss a beat (i did it a bit too much.) Now that I'm older, and I could barely drive home. Sleepy, but had a great feeling.
It is a interesting to me how well mannered and patient the people coming in for a meal are. They stand in line without any complaints, sometimes for quite a while if the meat is being cooked and not ready yet, or if someone takes extra long picking out a pastry (not to mention coffee being backed up). Clearly they are just thankful to be there
This time there were a few volunteers that came as a family. A girl Jen, her brother Ryan (i think) and their father was there helping out. Jen said they come a few times a month and like to help out. She wants to intern at the Denver Rescue Mission. That sounds pretty cool. Two of the three ladies that volunteered a few weeks ago were back, as they said they would be there every other Sunday. These ladies are older and very nice. The one that hands out trays asked why I was not in the kitchen. She said JT and I did such a great job last time, however I noticed this Sunday the food was flying out very fast. Also the guy doing the community service was there. He had a much brighter attitude of what hew as doing then the last week which was really cool.
After breakfast was served Trevell wheeled out a pan with ham in it. He yelled out to everyone that there was extra food and for people to take it all. I honestly thought that people would rush over to take as much as they could. I imagined a great mob piling over themselves trying to get the extras. Clearly i knew that would not be the case, but to me, it was curious that only a few people came up to get anything. It seemed as if they were satisfied just getting a meal and didn't want to take extra. I helped bus tables and turn chairs over. Then went to the side room and helped do more pastries. I must say i am getting to be a whiz and Trevell said I could do it whatever way I wanted as I was doing great.
Trevell called me by name a few times and said that he likes the Sunday team (I'm on a team yay!) He asked me when I would be around and I told him as often as I could. Previously he said he didn't want to over work me because he wanted me to come back and I told him I'll do whatever he needs done in the kitchen. Got a pat on the back for that and a big thanks. People are always thanking you there. Whether its just courtesy or something their boss asked them to do, it felt great. The people getting the food aren't told to do that and yet i still got a large number of thank yous and a few "God Bless You"s. Maybe that's why I wasn't tired, energized by good feelings.
Before I left Trevell came up and handed me a ticket to the Rockies game on Tuesday. He said someone donated 200 tickets and he wanted everyone to have one. This was really nice. The more I think about it the more I like helping out at the Denver Rescue Mission. It is clearly unlike a normal job because the only payment you get is the satisfaction of feeling amazing. There is no petty infighting between employees, everyone just appreciates you being there. I cannot tell you how good it feels to help people and they actually appreciate it. I cant wait to see what next week brings....
Saturday night got picked up by Mike and Jen and we rode together and were to meet a number of our other friends. Mike and Jen just got married last month, very good friends and I was very glad that they were willing to drive because I knew I was volunteering very early.
We left at about four and got there early had a great time and ate a crazy ton of crab legs at the buffet. Then went and lost 100 bucks on blackjack (grr i hate you blackjack) but at least i won about 70 bucks earlier playing roulette and craps. Let me tell ya some people just don't know etiquette, but ill get into that another time.
We left around 11:30 and got home around 12:45am. Knowing I had to get up at 4:30 I fed the kitty and washed up. Hopping in bed I was afraid I wouldn't wake up in time. Setting the alarm extra loud I feel asleep. Last thing I remember was listening to some movie i cannot remember now.
Woke up at 4:38 and honestly I could not feel my legs. After a few minutes I was ok, although i was scared I might fall asleep on the way there. The air was crisp and chilly perfect and very dark.
Upon arriving, I checked in and was immediately put on Pastries. Trevell is getting to know me and just told me what to do. I did the first tray and then he put me on coffee plus milk and sugar. I noticed that everything is never the exact same. I guess it is all dependent upon the supplies on hand. No milk last week, milk this week. Not only was there sugar, but a whole box of sweetener. Having to deal with coffee seems to be the busiest job there. Filling up cups, handing them out, giving sweetener or sugar, some people want 'creme' so adding milk. Making sure I have more coffee to hand out. I am supposed to hand the cups to the people as per the rules, but some of them just reach out, some even grab for the sugar right over me. It's kinda funny and I let them. It's not that I mind at all as they are welcome to however much and whatever they want.
I have to say, serving food is an adrenaline rush. I was super tired, yet didn't feel it once while i was working. It reminded me of staying up til 2 am back in high school and then having to open at Burger King. Being dead tired while doing the opening prep, but going full bore once breakfast rush started all the way to crashing once leaving after the shift is over. Back then I had the energy to do that and barely miss a beat (i did it a bit too much.) Now that I'm older, and I could barely drive home. Sleepy, but had a great feeling.
It is a interesting to me how well mannered and patient the people coming in for a meal are. They stand in line without any complaints, sometimes for quite a while if the meat is being cooked and not ready yet, or if someone takes extra long picking out a pastry (not to mention coffee being backed up). Clearly they are just thankful to be there
This time there were a few volunteers that came as a family. A girl Jen, her brother Ryan (i think) and their father was there helping out. Jen said they come a few times a month and like to help out. She wants to intern at the Denver Rescue Mission. That sounds pretty cool. Two of the three ladies that volunteered a few weeks ago were back, as they said they would be there every other Sunday. These ladies are older and very nice. The one that hands out trays asked why I was not in the kitchen. She said JT and I did such a great job last time, however I noticed this Sunday the food was flying out very fast. Also the guy doing the community service was there. He had a much brighter attitude of what hew as doing then the last week which was really cool.
After breakfast was served Trevell wheeled out a pan with ham in it. He yelled out to everyone that there was extra food and for people to take it all. I honestly thought that people would rush over to take as much as they could. I imagined a great mob piling over themselves trying to get the extras. Clearly i knew that would not be the case, but to me, it was curious that only a few people came up to get anything. It seemed as if they were satisfied just getting a meal and didn't want to take extra. I helped bus tables and turn chairs over. Then went to the side room and helped do more pastries. I must say i am getting to be a whiz and Trevell said I could do it whatever way I wanted as I was doing great.
Trevell called me by name a few times and said that he likes the Sunday team (I'm on a team yay!) He asked me when I would be around and I told him as often as I could. Previously he said he didn't want to over work me because he wanted me to come back and I told him I'll do whatever he needs done in the kitchen. Got a pat on the back for that and a big thanks. People are always thanking you there. Whether its just courtesy or something their boss asked them to do, it felt great. The people getting the food aren't told to do that and yet i still got a large number of thank yous and a few "God Bless You"s. Maybe that's why I wasn't tired, energized by good feelings.
Before I left Trevell came up and handed me a ticket to the Rockies game on Tuesday. He said someone donated 200 tickets and he wanted everyone to have one. This was really nice. The more I think about it the more I like helping out at the Denver Rescue Mission. It is clearly unlike a normal job because the only payment you get is the satisfaction of feeling amazing. There is no petty infighting between employees, everyone just appreciates you being there. I cannot tell you how good it feels to help people and they actually appreciate it. I cant wait to see what next week brings....
Sunday, August 15, 2010
2nd Volunteering gig, Aug 15 2010
I know this blog is mostly about being a Guild Master and gaming, however I have other interests too!
I signed up to serve breakfast again at the denver rescue mission. I am actually very excited the days up to Sunday and I wonder what new things I am going to experience. I was however very very very tired and my legs felt like jello. I went to bed very early though and was able to get up on time. 4:30 AM.. Whew that is not easy to do. Getting out of bed I found I needed more sleep!
The day before my best friend held a huge annual "Blongo Ball" tournament at a park near his house. About 100 people showed up but it was basically a huge day of grilling, eating, playing games, and Blongo. If you wanna know what Blongo ball is, check it out here http://www.blongoball.com/ . I was actually on two teams and both of my teams went over the max points, so we were sent down (Bob Barker: Closest to the actual price without going over) and eventually lost. But the day was amazing as we played volleyball, played H.O.R.S.E. (I won me a buck, which i gave it away the next game), chased kids around, ate some more, sat and talked to people, saw friends I havent in a while. I even had to leave early because I knew I would be dead tired and I really wanted to be up on time.
Arriving at the Denver Rescue Mission I was a lot more confident on what I was doing and where I was going. I pulled up and parked in the lot across the street. This lot was in view of the mission and may be a bit safer then last weeks. There is security at the rescue mission in an event of an emergency. Signing in I went downstairs into the room off of the dining area. There was already one guy there with Tervell. Tevell had us both do Pastries and this time I was ready. I knew last week I put much fewer pastries on the pan as I could have. This time I loaded it up and it looked awesome. The guy I was working with was named JT. He worked down at one of the hospitals as intake for the ER. That must have been an exciting job. Another person there was Dave who was doing community service for a DUI he had back in 2004. He had to do 50 hrs and said that he wanted to take care of it now. He said that there were very few places to do community service and for some reason I found that hard to believe. After doing the pastries Tervell told me I was going to do Coffee.
The job of the coffee person was simple. There is a rolling tray. I had to fill up coffee cups with hot coffee from these large befevage containers and line them up in rows on the table. When people came by I offered them coffee and handed it to them. They were not to take it themselves, however I'd say 1 out of 20 just came up and grabbed it. I wasn't about to say anything about that. If they want it let em have it. Anyway as I gave out cups of coffee, I filled up more cups. I was on top of it! "Would you like some coffee sir? Let me get that for you." A few times people asked for sugar and I was unsure if we had any. I asked Tervell and he said he would be back in a minute. Sure enough a minute later he came back with a big jar full of sugar. He asked if I could handle doing both the coffee and the sugar. I laughed and nodded.
He patted me on the back and said "Great job." Volunteering at the Denver Rescue Mission seemed a bit like being back in elementary school. I mean that as in people at the Denver Rescue Mission always thanked you and made you feel appreciated for even the simplest things. Back in elementary school you are encouraged to do your best and are rewarded with praise. While so simple and basic, it makes you feel good.
I also notice that there are people out there that just help because they like to. Three women, a grandmother, her daughter and grand daughter were there today. They were from south denver. They just volunteered because the like to do it every once in a while. People like them don't want to be noticed, they just want to help. JT told me that if he was ever in a position to need help, he hoped that there would be someone to give that help. While that may be a sort of self preservation, it is a clearly strong message of "do unto others, as you would that they should do unto you." Even if you never are in that situation where you are homeless or need help, it is amazing to know that there are people out there that care, no matter who you are.
When I was a kid my family was not well off. I would even say we were poor. I dont remember when I was really really young, but I do remember when i was 9 to 14 we had government help. We lived near Sable and Colfax in Aurora, a very lower income neighborhood. I remember my mom getting WIC and getting food in a liquor box every now and then. I never thought about who donated that, or who volunteered to gather the food and distribute it or even who ran the place that people could go to get it. I wish I could thank them and let them know they are appreciated, but I can't. So maybe helping out here is partly my thanks. I have lots of thanks to give.
A few times we ran out of meat so they had to cook more. People stood in line not complaining once. This Sunday we served 208 people. Which was up from the 120 they usually have on Sundays. Tervell said we did a great job but honestly it was so easy. The only problems I had were staying alert and not letting my legs hurt. As the service ended we helped bus tables and stood and talked for a bit. They all seemed cheerful there and none of them seemed to display their worries to anyone
I like volunteering and while nothing is always 100% cheerful and happy, it makes me almost feel that way on the inside. Let's see what next week brings.
I signed up to serve breakfast again at the denver rescue mission. I am actually very excited the days up to Sunday and I wonder what new things I am going to experience. I was however very very very tired and my legs felt like jello. I went to bed very early though and was able to get up on time. 4:30 AM.. Whew that is not easy to do. Getting out of bed I found I needed more sleep!
The day before my best friend held a huge annual "Blongo Ball" tournament at a park near his house. About 100 people showed up but it was basically a huge day of grilling, eating, playing games, and Blongo. If you wanna know what Blongo ball is, check it out here http://www.blongoball.com/ . I was actually on two teams and both of my teams went over the max points, so we were sent down (Bob Barker: Closest to the actual price without going over) and eventually lost. But the day was amazing as we played volleyball, played H.O.R.S.E. (I won me a buck, which i gave it away the next game), chased kids around, ate some more, sat and talked to people, saw friends I havent in a while. I even had to leave early because I knew I would be dead tired and I really wanted to be up on time.
Arriving at the Denver Rescue Mission I was a lot more confident on what I was doing and where I was going. I pulled up and parked in the lot across the street. This lot was in view of the mission and may be a bit safer then last weeks. There is security at the rescue mission in an event of an emergency. Signing in I went downstairs into the room off of the dining area. There was already one guy there with Tervell. Tevell had us both do Pastries and this time I was ready. I knew last week I put much fewer pastries on the pan as I could have. This time I loaded it up and it looked awesome. The guy I was working with was named JT. He worked down at one of the hospitals as intake for the ER. That must have been an exciting job. Another person there was Dave who was doing community service for a DUI he had back in 2004. He had to do 50 hrs and said that he wanted to take care of it now. He said that there were very few places to do community service and for some reason I found that hard to believe. After doing the pastries Tervell told me I was going to do Coffee.
The job of the coffee person was simple. There is a rolling tray. I had to fill up coffee cups with hot coffee from these large befevage containers and line them up in rows on the table. When people came by I offered them coffee and handed it to them. They were not to take it themselves, however I'd say 1 out of 20 just came up and grabbed it. I wasn't about to say anything about that. If they want it let em have it. Anyway as I gave out cups of coffee, I filled up more cups. I was on top of it! "Would you like some coffee sir? Let me get that for you." A few times people asked for sugar and I was unsure if we had any. I asked Tervell and he said he would be back in a minute. Sure enough a minute later he came back with a big jar full of sugar. He asked if I could handle doing both the coffee and the sugar. I laughed and nodded.
He patted me on the back and said "Great job." Volunteering at the Denver Rescue Mission seemed a bit like being back in elementary school. I mean that as in people at the Denver Rescue Mission always thanked you and made you feel appreciated for even the simplest things. Back in elementary school you are encouraged to do your best and are rewarded with praise. While so simple and basic, it makes you feel good.
I also notice that there are people out there that just help because they like to. Three women, a grandmother, her daughter and grand daughter were there today. They were from south denver. They just volunteered because the like to do it every once in a while. People like them don't want to be noticed, they just want to help. JT told me that if he was ever in a position to need help, he hoped that there would be someone to give that help. While that may be a sort of self preservation, it is a clearly strong message of "do unto others, as you would that they should do unto you." Even if you never are in that situation where you are homeless or need help, it is amazing to know that there are people out there that care, no matter who you are.
When I was a kid my family was not well off. I would even say we were poor. I dont remember when I was really really young, but I do remember when i was 9 to 14 we had government help. We lived near Sable and Colfax in Aurora, a very lower income neighborhood. I remember my mom getting WIC and getting food in a liquor box every now and then. I never thought about who donated that, or who volunteered to gather the food and distribute it or even who ran the place that people could go to get it. I wish I could thank them and let them know they are appreciated, but I can't. So maybe helping out here is partly my thanks. I have lots of thanks to give.
A few times we ran out of meat so they had to cook more. People stood in line not complaining once. This Sunday we served 208 people. Which was up from the 120 they usually have on Sundays. Tervell said we did a great job but honestly it was so easy. The only problems I had were staying alert and not letting my legs hurt. As the service ended we helped bus tables and stood and talked for a bit. They all seemed cheerful there and none of them seemed to display their worries to anyone
I like volunteering and while nothing is always 100% cheerful and happy, it makes me almost feel that way on the inside. Let's see what next week brings.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
First time vollunteering at the Denver Rescue Mission
For years I wanted to volunteer. Many many many years I thought about it, I created scenarios about how honorable and noble it would be to help people. How good it would make me feel to help; and every time I saw an advertisement or read a story about people helping I told myself. I am going to help. I am going to make a difference. The years passed and I keep those thoughts and dreams and feel better about myself. But I never did. I did donate clothing and food and money and even blood when I could, but I never donated what I felt was the most important, my time. I never volunteered just an hour maybe two to people in need. I may have helped at the Walk For Alzheimer's through work, but never "sacrificed" any real time just to do whatever needed to be done. I wanted to change that and I wanted to give back
I've been an admirer of The Denver Rescue Mission for years. Ever since I was still living at home with my parents I knew about it. I heard about the good they do and the stories that come from there have always filled me with good thoughts.
I used to listen to the hair metal band Poison. They had this song called "Something To Believe in." They have a line in the song that says "I drive by the homeless sleeping on a cold dark street, like bodies in an old bone grave. Underneath the broken old neon sign that used to read "Jesus Saves". Years later I drove by the Denver Rescue Mission and there was the same kind of beacon. Even in the middle of the day you can see the blue letters of the sign brightly against the wall.
Ever since my dad died 2 years ago last month I decided to change some things. I wanted to make him proud of me. Him being my dad, or maybe God, or maybe my heart. Little things, like getting back in shape, stopping smoking, find and be true to a person whom I can dedicate my life to, have kids and raise them right, give back to the community, work hard, see and talk to my sisters. While I have not done all of these as best I can, I have made some changes. While the biggest thing I have done is keep my father in my thoughts all the time. I have lost almost 20 lbs, working out regularly until i hurt my shoulder, I quit smoking all together recently. My condo is as organized as it has been in a long time.
So the next thing was to volunteer. I think there is a fear in everyone of doing something new. It isn't the work or the time itself, but the area, the people, the despair that brings these people to a place like the Rescue Mission. Most people are so insulated from this area that the last thing they want to do is go down there and spend any free time there. You have to admit it is a bit intimidating. There is trash all over down town, people lying in doorways and a lot of panhandling downtown. This was the challenge to accept that and go beyond that. To do some good.
The Denver Rescue Mission has recently made volunteering very easy. They have a website that takes 10 seconds to sign up to, and then gives you different options. Short term, Long Term, Court required sections show what is available in each. I chose Short term and then was surprised to see so many opportunities. I chose the following Sunday a shift from 5:30 to 7:30. Wow waking up early would be a chore. The night before i took it very easy and went to bed around 11pm. I woke up extra early 4:30am. Drove down town just a little uncertain where to park. I drove around the place once and chose the lot to the south of the building. Parking on Sundays is free if you go to a meter, however I didn't see any close. So I paid the 2 dollar fee. The moment I pulled up to the lot two people walked close and stared at me. I ignored them and in a few seconds they walked away. I got out and walked towards the building setting my alarm in the process. There were about 15 or so people huddled on the side walk, trash was littered in the gutters and it was 5:24 am... of course it was a tiny bit intimidating, but none of them blocked my way or were derogatory in any way.
Walking up to the building i rang the bell. An elderly man opened the door and I informed him that I was a volunteer. he greeted me kindly and walked me up the 10 or so steps to sign in. He then pointed me to the kitchen area and told me to ask for "Tervell." Walking around I was a bit confused as i didn't know who anyone was, there were about 15 people or so eating walking around. Later i found out they all worked or volunteered there. Tervell was eating and told me to wait a few minutes and asked me if I was hungry. I declined and took a seat next to him. I sat there unsure what to think but the smell from the kitchen was very good smelling.
Tervell showed me to a room off in the side with some metal tables. The room was basically empty of people, but a few strolled in from time to time. I was tasked with rolling forks in paper napkins. Very easy job and there were about 60 forks in the box. While i was doing this a three middle aged women came in and we greeted each other. Tervell put them to work on cleaning and preparing grapes, a lot of them! After about 10 minutes 4 high school girls came in and he put them on blue berries. When I was done with the forks, he had me put pastries from a box onto a tray. These were day old, but some still looked very tasty. I noticed later that i spread them out way to much and the other trays that were already done had about 3 times the amount of pastries then what i put on my tray. At about 6 am, he split us up into groups, I went with 2 of the high school girls into the kitchen while the others went to the dining area. I found out later the 4 girls were from Aurora too, small world. They decided on a whim to come volunteer and it was their first time too. There are some really good people in the world.
Our tasks were to be the assembly line for serving the hot food (the others did the cold food and drinks). The first girl named Megan took a tray from the stack and put a piece of hot french toast on the tray. The other girl Kristen scooped some diced potatoes onto the tray and added a piece of ham. My job was to pour syrup on the French toast and put the tray up on a shelf, where one of the others in the dining area would take it down and give it someone that needed it. This was very easy yet needed to be done. I think I could have done all three jobs myself, but would have admittedly been slower. We did this over and over and we had the counter basically full of trays as much as we could. We ran out of ham, so then it was replaced with a pile of sausages patties, when those were gone a big pan of what looked just like hamburger taco meat was given to us. A few times they brought over more potatoes and French toast. It went very smooth, in fact the lady taking down the trays, who had done this quite a bit, says we did the best she ever saw and she usually had to wait. That was pretty nice to hear.
Once everyone was fed it was about 7 am. We closed down the kitchen area and went out to help them in the dining area bussing tables and wiping them down. Every once in a while someone would pass by saying "thank you" this was from both people that worked there to people eating the food. Everyone seemed very grateful. Twice the line cook boss came up to use while we were serving and told us how thankful they were to have us there. You can tell he meant it.
Once the breakfast was over, Tervell took all of us on a tour of the place. The Denver Rescue Mission is over 100 years old and was built specifically to help homeless people. While they help 90% men, women are often helped with food and clothing. There are both English and Spanish speaking chaplains and services. Administration buildings, a hall where people can go to watch movies or perhaps listen to a sermon. Ya know, I do not know what denomination the sermons are given in. I don't think it matters, because it is given only to inspire hope, faith, and good will. Not once while we were there did someone push GOD on us, or try to convince us about one type of Faith. They were just happy to have us there to help.
There is a free clinic there that served over 40,000 people last year all from volunteered time from Dr's, nurses, dentists, and even a pedicurist. The manicurist/pedicurist comes in once a week to clean, and repair peoples nails all on her own free time. No matter what the person looks like or how dirty they are, they are cleaned up and helped out.
Upstairs there are 240 beds set up bunk bed style and there is a huge bathroom and showers. Anyone taking a bed must take a shower, that is a rule. Sounds like a good one to me. Each bed is stripped and cleaned every single day. They have ointments, and deodorant and soap there and even cut hair in one section.
90% of all the food, clothing, medicines and everything are donated. Tervell told us that they have never once ran out of food no matter how many people come in. This really made me feel good. There are some very generous people out there. He also said that the objective of the Denver Rescue Mission is not to just feed, or bed someone, but to help them change their lives and get them back on their feet. There are jobs offered there, and programs for people with jobs but no homes, and for pregnant women, or people that just need food. Some of these programs allow people to save up money or earn money to work towards finding a place in the future, as well as help people find jobs. Truly this is a place that does more then just feed the homeless.
Upon leaving I donated some bags of cloths that I had in my trunk for a few months. I hadn't gotten around to doing it. This shamed me at the same time of making me feel good. When they thanked me for the cloths it felt more real because i knew where it was going I guess.
Helping has always made me feel good, but today.. I don't want to be all dramatic as if it was a life changing experience. I mean all i did was wrap napkins and pure syrup on some French toast, but to the people that need it and the people that struggle to keep places like the Denver Rescue Mission moving forward maybe. Every single thank you was heartfelt, every single thing was positive there, nothing negative. It was all about helping people.. and maybe that is life changing.
I plan on doing this as much as I can and have already gotten my friend Adrienne to agree to do it with me. This is something you can always do no matter what time of year. I strongly suggest it to anyone thinking of doing it. Heck I will go with you!
If everyone gave one hour a week, or a month... no one would be hungry.
I've been an admirer of The Denver Rescue Mission for years. Ever since I was still living at home with my parents I knew about it. I heard about the good they do and the stories that come from there have always filled me with good thoughts.
I used to listen to the hair metal band Poison. They had this song called "Something To Believe in." They have a line in the song that says "I drive by the homeless sleeping on a cold dark street, like bodies in an old bone grave. Underneath the broken old neon sign that used to read "Jesus Saves". Years later I drove by the Denver Rescue Mission and there was the same kind of beacon. Even in the middle of the day you can see the blue letters of the sign brightly against the wall.
Ever since my dad died 2 years ago last month I decided to change some things. I wanted to make him proud of me. Him being my dad, or maybe God, or maybe my heart. Little things, like getting back in shape, stopping smoking, find and be true to a person whom I can dedicate my life to, have kids and raise them right, give back to the community, work hard, see and talk to my sisters. While I have not done all of these as best I can, I have made some changes. While the biggest thing I have done is keep my father in my thoughts all the time. I have lost almost 20 lbs, working out regularly until i hurt my shoulder, I quit smoking all together recently. My condo is as organized as it has been in a long time.
So the next thing was to volunteer. I think there is a fear in everyone of doing something new. It isn't the work or the time itself, but the area, the people, the despair that brings these people to a place like the Rescue Mission. Most people are so insulated from this area that the last thing they want to do is go down there and spend any free time there. You have to admit it is a bit intimidating. There is trash all over down town, people lying in doorways and a lot of panhandling downtown. This was the challenge to accept that and go beyond that. To do some good.
The Denver Rescue Mission has recently made volunteering very easy. They have a website that takes 10 seconds to sign up to, and then gives you different options. Short term, Long Term, Court required sections show what is available in each. I chose Short term and then was surprised to see so many opportunities. I chose the following Sunday a shift from 5:30 to 7:30. Wow waking up early would be a chore. The night before i took it very easy and went to bed around 11pm. I woke up extra early 4:30am. Drove down town just a little uncertain where to park. I drove around the place once and chose the lot to the south of the building. Parking on Sundays is free if you go to a meter, however I didn't see any close. So I paid the 2 dollar fee. The moment I pulled up to the lot two people walked close and stared at me. I ignored them and in a few seconds they walked away. I got out and walked towards the building setting my alarm in the process. There were about 15 or so people huddled on the side walk, trash was littered in the gutters and it was 5:24 am... of course it was a tiny bit intimidating, but none of them blocked my way or were derogatory in any way.
Walking up to the building i rang the bell. An elderly man opened the door and I informed him that I was a volunteer. he greeted me kindly and walked me up the 10 or so steps to sign in. He then pointed me to the kitchen area and told me to ask for "Tervell." Walking around I was a bit confused as i didn't know who anyone was, there were about 15 people or so eating walking around. Later i found out they all worked or volunteered there. Tervell was eating and told me to wait a few minutes and asked me if I was hungry. I declined and took a seat next to him. I sat there unsure what to think but the smell from the kitchen was very good smelling.
Tervell showed me to a room off in the side with some metal tables. The room was basically empty of people, but a few strolled in from time to time. I was tasked with rolling forks in paper napkins. Very easy job and there were about 60 forks in the box. While i was doing this a three middle aged women came in and we greeted each other. Tervell put them to work on cleaning and preparing grapes, a lot of them! After about 10 minutes 4 high school girls came in and he put them on blue berries. When I was done with the forks, he had me put pastries from a box onto a tray. These were day old, but some still looked very tasty. I noticed later that i spread them out way to much and the other trays that were already done had about 3 times the amount of pastries then what i put on my tray. At about 6 am, he split us up into groups, I went with 2 of the high school girls into the kitchen while the others went to the dining area. I found out later the 4 girls were from Aurora too, small world. They decided on a whim to come volunteer and it was their first time too. There are some really good people in the world.
Our tasks were to be the assembly line for serving the hot food (the others did the cold food and drinks). The first girl named Megan took a tray from the stack and put a piece of hot french toast on the tray. The other girl Kristen scooped some diced potatoes onto the tray and added a piece of ham. My job was to pour syrup on the French toast and put the tray up on a shelf, where one of the others in the dining area would take it down and give it someone that needed it. This was very easy yet needed to be done. I think I could have done all three jobs myself, but would have admittedly been slower. We did this over and over and we had the counter basically full of trays as much as we could. We ran out of ham, so then it was replaced with a pile of sausages patties, when those were gone a big pan of what looked just like hamburger taco meat was given to us. A few times they brought over more potatoes and French toast. It went very smooth, in fact the lady taking down the trays, who had done this quite a bit, says we did the best she ever saw and she usually had to wait. That was pretty nice to hear.
Once everyone was fed it was about 7 am. We closed down the kitchen area and went out to help them in the dining area bussing tables and wiping them down. Every once in a while someone would pass by saying "thank you" this was from both people that worked there to people eating the food. Everyone seemed very grateful. Twice the line cook boss came up to use while we were serving and told us how thankful they were to have us there. You can tell he meant it.
Once the breakfast was over, Tervell took all of us on a tour of the place. The Denver Rescue Mission is over 100 years old and was built specifically to help homeless people. While they help 90% men, women are often helped with food and clothing. There are both English and Spanish speaking chaplains and services. Administration buildings, a hall where people can go to watch movies or perhaps listen to a sermon. Ya know, I do not know what denomination the sermons are given in. I don't think it matters, because it is given only to inspire hope, faith, and good will. Not once while we were there did someone push GOD on us, or try to convince us about one type of Faith. They were just happy to have us there to help.
There is a free clinic there that served over 40,000 people last year all from volunteered time from Dr's, nurses, dentists, and even a pedicurist. The manicurist/pedicurist comes in once a week to clean, and repair peoples nails all on her own free time. No matter what the person looks like or how dirty they are, they are cleaned up and helped out.
Upstairs there are 240 beds set up bunk bed style and there is a huge bathroom and showers. Anyone taking a bed must take a shower, that is a rule. Sounds like a good one to me. Each bed is stripped and cleaned every single day. They have ointments, and deodorant and soap there and even cut hair in one section.
90% of all the food, clothing, medicines and everything are donated. Tervell told us that they have never once ran out of food no matter how many people come in. This really made me feel good. There are some very generous people out there. He also said that the objective of the Denver Rescue Mission is not to just feed, or bed someone, but to help them change their lives and get them back on their feet. There are jobs offered there, and programs for people with jobs but no homes, and for pregnant women, or people that just need food. Some of these programs allow people to save up money or earn money to work towards finding a place in the future, as well as help people find jobs. Truly this is a place that does more then just feed the homeless.
Upon leaving I donated some bags of cloths that I had in my trunk for a few months. I hadn't gotten around to doing it. This shamed me at the same time of making me feel good. When they thanked me for the cloths it felt more real because i knew where it was going I guess.
Helping has always made me feel good, but today.. I don't want to be all dramatic as if it was a life changing experience. I mean all i did was wrap napkins and pure syrup on some French toast, but to the people that need it and the people that struggle to keep places like the Denver Rescue Mission moving forward maybe. Every single thank you was heartfelt, every single thing was positive there, nothing negative. It was all about helping people.. and maybe that is life changing.
I plan on doing this as much as I can and have already gotten my friend Adrienne to agree to do it with me. This is something you can always do no matter what time of year. I strongly suggest it to anyone thinking of doing it. Heck I will go with you!
If everyone gave one hour a week, or a month... no one would be hungry.
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