Day Three – Our First Full Day in Good ol’ S.A.

Brought to you by Emily Ward

Alarm clocks started going off at 5:00 a.m. this morning, thankfully, not for us! We woke up around 6:00 a.m. to get dressed and have breakfast. Each group leaves at different times depending on when they are required to be at their work site. Our departure time was 7:15.

Jessica, David, Katelyn, Dad, and I headed off with Carla, our SALSA staff member, to the MANNA soup kitchen downtown. MANNA (Meals Available for Nutritional Needs for All) is a food kitchen run by a woman named Winnie Martin. There is one cook, one dishwasher, and volunteers, such as ourselves, that keep the kitchen running. We organized and prepared the donated food to get ready for the meal. At 9:30 a.m., the door is open and people, men, women, and children, came through the line and we dished up what they asked for. There is a steady line of people until 11:15 when we close the food counter. It was amazing to see the variety of people that come through the lines: young, old, skinny, big, White, Black, Latino, Asian, clean, dirty. All these people, for some reason or another, didn’t have enough food to eat. Most were extremely appreciative, saying Thank you’s and God Bless You’s. It was a good experience, despite the fact that we had to stand on our feet for so long.

After the kitchen closed and we ate sack lunch, Hugo joined us and took us on what he calls City Search. We roamed downtown visiting the Alamo, the San Fernando Catholic Church, built in 1731, making it the oldest church in America, and the Market, which is filled with beautiful Mexican crafts. Tracy discovered later that it is the largest Mexican market outside of Mexico. During our City Search, we all noticed some of the people we had served at MANNA. It surprised me, because I normally don’t know any of the homeless population. With the help of society, I have been trained to look through these people, and now that I recognize their faces, this realization scares me. People should not be invisible. I think the others felt some of the same feelings.

The other members of our group, Tracy, Sam, Jeff, and Nathan went with their staff member, Melina, to the Roseville Senior Center to play games and make crafts with the senior citizens. The center houses primarily African American residents as it is located in the African American neighborhoods in the east side of San Antonio. From the feedback I got from the boys and Tracy, it sounds like their first day at the center was harder than you’d expect. They didn’t have to stand on their feet all day long, but they did have to work to connect to the residents and help them have a good time. Only a few of the residents came down to the game room to play with them today, and Tracy said she almost felt like they were there just to make them feel welcome. Sam played checkers with one man for quite a long time and Jeff learned Yatzee from another resident. The boys and Tracy all made beaded bracelets (I’m not sure they ever mentioned if it was actually with the residents or not…) with assorted messages consisting of ‘We Love San Antonio’ or ‘I Love Texas.’ The rest of us got jealous. We asked them to make some for us tomorrow.

It was our evening to clean up after dinner, which meant washing tables, floors, and a heck of a lot of dishes. Even with nine of us, it took more than an hour. We had a good time though, bonding with each other over a common task. After that, we had a speaker, Jim, from Catholic Worker, an organization across America that works to better the lives of the poor and homeless. The San Antonio branch that Jim works for focuses on aid to families, a group that is not often looked after. Their house can host up to 40 families, without any time limit. Their basic regulation is respect towards other guests. Most families stay around 3 months, but some stay for only a couple of weeks to 6 months. It was an interesting perspective to hear about.

Our Devotional this evening included a deep discussion about our images and beliefs of the poor and homeless population, here and at home. We discussed our feelings towards them and how it affected not only our perceptions, but theirs as well. As little children, we are taught never to talk to strangers, and that instinct has carried on throughout most of our lives. We all have a hard time knowing what to do, for example, if a man on the street asks for money. We discussed how it is rude and degrading to simply pretend that this man doesn’t exist, but we don’t want to put ourselves in an unsafe position either. We recognized our prejudices, and hopefully now we will be able to fight against them.

It was a very long day for everyone and we are all exhausted. However, I am excited for tomorrow. With every hour that I spend in an unfamiliar situation, I learn so much. I think everyone agrees, that we are very grateful for this awesome opportunity.

Day 4 Report

Day 3 Photos