The food room

So today I began volunteering at my church’s food room.  Mind you, I’m not sharing this for accolades or for any reason related to the ego.  So please don’t comment in this regard.  I’m sharing this because it’s a fantastic window into my humanity.

Anyway, It was a great experience.  I really enjoyed helping people, and I think I made people feel comfortable while receiving charity.

I had to check my bias at the door.  It wasn’t as easy as I’d like to say it was.  That’s not to say my attitude was horribly troublesome, but my heart was lacking some of the charity that I thought was there. 

I quickly learned to identify that some patrons “worked the food bank circuit.”  And some patrons weren’t overtly grateful.  At first I wondered what I had gotten myself into.  But then I realized: “SO WHAT!”  These are PEOPLE.  They need FOOD!  I get to go to the grocery store every week and spend plenty of money to feed my family.  I get to pick items without high fructose corn syrup or MSG.  I get to buy organics.  I get to buy the expensive berries whilst saying to myself “I could blow money on berries or blow money on chips, so at least I’m being healthy.”  I get to be a snob.

I got to be the face of God to these people today.  In a very real way.  I don’t know what these people are thinking or doing, and I could very well be one of them.  They don’t get to be food snobs.  Their lives are hard enough today that they have to set aside their pride and come ask people for free food in order to feed their family.

I got to be the face of God today.  I’m the one that needs to be grateful and happy.