Wednesday, February 15, 2012

A Remarkable Woman


I recently spent a few days volunteering at a soup kitchen in the Bronx and would like to take a moment to recognize a truly remarkable woman. Her name is Sandra. She works full time as a registered nurse and has further dedicated herself by volunteering to feed 250 hungry neighbors every week. Bronx residents show up in droves every Saturday. Kids run to play around the small bright blue tables under the Dr. Seuss mural in the corner that was designed just for them. Adults check the racks of donated coats to see if one might fit. All while enjoying good company and a home cooked meal.

Sandra runs the entire operation on a shoestring budget, scraping by with small grants from United Way, other organizations and supplemented by her own wallet when funds run dry. She has applied to larger grants that would ease her workload, but has been denied because of loopholes. One grant was denied because the soup kitchen doesn’t have a website. Another grant wasn’t given because Sandra couldn’t prove that at least 40% of her beneficiaries were veterans. Another required a certain percentage to be homeless. But Sandra refuses to tailor who benefits from her meals. She opens her door to everyone who is hungry and the majority of those that show up are residents of the neighborhood who hold jobs but still live below the poverty line as a household. Many of them live in multi-generational homes and bring in the entire family. Sandra said that two years ago, she was feeding just 50 people per week. That number has increased five fold due to unstable employment in this difficult economy and nearby soup kitchens being shut down because of lack of funding.

But all of this only fuels Sandra. She and her cooking partner, Larita, laugh and tell outrageous stories as they peel potatoes and chop onions for beef stew. Kids from the local high school set up tables. While they work, the light from the basement space can be seen from the sidewalk and is a signal that community members are gathered there. People drop in to chat, hoping to see friends, staying for a few minutes or an hour because they “saw the light on.” Sandra has created a neighborhood haven and is determined to see that neighborhood thrive. I’ve enjoyed being surrounded by her enthusiasm and optimism. And so far, as with most volunteer work, I feel as though I’ve learned more from her than I’ve been able to give.


When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others.
- Chinese Proverb

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