On Friday, November 14, 2008, I joined my colleagues to work at the Morristown Soup Kitchen. This Kitchen is located on South Street in Morristown, adjacent to the Church of the Redeemer.
The Community Soup Kitchen is more than a place to eat for the poor and needy. An Outreach Center provides services such as a social worker’s services, Mental Health Professionals, Substance abuse counselor, nurse, job counselor and English as a Second Language (ESL) classes
Betty Caldwell who supervises the “operations” has everything under control. Gifted with a booming voice, she has a “commanding” presence. She know the guests, she knows where the milk is, she know where the Styrofoam cups are stocked. Our team helped make the salad, cut pastries, cook the pasta and lay the table in preparation for the “guests” who would arrive in the afternoon.. Soup was provided by Madison Hotel and we did a quick “milk run” to fetch it.
At around 12:00 noon the doors opened and the poor and the homeless “guests” walked in . Some were cheerful and had a friendly smile for us . Some of them seemed to have seen better days and carried themselves with quiet dignity, briefly raising their heads to wish or thank us for what we were doing.. Others walked with their head down, not meeting our gaze, as if embarrassed by their situation. I noticed a young girl wearing a jacket that would have fitted a small child. Later, I saw someone from the staff giving her a gently used coat.
Initially, it was upsetting to see so many poor and helpless people. Existential questions come to the mind: Why is there so much suffering in the world? Why do the Cosmic forces create pain and sorrow and hunger and also create other people who can support and care for the needy and the downtrodden?. There can be no easy answers to these questions. We can only do what is in our power to help alleviate human suffering in any which way we can. I felt privileged to able to do my bit that day at the Soup Kitchen.
The Community Soup Kitchen is more than a place to eat for the poor and needy. An Outreach Center provides services such as a social worker’s services, Mental Health Professionals, Substance abuse counselor, nurse, job counselor and English as a Second Language (ESL) classes
Betty Caldwell who supervises the “operations” has everything under control. Gifted with a booming voice, she has a “commanding” presence. She know the guests, she knows where the milk is, she know where the Styrofoam cups are stocked. Our team helped make the salad, cut pastries, cook the pasta and lay the table in preparation for the “guests” who would arrive in the afternoon.. Soup was provided by Madison Hotel and we did a quick “milk run” to fetch it.
At around 12:00 noon the doors opened and the poor and the homeless “guests” walked in . Some were cheerful and had a friendly smile for us . Some of them seemed to have seen better days and carried themselves with quiet dignity, briefly raising their heads to wish or thank us for what we were doing.. Others walked with their head down, not meeting our gaze, as if embarrassed by their situation. I noticed a young girl wearing a jacket that would have fitted a small child. Later, I saw someone from the staff giving her a gently used coat.
Initially, it was upsetting to see so many poor and helpless people. Existential questions come to the mind: Why is there so much suffering in the world? Why do the Cosmic forces create pain and sorrow and hunger and also create other people who can support and care for the needy and the downtrodden?. There can be no easy answers to these questions. We can only do what is in our power to help alleviate human suffering in any which way we can. I felt privileged to able to do my bit that day at the Soup Kitchen.
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