"I volunteered in the kitchen at the Denver Rescue Mission this last week with the BVHS Student Council. The first thing that struck me as we drove downtown, the eight of us packed in the suburban like sardines in a can (or hamsters sharing a ball), was just how many people are wandering the streets, with no place to go. I knew that homelessness happens, and it exists, but it was an eye-opener to see that so many people were going hungry, without a roof over their heads. In America. This is supposed to be the land of opportunity, and it’s sad to see that even we can’t take care of everyone. Some other countries probably even do a better job, although I’m not sure.
On the flip side, it was amazing to see the amount of food there was in the kitchen and store room at the Mission. The generosity of the locals who are in better situations added a hint of hope to the mood. There were fresh fruit and veggies, as well as pounds of cakes and pastries, and donations came in several times in the few hours we were there. We spent the first hour or so helping process donations in the kitchen, and then we served food to the people who came in. It was frantic trying to get the food on trays as fast as possible, but we looked up at the people coming in enough to see the gratitude and humanity in each of the people who took a tray. We even had a family with two little kids (5-8 years old) come in.
Looking out at the crowd of people filling the mission dining room, I thought the situations these people were in, and how hard it would be to have no place to go, and only the occasional hot meal. I think there is a general perception, at least in Buena Vista, that homeless people are only on the streets because they lack the motivation to find a job, or because they are addicted to drugs. I’m sure that this is the case for some people, but I also wonder how many of the people we served are stuck because of disabilities, a true lack of jobs, or some other devastating circumstances. How many dropped out of school and now can’t find a job or get back in school? How many were foreclosed upon and lost their savings in the stock market? How many left behind a life of domestic abuse, only to be stuck alone in the cold with no food? The problems and worries that these people had made it nearly impossible for me to feel sorry for myself. I couldn’t worry about my own minor issues when I saw that at least there is a roof over my head every night, there’s food in my stomach, and I’m confident that neither of those things is going to change any time soon.
We served lunch to 116 people before the shift ended, and it was very gratifying to be able to help. On our way out of Denver, we stopped at The Cheesecake Factory, a fun opportunity and a treat while we were in the city. However, after seeing the utter poverty of downtown, it felt wrong to order the huge heaping plates of steaming food, leaving bread uneaten on the table, and then ordering dessert on top of it all. The opulence and excess was stunning was disgusting. We had so much that we couldn’t eat it all, while people a few miles a way barely had enough to survive. I think we all could stand to give a little bit to build up our fellow humans.
This stark contrast really put the whole day into perspective, and made me reflect on what’s really important. Do we need sheep skin rugs? No. Do we need lavish dishes heaped with steaming pasta and a little decorative herb on the side? No. Do we need the latest fashions, a new iPod, or a shiny new car? No. The reality of the two parallel worlds in Denver only a few blocks from each other made an impact on me and made me think about my own life as well in comparison to the lives others, and how important (or unimportant, as the case may be) my own problems really are. After seeing the poverty, hunger, and desperation at the Denver Rescue Mission, I’ve made a resolution, one that I think we all could stand to make: I’m not going to complain. Complaining doesn’t get anything done or make anything better, it’s not fun for anyone else to listen to, and most of all, I have no right to complain when I have life so good."
