The Filet Mignon

Yesterday was a ground-breaking day for Lesley Delivers. An article was posted on the Lesley University Athletics website detailing our work on the Winter Coat and Accessory Drive. Check it out at: www.lesley.edu/athletics! In addition, I received 7 emails from Lesley staff and faculty wanting to contribute to the cause. In fact, the Student Administrative Offices at Lesley are even hosting a raffle which will raise money for a Star Market gift card to fund us next semester. I was so touched by the emails and excited that word is getting out. It is a real reminder that we are making a difference!

On our sandwich run last night, we only ran into 5 or 6 individuals. This could be a positive thing-- maybe people are finding shelter in this chilly weather. I can't help but wonder, however, if maybe it has been too long since we were last out. Maybe a 2-week break was just enough time for people to lose hope that there are people out there who are trying to help. I hope this is not the case. We will hopefully be out one more time during finals week before our long winter break at home. I am hoping to work with some staff, faculty, and administrators during the January break to do a few sandwich runs since students will not be around. 

If you are reading this and are interested in helping out during the January break, please let me know!

The Turkey

"It isn't what you have in your pocket that makes you thankful, but what you have in your heart"- Anonymous

Happy Thanksgiving! Please remember what you have today-whether it's food, family, health, or a combination of all three, recognize its importance. Though we have not embarked on a run in the last week and a half, Lesley Delivers has participated in another amazing event: A Winter Coat and Winter Accessory Drive. Along with the Lesley Softball Team, we collected and sorted over 25 Women's Dress Coats, 15 Men's Coats, 61 Accessories (including scarves, gloves, mittens, hats), 4 casual Sweaters/Sweatshirts, 15 Kid's Items, 2 Blankets, and 4 Pairs of Shoes. This is over 125 items that went to people in need. Not only did we collect and sort these items, but a few of us were even able to see the delivery of these items to the Margaret Fuller House in Central Square. This is a great food pantry that has a Thanksgiving Turkey Drive around the holidays. Many people in need were given frozen turkeys, beans, vegetables, and other ingredients to prepare for family and friends on Thanksgiving. In addition, because of our hard work, they were able to leave home with some extra warm apparel that they were not expecting. Amazing! Thanks to Jen Benway, the Softball Team at Lesley, and everyone else who helped in the execution of this awesome idea. Remember what you have to be thankful for today...everyone has something.

In the next two months, look out for:

-An Uno's "DoughRaiser" Fundraiser for Lesley Delivers

-Opportunities to serve at local shelters, such as Rosie's Place

-Several sandwich runs before we depart for Holiday Break 

The Meatloaf

  Today we got down to the real meat and potatoes of our work. Myself, combined with the efforts of Carol (VP of Enrollment at Lesley), Cara (a Simmons Social Work student), and representatives from The Outdoor Church (A wonderful organization in Harvard Square) spent 5 hours, from 11 am to 4 pm participating in a church service as well as handing out food, blankets, and resources to those in need in Harvard and Central Square. It was a day filled with joy and sorrow as we met new people, heard new stories, and discovered many new things.

It made me realize that Lesley Delivers is not going to be perfect this year or the next. In fact, the Outdoor Church has been running for 5 years and according to the leaders we worked with today there are still many problems to be worked out. 

Can we ever really do enough? While we accepted requests about what we could bring next week as far as food or clothing, we can't change the fact that these people will still have no warm "home" to go back to after a long day. But what is a home, really? During the church service today, we explored this idea. A home does not have to be a structure with a door, windows, and a bathroom. A home, to many, isj ust a place to sit. Just any place on Earth, really.

The service was beautiful. The altar was created out of a rolling cart and a sheet. A Reverend led the service, a man who comes every week read the prayer, and we all read hymns and phrases together in the freezing cold. Everyone was okay with being cold, happy to be together, and ecstatic to be alive.

It was a few hours that I know Carol, Cara, and I will never forget. 

Fast Food Fact

In just a month, we have embarked on seven sandwich runs to Harvard Square where we have given food and other supplies to those in need. We are working diligently to fundraise and budget because as we are meeting these individuals we see more and more that needs to be changed right in our own backyard. Currently, over 43 students have taken part in a sandwich run and these numbers are continuing to grow each and every week. We have had representatives from Athletics, The Office of Community Service, SGA, Residence Life, and every undergraduate class of our University. 

We are beginning to deliver more than just food...we are delivering promise.

The Chicken Marsala

Tonight, Georgia and I wanted to do our own, quick version of Lesley Delivers. It was as simple as buying a box of $2.99 donuts at CVS and we were making people's nights worthwhile. We saw the usual crew, a new fellow, and the people who we first met a few nights ago--the couple who was spending their first night on the street. We asked them how they were doing and they seemed slightly positive. They confessed to us that they had chosen to stay on the streets because they had been kicked out of a shelter. Someone had grabbed the woman inappropriately, and her partner, in defense, had knocked the man out. Because of this incident, they were kicked out of this shelter for 200 days. TWO HUNDRED. In two hundred days, it will be warm again. In 200 days a typical human being will have consumed 400,000 calories. Just to give you an idea, that would be 1,333 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We can do better than this. 

The Cheese and Crackers

It's been a while since we have ventured out as a group, due to scheduling problems, midterms, and no real funding as of yet. Tonight we had SEVENTEEN people- I could not believe it. It was too good to be true. We had the most volunteers we have ever had...and it was raining. 

Tonight we met a couple spending their first night on the street. Before we realized what we were doing, we found ourselves in CVS, chipping in to purchase food and drinks in order to make this couple feel as comfortable as possible. Was this the right thing to do? I still don't know. We tried not to show sadness, but it was difficult. 

Our debrief was a powerful one. How often do we label others without realizing that we are doing it? How often do we say ignorant things without fully recognizing that we are doing it?

Every time we go it gets easier, but in reality, harder. We now know the places to find those in need, we see familiar faces, and after 4 runs, we have pretty much established a routine. Though we are helping and serving it is my hope that someday this need won't exist. Maybe someday there will be no one on the streets, no one hungry or thirsty, and no one cold and alone. Let's pray that we did vote for change and that we will see this change soon.

The Breadsticks

It's midnight, on a school night, and ten women just spent the last two + hours making sandwiches and distributing them to those in Harvard Square. This first official event has shown me that there IS an interest on this campus, there IS a need we are working to fulfill, and there IS a desire to help others-willingly. One volunteer reminded me of something super important during our debrief tonight: we need to put the dignity back in our service. She used the example of personalizing the food we hand out instead of quickly putting together leftovers and odds and ends. This could mean writing notes, putting helpful packets of information together, and other sorts of great, creative ideas. 

All the volunteers who came out tonight were first-year students who willingly and openly gave up the better part of their night to serve others in their own community and learn about people who are different from them (but not too different they soon found). And this- this was all during midterms week. Do you remember it? Your first year at school, your first set of midterms, one of your first chances to prove yourself academically. And they were out helping others.

I am so proud of our small club that is quickly building into something bigger than what we are doing. We are exchanging ideas, creating goals, and surely making an impact.

As a Harvard masters student who saw us handing out our sandwiches said tonight and what we are now doing on a weekly basis- "that is beautiful".

The Salad

This post should really be called "The icing on the cake" as we officially became a recognized Lesley University club on Wednesday, the 15th. There is such a need on campus for a program like this one and I am excited and hopeful about the future of the club.

Already there is a great interest in "hosting" a Lesley Delivers event; this is super exciting. One CA, Tiffany, is going to be our first host this Tuesday, hopefully attracting many AIB & Lesley College students from the East-West dormitories. The following week we hope to have an athletic team or a variety of teams host.

I feel that having a faculty or staff member come along could truly take this new program to the next step. This would be a valuable way to connect with our faculty/staff on a different level, outside of the classroom.

I am hoping that as I pass this blog along more resources will continue to pop up.

The Soup

After having such a successful start to the program (which still is not officially Lesley Delivers until we get approved by student activities) we set out only 6 days later in hopes that we could connect with even more people. 

Because we have not yet received funding, we paid out of our own pockets. We only spent about $10 in total, buying bread, cheez-its, oreos, and using our meal points to stock up on drinks. We also received 5-6 sandwiches from our closest Starbucks, which they are forced to throw out at the end of the day due to sanitary reasons. Still, these sandwiches are fresh and should not go to waste.

We saw several of the same people as we had from a few nights before and this time they all took the sandwiches excitedly and without fear that they were unsafe or spoiled. They trusted us and it felt good. 

We announced that we would back in the next few weeks and I thought to myself...I am NOT going back without blankets. It is too cold to be in an apartment without a heating unit, never mind on the streets with no shelter or warmth. 

I am still concerned about some of the comments that have been made and some of the language that has been used while trying to help. Sometimes we don't even know that we are being ignorant so it is important to think about what is being said. I am going to work on this in the coming weeks, in hopes that I can further get this point across in the pre-flection.

Things we are currently looking for:

-Donated food/drinks

-Blankets

-Hand Sanitizer

-Pain medicine

-Charlie Cards

The Appetizer

We need a change: in our attitudes, in our actions, in our community. We are working to create a buzz on campus, to get people excited about service, and to get people involved. We need your help!

We set out two weeks ago, October 1st, without an official club title, to serve sandwiches and snacks to the hungry and homeless in Harvard Square. We went over some safety information and ground rules before setting on foot to Harvard- approximately a 10-minute walk. As a small group of only 6, we started discussing how we approach someone in need and more importantly, how we know they are in need. Can we ever really know? Are we just assuming? This is something we continued to struggle with on our walk, but decided we could either: a.) do nothing or b.) possibly make judgements. We chose the latter.

Within 5 minutes, we met a sweet, middle-aged man with glasses...who happened to be very drunk. We soon found out he was a friendly drunk who was more than willing to tell us about his life experiences. He immediately got emotional, which struck a serious nerve in all of us. Mid-story, he taught us our first lesson of the night: all you need in life is food and shelter.  Nothing more. 

We ended the experience by thanking our new friend, telling him "We wish we could bring you more." "More?" He said. "You have brought me such a gift already."

We debriefed on the steps of a church, trying to find answers to why some people have to suffer so much while others have nothing to worry about. We are still searching for this answer.

We learned more than how to make bag dinners that first night. We learned how lucky we are. 

Our first experience was an amazing one, which left us with sadness and a longing to do more. We found the motivation we need to venture back out and connect with these people again, our new friends. 

Setting the Table for Change

Our Mission Statement:

Lesley Delivers is an organization dedicated to supporting the homeless and hungry individuals around Lesley University and in the broader community of Cambridge, MA. The mission of Lesley Delivers is to help others in our own neighborhood by contributing food, resources, or time to the surrounding areas of our University. Our goals include, but are not limited to: building good-will in the community, creating a chance for teams/groups/individuals who volunteer to bond through service, creating awareness about local hunger, and running educational programs for the Lesley University community. 

Our Inspiration:

"Never again should a people starve in a world of plenty"