Getting Into the Swing of Things!

Despite the semester kicking up with papers and midterms, we had about 17 students show up on Tuesday night, smiling and ready to go. Some of the new faces are becoming more familiar, but we're still getting new ones every week, which is fantastic. We met as usual and made sandwiches, and we also got a generous donation of fresh vegetables from a student interning at City Sprouts. A few students took on the challenge of washing and cutting the vegetables, and in no time we had salad-in-a-bag! These vegetables will last us for the next few runs because she gave us so much, which we are grateful for. We also put granola bars and juice boxes in the bags with the sandwiches, which is another great addition and will also be included every week from here on out.

When we got to the church and split into two groups so we could start on our separate routes, we encountered something that doesn't come up often. One of the younger guys who we've been giving sandwiches to for the past couple of weeks was in the middle of the sidewalk yelling at and kicking his dog. This went on for longer than it should have, and many of us just stood there frozen and staring, not knowing what to do. We handled it as best we could, and after the run Ashley made a great point that "our safety is our number one priority." Ashley reassured everyone in the group that this doesn't usually happen, but we need to be prepared if it arises again. Basically, the groups just need to remove themselves from situations such as these so we can stay safe. After the incident, we went about the rest of our route, and we were able to give him a sandwich on our way back. He was appreciative of it, and so were the other guys he was sitting with.

Seeing so many young people out on our run made me appreciate what I have, and I'm sure the other students got that too. I realize that I take for granted the fact that I never go hungry, and I never question where I'm getting my next meal from. What prompted these thoughts for me was when I gave one of the guys a sandwich and he said "Thanks, I'm gonna eat this tomorrow. I try to eat as little as possible because I never know when I'm gonna have food." That's really sticking with me. It makes me so grateful for everything that I have, and it warms my heart that we can provide some food for those in need.

-Theresa