Even in the midst of midterms, we still had about 12 students show up to help deliver sandwiches. Everyone who came on Tuesday had been on Lesley Delivers previously, so it was more laid back than usual, and I personally felt more comfortable. Last week's run was tough, having to keep the boundaries between us and those who we were serving, but this week it was different. We had a videographer join us to tape our making sandwiches and walking to and from Harvard Square. We made sure that we kept confidentiality by not filming anyone we were serving. I took my group through the pit, and we ran into a man sitting against a building. Bree asked him if he wanted a sandwich, but he said no. When this happens, we just tell them to have a good night and move on, so that's exactly what we did. We re-offered it to him on our way back, as we didn't see anyone down by Au Bon Pain. He said no thanks again, but he was extremely grateful for the offer. That gets me sometimes, that even the people who refuse still have so much gratitude for what we are doing. We then took a little detour and ran into a bunch of guys sitting in front of a bank. One young man shook each and every one of our hands and said, "My name's Joseph." I told him to stay warm, as he was only wearing a sweatshirt, and he asked me where we were from. I said that we go to Lesley, and he started rambling about how it is such a great place. As I was talking to him, some others in the group were talking to his friends who were sitting on the ground. His friends were asking the group specific names, asking if they knew them as students at Lesley. It's wonderful to see the community that Lesley is in, and to know that we are not the only ones helping. During our debrief, I learned that when Lesley was re-building the library, some members on the board wanted to put little alcoves on the outside architecture for the homeless to have a place to stay at night. The library is currently alcove-free, but it's nice to see that people in the community recognize that those who are homeless are also a part of our community.
Spring break is next week, so we will not be running Lesley Delivers, BUT... the week after is Hunger & Homelessness Week! During this week (March 19th-23rd) we will be holding Lesley Delivers Monday through Thursday night with a Hunger Banquet on Friday. Keep your eyes open for posters and emails, as they will contain more information. Thanks to everyone who came out on Tuesday, love & hugs to all! Have a safe, happy and helpful Spring Break! :)
~Theresa
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Another Awesome Run
For our run last Tuesday we had a fairly large group of people show up (I think about 13 or 14). I was pleasantly surprised because our last few runs had been quite small groups, which is understandable with midterms quickly approaching.
I went on the route that goes by the pit (the area by t entrance with the newsstand next to it). We stopped to hand out sandwiches, and one of the females began asking some questions. I had been giving out sandwiches to other people at the time so I wasn't close enough to hear what she was saying but found out afterwards that she had wanted to know what school we were from. She had also shared that she knew someone who goes to Lesley. I think she shared more details but the people who had been talking to her didn't feel comfortable repeating what she had said because it was personal, and she hadn't wanted it to be repeated. While I'm glad that she felt comfortable enough with the two people she opened to, she also tested the boundary of when we need to end the conversation. When speaking with those two people, she asked one if she lived on campus, or if it was one she would know. The people talking to her didn't share any information with her, but recognized it was time to continue on with our route.
On the way back, we still had sandwiches so we stopped by the pit again. The woman was still there, and this time we stayed together and offered her another sandwich. She looked at everyone who she hadn't talked to earlier, mentioning that she knew someone at Lesley but couldn't say more. Then she turned to the people who she told more, saying something about them understanding why she couldn't tell us more. The conversation then shifted, and she asked where people were originally from. She seemed to want more of an answer then our vague responses of being from Massachusetts. To prevent the conversation from getting more personal, we said our good nights and headed back.
I'm always glad when people felt comfortable enough, or trust us enough to share a bit of their story with us but it's always difficult to recognize how much information is too much, and what the best way to gently leave the conversation.
Ginny
I went on the route that goes by the pit (the area by t entrance with the newsstand next to it). We stopped to hand out sandwiches, and one of the females began asking some questions. I had been giving out sandwiches to other people at the time so I wasn't close enough to hear what she was saying but found out afterwards that she had wanted to know what school we were from. She had also shared that she knew someone who goes to Lesley. I think she shared more details but the people who had been talking to her didn't feel comfortable repeating what she had said because it was personal, and she hadn't wanted it to be repeated. While I'm glad that she felt comfortable enough with the two people she opened to, she also tested the boundary of when we need to end the conversation. When speaking with those two people, she asked one if she lived on campus, or if it was one she would know. The people talking to her didn't share any information with her, but recognized it was time to continue on with our route.
On the way back, we still had sandwiches so we stopped by the pit again. The woman was still there, and this time we stayed together and offered her another sandwich. She looked at everyone who she hadn't talked to earlier, mentioning that she knew someone at Lesley but couldn't say more. Then she turned to the people who she told more, saying something about them understanding why she couldn't tell us more. The conversation then shifted, and she asked where people were originally from. She seemed to want more of an answer then our vague responses of being from Massachusetts. To prevent the conversation from getting more personal, we said our good nights and headed back.
I'm always glad when people felt comfortable enough, or trust us enough to share a bit of their story with us but it's always difficult to recognize how much information is too much, and what the best way to gently leave the conversation.
Ginny
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