A Grateful Community

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