A Letter from the Co-President

Walking out into Harvard Square, I was reminded of just how many faces there are- young, old, women, men – each with a different story to tell. And if you look too quickly, too caught up in the hustle and bustle of a busy night out, with too many places to go, they might just slip right by. But these faces are not just faces, not just part of the city scenery. They are people. People with thoughts and hopes, people with emotions, people with needs just like the ones that we experience each and every day. They are not the faces we walk by on Tuesday night; they are the people that we have the privilege of meeting.

Brown bags in hand, the students of Lesley Delivers set out on Tuesday night, sandwiches in hand to offer to anyone who might want to take one. With such a large group of students joining us on our first Tuesday night, our two groups walked separately into the Square – one group taking the route towards the Tannery and the other taking the route past Au Bon Pain. After crossing the street, my group gathered by the Pit, the sunken stone area so famously named for the main hub of the Harvard Square T Station. Here, everyone was encouraged to grab a sandwich if they felt comfortable handing one out – and so we began our run.

Although I have been participating in Lesley Delivers since the beginning of my freshman year, there have never been two runs that are exactly the same and this first run of the year was no exception. While the uncertainty can be a little nerve-wracking at times, I think it is what makes the experience so powerful. Life can only be scheduled and planned so much before it begins to take on a mind of its own – and those unexpected experiences can often be the most gratifying of all. As a group, we can anticipate meeting any given number of people, but then we miss the opportunity to make a personal connection. Walking by Au Bon Pain and past other storefronts as we made our way up the street, I was reminded of exactly that when a few students in the group brought something to my attention.

On our way up the street, a few girls had noticed a gentleman lying down alongside one of the stonewalls of Panera on a side street. Wondering whether or not they should offer him a sandwich, they asked me if it might be a good idea to go and leave one beside him. As focused as I had been on making sure the group stayed together and approached anyone we might have seen on the main part of the street, I had not even been aware of the man that they had seen. Taking the three girls over with me to leave a sandwich, it was a pleasant surprise when the man woke up. We were then able to ask him himself if he wanted the sandwich, juice box, and granola bar we had to offer, and he took it with a smile and thanked us. After wishing him a good night, we walked away to join the group, but the experience is something that has still resonated with me, even a few weeks later. I can’t thank our wonderful Lesley Delivers students enough for the reminder they gave me – to look for the people and not just the faces – and I can’t wait for a wonderful year ahead J



~ Hannah W.