Today we volunteered at the Our Daily Bread Employment Center’s meal service. It was not a particularly busy day, but there was a pretty good turnout of people. It was interesting to see the different types of people that come for the food. Many cleaned their plates entirely, while some did not seem to appreciate the fortunate opportunity that they have to get a full plate of food and wasted a majority of their plate. Nonetheless, I understand that whilst not 100% of our efforts are being translated into direct help to the people, we were able to put ourselves in a position to serve, observe, and learn about how organizations such as the Daily Bread and the Black Church Network that we got some exposure to the days before are trying to fight the problem of food apartheid.
For students, I think the experience is impactful in interacting not only with the physical labor that is needed to be completed to keep the systems of operations running smoothly but also conversing with and understanding the perspectives of the workers who work and serve the public needy at the Our Daily Bread day in and day out. Personally, I was assigned with working with a handful of my fellow classmates to clean dishes in the back, so while I wasn’t in direct contact with the people who were eating, I was able to see them leave their empty or not so empty dishes and grace us with kindness when they might not have the energy to spare it. Seeing these people, I am reminded by the words of Dr. Rev. Heber Brown III to not pity, but to think about how to empower them. I think it is difficult, but it can be done with continued efforts by these organizations that I have visited. The people fighting to serve and raise up the disenfranchised, the downtrodden, and the dispossessed, they all have a fire in their eyes, a sense of purpose that drives them, it instills hope within me that despite the mountain they are facing, they can overcome it with their perseverance.
Later, we were graced with a visit to the Beth El Congregation synagogue. Prior to today, I had never visited a synagogue nor had significant exposure to Jewish culture. Rabbi Goldberg, who is leading our course alongside Chaplain Nelson, exposed me to the practices of giving thanks and gratitude before and after our dinner on Saturday and to the existence of Shabbat. I am very thankful that my ignorance was met with kindness. In regards to the synagogue, it always amazes me to walk inside absolutely massive places of worship that have such astounding architecture that takes your breath away. This trip helped to remind me that different communities of different cultures, religions, backgrounds, and lifestyles can all come together and understand the common struggles of the local people of Baltimore that have suffered for generations due to the decisions of others who were racist and couldn’t see beyond the differences of others to accommodate their fellow neighbors.