The Calgary Drop-In Centre caters to the needs of fellow Calgarians who need a helping hand, and who are often forgotten as our city grows in size and in affluence. I, along with several members of ATA Local 38's Executive Committee, served up lunch for 800 clients: men and women, young and old, Canadian and immigrant. The simple and hearty meal of sausages, eggs and hash browns was prepared in two assembly lines by some of the volunteers, while other volunteers and staff delivered the full plates to the clients who waited patiently at one of over 100 tables in the dining area.
Going into the room for the first time was admittedly daunting, because I wasn't sure how the clients would react to me. Would we be seen as rich people come to slum it for a couple of hours to assuage a guilty conscience? Or were we superior to them and here only to prove than once again? Would they even care I was there?
But after the quick briefing by the chef and gentle guidance by staff members, we moved into action and the discomfort melted away. After our colleagues assembled each plateful of food and set it on the pick-up ledge, I grabbed two plates and two forks and looked up for the next table to aim for, indicated by a staff member with her hand up above the sea of waiting diners. After cutting between tables I had to sometimes to tap them on the shoulder to lift their head up to receive their meal. Often we received thanks. I really enjoyed saying “You're welcome.”
At the end of lunch we served latecomers who were in a lineup or came to the kitchen. Clean up went fast as we all pitched in. There was a sense of exhilaration, relief, and satisfaction amongst us, realizing that we helped, just a little bit, make a lot of people's day better.
As the last group of us walked towards the exit through the dining area populated by the remaining clients finishing their meal, spontaneous applause broke out. Wow!
