Lunch at Vincent’s Place

By Tim Holland

For the first time volunteers there’s a hint of hesitation; a feeling of apprehension; a tendency to huddle together with the other volunteers but the smiles and the good natured welcomes by the staff and experienced volunteers breaks the ice quickly. Part of the feeling of uncomfortableness comes from being in a strange place and doing something unfamiliar and another part comes from not knowing how to deal with people with substance abuse problems, psychological and psychosocial problems and the underclass of society.

What they do not seem to be prepared for is the smiles, the laughter, the politeness and the all around good naturedness of everyone in the building: the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s main dining room in downtown Phoenix.

The volunteers often come in teams from all over the region. They represent industrial corporations, banks, church groups, schools, colleges, service clubs; they wear tee shirts with emblems on them with company names and logos but most of all they represent themselves and a desire to give back.

Over the past three months or so, I have been one of them. I first came with a service club to work the serving line and then volunteered on my own to come back at least once a week. There was something special going on here, you could see it in the faces of the diners, the volunteers and the staff. This is a place where goodness lives; a place that the founders of every major religion had in mind when they began to preach. But there is no preaching here, only food to feed the hungry, the out of work, the unable to work, and the trying to find work.

On any given day from 800 to 1,600 people will line up outside the bright, blue building. It’s hot out there. In the sun it can reach 120 degrees; maybe only 110 in the shade, - a tough place to be if you’re living on the street.

The numbers have grown of late and continue to do so. The economy in Arizona is almost as unkind as the weather. Foreclosures are off the charts, unemployment continues to rise – Wall Street may have bottomed out but Main Street still has a long way to go. What do you do when your job is gone and then your house is gone and the job search lasts a lot longer than the unemployment benefits? Free, hot, nutritious meals with no strings attached and a warm smile handing you your tray goes a long way (even if the hander wears a funny looking shirt).

Watching the volunteers is sometimes the best part. The smiles the unexpected “Thank you’s” generate is really something to see.

“Hey, I really appreciate what you’re doin’ – thank you,” said a medium sized, heavily suntanned man of about 30 or so while giving a wave to the team of seven servers moving the trays along in front of them, each one adding another food item, today its peaches, bread, peas, rice, macaroni-ham-and-cheese and desert (whatever has been donated: pound cake to birthday cake to apple pie).

A heavily tattooed woman mouths the words “Thank You:” as she receives her tray.

“I have a food allergy to cheese could I maybe get some extra rice and peas?”

“Could I just have the Mac and Cheese? I don’t do veggies well.”

Yes, special orders are allowed. Just because someone is down on their luck doesn’t mean food allergies and eating disorders go away. Seconds are okay too, as long as you go to the back of the line.

What is a bit surprising is the number of handicapped (wheelchairs, crutches); there are special tables set aside for them and their food is brought to them by volunteers. The same is true of the families. There is a separate room for them with cartoon characters on the walls so it looks more like a restaurant setting. The staff people say there are more families now than there used to be.

The mayor of Phoenix, Phil Gordon, sometimes comes to volunteer along with a team made up of his staff. No one could recall if the state legislature had a team of volunteers. I hope there is one since this is the type of activity so many of them believe is the way people should be helped – not by taxpayer assistance – although a little stimulus money directed this way wouldn’t hurt since the staff is being cut back and breakfast has gone continental and there are probably more cuts to come.

I must admit that my weekly lunches at Vincent’s place have been good for me. It’s really nice to see so much niceness going on. Being nice to one another is important even more now that it might be under normal circumstances.

Smiles and laughter are good, let’s keep them going.

Comments:

Thursday, June 4, 2009 4:20 PM

I hope we can get the high school kids involved the next time we go.

MB

Thursday, June 11, 2009 2:49 PM

I've been a member of St. Vincent de Paul since 1986 and every time I visit and or volunteer at the dining room I experience that same wonders that you have written about in your article.  It is perhaps a well-hidden secret that being a part of this process of giving and receiving and observing is a special gift.  That dining room is a very special place and I thank the Lord that the community has given St. Vincent de Paul such a wonderful place to meet our bretheren.

 Thanks so much for your story.

SJ