What?
On April 17th, I drove Dustin and myself to St. Vincent De Paul Church in downtown Baltimore. The Church was beautifully white from the outside, but unfortunately I did not get to see the inside chapel. The organization was set up on the ground floor – there were tables with different kinds of food and beverages set up around a large room with tables for eating. The atmosphere was very friendly, many people thanked and blessed me as I handed out tortilla chips and drinks; they were extremely gracious. There were many students from other schools who were already helping out when we arrived, but we were put right to work. Prof. Lombardi had actually suggested this as a place for me to interview and gave me a contact with Lorenzo Fenarolli. When it was time to do my interview, Dr. Lombardi asked me to interview Ed Stoops instead, the person, whose family started the organization. I was surprised about how responsive he was and how quickly he mad himself available to answer questions.
Ed really took this interview seriously and answered all of my questions. I was very moved by the entire interview as he was full of many amazing and touching stories. He even started tearing up when talking about the success of some of the people who had used to take advantage of Friday Hot Meals. He was really helping in understanding the environment and community of this organization. I was more than satisfied with the outcome of my trip, not only with my meeting, but with the entire experience. I had never really had any contact with the homeless, and here I was giving out food and making small talk. I met people of all ages and races coming in to eat the food made available to them. I was especially surprised by the number of teenagers and young children coming in. I felt very overwhelmed also by the graciousness and thankfulness of the people who came in and volunteered.
So what?
When Dr. Lombardi introduced me to the organization, I knew very little about it, so I interviewed Ed because, as the person who has been with the organization since the very beginning he would know the most about it. The mission of his organization is to provide hot meals to those that need it and to give them a sense of dignity. The trip really opened my eyes to things I was previously not exposed to, and Ed gave me a better understanding of the social issue of homelessness and the problems with the government programs available. On any given night there are about 3000 homeless people in Baltimore, and the government sponsored programs simply cannot accommodate that many people. I was really inspired to volunteer with the organization and maybe even make a documentary on poverty in Baltimore and surrounding area. I would really like to see Stevenson University students and faculty will take advantage of the opportunity and help out on Friday nights.
Ed said that he hopes that this interview will get more participation from our school, the more help the organization can get the more people they will be able to help. They are giving free hot meals, the volunteers talk to the homeless and give them back a sense of pride, dignity and respect by making one-on-one connections. Friday Hot Meals is not simply a food kitchen, it is a large support network. Ed really specified that the work the volunteers do depends on the individual person, if you are more introverted, the kitchen is a great place to help out. If you are more extroverted simply walking about and talking to people, making conversation is great. It really depends on every person’s comfort level and skill. Homelessness is a very important issue as more and more people are losing their homes due to the recession. Homeless people do not choose to be homeless, they are truly victims of circumstance, and really need all the help we can make available to them.
Now what?
Ed was talking about the shelters of Baltimore city being unable to handle the number of people actually homeless. There are also other issues such as theft and crowded spaces. He wants to make the Friday Hot Meals atmosphere as comfortable as possible. Ed gave me a few examples of people who through the help, encouragement and connections in Friday Hot Meals have been able to find living space, jobs, and who have now become successful working adults. The interview really alerted me on the time sensitivity of the issue, I was previously aware of the poverty problems in Baltimore, but never really saw it first hand, when you see people struggling it really opens yours eyes. It also showed me that homelessness really defies a stereotype, because I saw people of all ages, nationalities, etc. Everyone is hit by poverty and we need to do something about it. I think the next step would be to spread the word about the organization and the social issues at hand and actively seek participation. I would love to volunteer at Friday Hot Meals.
The biggest challenge for me personally was gearing up for the interview, but I was surprised by the experience. I was really nervous about how to approach the interview, and what to ask, and the format, but Ed’s easy going, full and informative responses really eased me into it. I wish I had been able to get a tripod for the camera; instead I had to hold it up with my hand.