Linda Langston

Days of Future Past

Over the Thanksgiving holiday I decided to do some community service at Casa Maria’s soup kitchen with my 19 year old daughter Jasmine. She has helped me out on many occasions when it comes to volunteering, however, this was her first time working at the soup kitchen. One of the very lovely ladies I had the pleasure to work with was Kelly, she has been volunteering at Casa Maria for over a year now. I also worked alongside 3 new volunteers, Carlos, a U of A student named Megan and her Father Rick. It was great to see people volunteering and wanting to give so much back to their community

This place I hold dear to my heart, due to the fact while growing up my Mom, my 5 siblings, and I frequented Casa Maria regularly. My Mom raised 6 kids on her own and even though she worked very hard normally holding down 2 to 3 jobs, there was just simply not enough food most of the time. On many occasions she went to Casa Maria to get us brown bag sacked lunches. She would get us the family pack which would include sandwiches, fruits, vegetables, and if you were lucky something sweet to eat. As kids we were always grateful if we received the sweets, my Mom taught us to be grateful for everything, but to also to give back when we could. She would always make time to volunteer at the soup kitchen, she would say it was her way of showing her appreciation for them helping us out when we needed it the most.

When my Daughter and I arrived at 8am, we immediately began packing lunches. Each lunch contained 4 sandwiches, 2 eggs, a fruit, yogurt, chips, and a cookie. We made a total of 412 sacked lunches, and 65 gallons of soup, it was an amazing experience. 380 sacked lunches went out along with 53 family packs. My daughter who is normally shy, found her voice and soon became the head of the assembly line. It was a joy to see her come out of her shell and take time for such a noble cause.

My eyes filled with tears when I put a cookies in the bag, it took me back to my childhood, and even though times were rough, it shaped who I am now. As I stood there like a deer in the head lights trying to hold back my tears, one of the other volunteers asked if I was okay. I told her yes, that I was just remembering the days when my family depended on this place. If it was not for Casa Maria, there would have been days that my siblings and I would not have had food on our table. I told her how I recalled every time we received a brown bag, we would all look for our dessert first. I always wondered who decided which bag got a cookie or some other treat. It was a very emotional experience for me, because my Mom has passed away. I know how hard life was for, her but no matter what she always kept a smile on her face and always tried helping people any way she could. My mom taught me the value of community service.

When the lunch rush was over, we prepped and bagged approximately 400 chips and cookies for the following day. We picked through more than 20 pounds of fruit, tossing any that was not good anymore. Kelly kept saying “Remember we are feeding people, not animals. If you wouldn’t eat it, don’t serve it”. This was very touching to me, because it showed me that people really do care. It doesn’t matter who you are or how you live, everyone has the right to be treated with respect and dignity. Every day food is donated to Casa Maria from stores like Food City, Trader Joe’s, Safeway, along with local farms. After putting away all the food, we swept and mopped the kitchen, wiped down all the tables outside, and picked up trash.

My daughter and I walked half a block in each direction picking up trash. She became upset when she noticed some of the lunches that we had made left on the ground with food still remaining in it. She told me that she didn’t want to volunteer at the soup kitchen anymore, because she felt that was rude and a waste of her time. She just couldn’t understand why they would waste food in that manner. I told her that yes it is hard to see, but she cannot let their poor decisions diminish the great work she had done. I told her that she is not going to make a difference to everyone, but you did make a difference to someone.

As the soup kitchen was closing down for the day, a Mother and her three small children came up and asked if it was too late for her to get a family pack, she was so worried and you could see the stress on her face. My daughter went in and grabbed her a family pack and 4 sacked lunches. As the Mother and her 3 children sat down at a table to eat, I told my Daughter “See, you just made a difference to someone and thanks to you, a family is able to eat”. The Mother was happy that she was able still get something for her kids to eat. I could see in that moment Jasmine understood the need and how important our volunteering was that day. It was more than just making sandwiches or cleaning, it was giving hope.

Being an AmeriCorps member has taught me to be strong and proud of the work that I am doing. I am very thankful that I get to work with such caring people on a daily basis who care about their community. AmeriCorps team members work so hard to make everyone feel loved and cared for.

I am thankful for my past because it has made me a strong caring person. I love that when I help someone, I can relate with them and have empathy for them, not sympathy. My future is bright, and AmeriCorps is helping me to strengthen the skills that I already had to become a better stronger community helper.