Getting to Work

PBJ Outreach is an organization that makes lunches for the needy in Detroit every Saturday.  I have donated goods to PBJ Outreach a few times in the past.  This time, I wanted to do more, so I decided to help them in the preparation and delivery of the lunches.  I also baked some chocolate chip cookies for them to give out.  When I arrived at the church at 6:00am on Saturday, I was surprised to see so many people up at that early hour.  There were dozens of people of varying ages, and everything was really organized and buzzing with activity.  There were several different stations with people doing different jobs.  My mom and I started by making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  We became part of the assembly line.  It was fun, and I would have enjoyed making sandwiches all morning.  People there really enjoy this Saturday ritual, and I got a good feel for why they do.

Before we got on our way to Detroit to deliver the food, one of the people in charge told us that he has been doing this for seventeen years and that in seventeen years they had not missed a single Saturday, not even because of bad weather.  That made a big impact on me.  When we got to Fourth Charlotte Park where we would be passing out food, we saw a that a line had already formed.  I noticed that the people who volunteered regularly had made connections with the people who were getting food.  I enjoyed interacting with the community members who came through the line to get donuts from me, and I cannot wait to return to PBJ Outreach and start to make more lasting connections with people.  The same person that had been working there for seventeen years also said that people who were getting food had told him that this event was the highlight of their week.  I am glad that I was able to be part of what makes these people feel good.