And I have to admit, I was unsure if I should go. I was a little nervous.
Would they accept me? What if I did things wrong? Where did I need to go? What time? Did I need to bring anything? Was my help really needed?
Of course - no big surprise to anyone - all my fears were foolish.
Would they accept me? Really?
First of all - I was another set of helping hands. The more hands, the more we were able to do in a shorter period of time. This was not a closed club. Everyone was there because they wanted to help. And, as it turns out, I knew many of the people helping - at least by sight if not by name. And those I did not know, well, they were very welcoming and quick to introduce themselves and put me to work separating bananas and putting them in a box.
I had been told to arrive early as the "seniors" started Friday at 8am, on the dot, if not before.
Contrary to what it sounded like, this was not exclusively a senior activity. That was apparent from the moment I stepped through the church doors and into the kitchen / assembly area. People of all ages were there to help. Yes, there were some retirees who led the charge. But, there were also men and women who just took time out of their busy work day to help. Once we were done, they returned to their "day jobs" while the rest of us returned to whatever we had planned for the remainder of our day. There were high school students, members of NHS, who were building their volunteer hours by helping. And they not only helped make sandwiches, they accompanied the men who were driving the food to Denver to help hand out the meals.
Everyone was there for a common cause and age did not matter.
I was a newbie, as were a couple of the high school students and a few others - all of us different ages, backgrounds and interests - ready to work.
From what I was told, the third Friday of the month is one eagerly awaited by the "regulars" - the homeless men and women who are served lunch on a rotating basis by groups from the Denver metro out of the same location. Our group not only provides sandwiches, but we also offer wraps, fruit, sweet treats like donuts, cakes, and cookies, along with coffee and lemonade.
In the cool months, we bring hot soup.
Some of the other groups just hand out sandwiches.
While I was very impressed by the camaraderie of those helping, what really struck me was the precision in which the meals are assembled.
Two tables were set up with blocks under the legs to make the height comfortable for assembling the sandwiches and wraps.
The instructions are simple...
Stack two pieces of bread in rows six deep and fill the table. (Crust ends face up so they are hidden inside the sandwich - that way no one can complain about getting the crust.)
Next a slice of meat, then a swipe of mustard, followed by a slice of cheese.
Stack three piles together, moving the bottom piece of bread to the top and you have three complete sandwiches. Bag, set aside and someone transfers to waiting bins.
A similar process is done with tortillas for the wraps.
Keep going until we run out of sliced meat.
Based on the number of rounds completed per table, I would guess we made a total of four or five hundred sandwiches and wraps using this process in just under an hour.
While the sandwiches were being assembled, a couple of ladies were bagging day old donuts that had been donated by a local grocery store. Lemonade and coffee were made by another set of helping hands.
When we were done, everything was loaded into two SUVs and taken downtown where the drivers, students and other volunteers set up tables outside the destination church and handed out the food.
A couple of the students who had helped before told me it was pretty amazing to be part of this simple outreach. Assembling the food was good in of itself, but seeing what their efforts meant to so many people by helping serve was even more meaningful.
I gained a new appreciation for this group that works "under the radar" - just doing what they can to help others without any recognition.
I'm not even sure where the funding comes from.
I asked and was told some items are donated and other things "we" buy. No one ever said who "we" are, but I hope there is a line item on a budget somewhere for this cause.
I know that giving someone a sandwich is not going to solve any world problems. It is not going to help the homeless find jobs, find homes, or even find themselves. But, it is in this simple act of kindness that we recognize the faces we feed as our own friends and family - our brothers and sisters - ourselves.
I believe next month I will not only be making sandwiches, but I will be standing at a folding table with a container filled with food, near that urban church, handing out those same sandwiches to the people they were made for.
As Neil Armstrong once said, "One small step for man...one giant leap for mankind."
It may only be a sandwich, but it's a start...
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