Day 3: Wheeling, WV

Our third day in Appalachia started off bright in early...we had to get up at 7:15! (I haven't waken up that early since high school haha) After eating breakfast, we got to work in the basement. The soup kitchen is funded mostly by donations, but the government also provides food; the donated food and the government food had to be separated and counted, which we started in the morning. Boy there are a lot of cans in this soup kitchen!

At about noon I went upstairs. The patrons were sitting and eating at the tables in the main room, and I wanted to grab my own lunch and join them. However, I was a little nervous. I've worked at a soup kitchen before, but I've never actually sat down with the patrons I was serving, much less have a conversation with them! These were strangers and some stereotypes came to mind: they were probably homeless, they smelled bad, had unkempt beards and baggy clothes.

But I knew these preconceived notions were wrong. These were just regular people who had fallen on hard times. Heck, we have all fallen on hard times during this recession, just to different degrees.

So I grabbed some leftover pasta, green beans, soggy shrimp, and canned soup (that was probably expired) and joined some patrons at a table.

I'm not used to eating food that's a few days old, but that was certainly not my concern at the table. Instead, I focused on the people that were sitting next to me. Surprinsingly, they were very eager to talk and were willing to share they life stories with me. One man named Dal used to live in Alaska, then moved to Florida, and then finally came up to West Virginia after a hurricane battered the coast.

Another man named Jeff had a fascinating story. He had lived in WV all his life, but it was not an easy one. After being abused by his parents at an early age, Jeff took off on his own when he was in his early 20s. He married and had two daughters, but then discovered that his wife had an adulterious affair (with her father!). Jeff decided to leave. He became depressed and turned to alcohol, which ruined his ambition and spirit.

How exactly Jeff got things turned around is unbelievable to me. He told me that he has become more spiritual, and has gotten on better terms with his separated daughters. I think he is working part-time somewhere which gets him enough money to buy an apartment, and he is starting to mend his life back together. What a turn around story! Jeff's perseverance through tough times is incredible. Although his journey is not over yet, the things he told me are having a lasting impression on how I view the working poor.

After all the patrons left, we got back to work cleaning out the two massive freezers! They were filled with meats and fish and food of all kinds! There were soooo many hams and turkeys too! I never knew a soup kitchen could have so much food. This task took up most of the rest of the day, and when we were done, we were all exhausted.

Time to go to sleep!