By Jordan Ford
Today was a beautiful day in Chicago.
Yesterday’s snow was still on the ground this morning but the air was crisp and the sun was out- the mini blizzard had passed.
We arrived St James food pantry this morning with expectations. Our group had worked at food pantries earlier in the week, and we learned something each time. When we began handing out food at St. James, I knew what to say and how to act much better than I did the first day. For example, I learned that it is important to ask people if they want a food item instead of assuming they do- some people prefer oranges to apples, others won’t take beans etc. The first day, this surprised me. But as we continued to serve, it made more sense- of course people don’t want food that will only go to waste at their house.
So today, when we began handing out food, I knew to say “would you like oranges” instead of “here are your oranges.” This was a small change in word choice but a big change in attitude.
The biggest thing I learned today was the importance of thank yous and good mornings. Addressing people as “sir” and “ma’am” and asking how they were doing this morning transformed our day of service. The leader of St James reminded us that sometimes a thank you is all someone has to give you.
This resonated with our group and there were many tears in reflection. It was a wonderful way to end our trip.