Today, some our senior IT staff served lunch at Rosie’s Place. I have to say that it was a good experience. Let me start off by saying that I told our program coordinator that the IT department would be doing it this week. I had no idea who would be going but knew that we would be able to get enough people. And sure enough, we did.
Rosie’s Place isn’t what I expected. It’s a place for homeless women and their children. Their goal is to provide these women with shelter, food, and dignity. They do everything to help these women, and it’s great to see. Their food bank doesn’t give a bag of food. Instead, the women have the opportunity to “shop” at the food bank so they can choose what they will be eating instead of having it dictated. Lunch wasn’t served in a cafeteria line. Instead, it’s served restaurant style in their dining room.
At one point, I saw the volunteers working the dishwashing station were getting backed up and offered to help. I ended up working the dish washing machine for at least an hour. Sure, I was just washing dishes, but I was making a difference. What really amazed me was how they portioned and rationed everything. They have to make their food and supplies last because everything comes from donations. I heard they got their fruit this week because someone had canceled a marathon party on Monday due to the rain and that fruit got donated to Rosie’s. I can’t imagine having to ration food like that. It really makes me realize just how much I have.
You can tell that for some of these women, Rosie’s Place is a lifeline. Some of them truly appreciate the services that Rosie’s provides. I appreciated the opportunity to volunteer. We’re going to do it again. Actually, next time our department gets the chance to do it, I’m going to stay behind. Our helpdesk manager wants to have her team do this, so the senior staff will be covering the helpdesk for a few hours.