It was a neat experience. I got there early and got set to work setting up the tables and pouring cups of lemonade. That led to me being on lemonade (and coffee) duty all through the meal, which got me circulating around the whole room (and out of the kitchen).
The clientele was a remarkably mixed bag, from some folks who were clearly homeless, sometimes impaired in some fashion, and almost certainly sleeping rough, to others who just appear to be temporarily down on their luck and needing an extra hot meal to keep things going.
Anyone who wanted lemonade, I poured it.
I'm not relating this tale to blow my own horn about how righteous I am. Anything but. I just want to share what a positive experience it was, and to encourage anyone who has the opportunity to volunteer in such a way to make a point to do so. It's easy to talk about "the poor" and "the hungry" in a very generic and faceless fashion; actually encountering them and being in a position to do something to help — is different, in a truly worthwhile fashion.
St. Clare’s Ministries | St. Clare’s Ministries
I’m always happy to read about such ministries, especially when those doing the outreach are not fined or arrested for it. And, I assume nobody is in the background deciding which poor person is worthy, and which one is not. God’s blessing on St. Clare’s.
@Ellie – From what I could see, the only restriction was a first-come, first-served basis, within the time frame they could serve and the extent of the food they had. There was a service beforehand, but no requirement for attendance to be at the meal.