…spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed…
While serving at the food bank a few weeks ago, I was greeted by a woman with “Hi, I’m dying. I can’t eat certain foods.” From her appearance, I knew something wasn’t right with her pale skin, faded eyes, thin figure, and rags. I paused for a moment and then embarrassingly asked for clarification as to what kinds of foods she could and couldn’t eat. She was at the stage where recovery from HIV/Aids wasn’t possible and knew that her time was almost up. She answered me with, “Soft foods and protein drinks only. My immune system can’t handle anything else.”
About two weeks after that, I was preparing for the food bank in the packing room with another woman in her 60’s. I had worked with her for three weeks already but the verbal exchange was always at the minimal “How are you?”, “It rained a lot yesterday,” and “See you next week!” To break the ice this time, this woman started asking me about my schooling, ethnicity, and why I was at the food bank. I returned the favor and asked about her as well, expecting a simple, typical answer. I was wrong.
She was at the food bank because her daughter told her to get out of the house. After witnessing the heart attack which led to the death of her 58 year old husband, she developed minor depression and sat at home for 8 months. She cried to me as she recounted the memories that she used to have with him and told me how her extended family accuses her for her husband’s death. All of a sudden, this woman, whom I barely knew, was confiding in me. All of a sudden, I became the only person she had left to share her brokenness to. I was left speechless to the point where I could only nod my head. But that was all she needed at that very moment – someone to listen to her.
I never understood what it meant to be truly broken until now. Daily life and the relationships I have mean much, much more than before. The St. Jude’s food bank taught me that brokenness exists everywhere, even within this well-developed city of Toronto.
Shelby Lam, Community Engagement Coordinator
Please contact [email protected] to find out more about how to get involved with St. Jude’s Food Bank.