Fun at the soup kitchen

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so. i spent yesterday in the soup kitchen for the first time on the trip. wow. since we had enough volunteers to cover the handing out of food, i was asked to go and talk with people who were sitting alone. Now, at first i was a little nervous, cause no matter how social you are, it can be a bit daunting to try and talk with someone whose been through so much. but i figured, im here, and this is what they need me to do.. so my first chat was with a man named frank. now frank was sitting alone,and happened to have very few teeth, so it was difficult to understand him. well, that didnt stop us from having a 30 minute coversation. i was amazed at how much people are willing to open up their lives to you, and tell you their story. frank is divorced, and has a son who lives in slidell, not too far from the parish. hewalks ten blocks everday to the soup kitchen, and is very grateful for the food. he also told me about his house, the people from texas who have helped to clean it up a bit, and how fema still hasnt given him his check. he lives in a trailor near his home, and life isnt easy. but there was no sense of self pity in anything he said. frank is an older man, and i learned a lot just by taking a half hour to give him someone to listen to. it really seems like that is all people really want, someone who cares to listen to them. when frank was done eating, he thanked me for the meal, and as he was getting up, he saw a shiny quarter on the ground, picked it up and handed it to me. i told him to keep it but he insisted and i took it. he hugged me and thanked me for being down here. ill always keep that quarter, and ill never forget frank.


i also spoke with a woman named lenice, 79, a widow who now lives in a fema trailor with her chihuaha chico. i dont know if i spelled chihuaha right but that doesnt matter. lenice was fun to talk to, as she explained how katrina affected her, and how she is managing now after living in a fema trailor. she also mentioned her constant fights

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