On December 27, 2008, Paul, Mike, and I put together and handed out 171 care packages to our less fortunate friends on the East Side.
171.
In each package, there was:
- a sandwich (turkey, chicken, or roast beef with lettuce, tomato, cheese, mayo, and all the fixings!)
- a granola bar
- fruit (apple, orange, or banana)
- an extra roll
- fruit juice
- a treat (muffin, pastry, home-baked cookies and brownies, etc)
- and a positive message: Like "you matter" and "you are important".
Here is how it all unfolded:
On December 15th, I sent out an email to a couple of friends. I told them about the Great Sandwich Make 2008, an idea I had to give out care packages on the East Side. I've done it twice now and each time it gets bigger and better. And each time, I am grateful. Genuinely. So in this email, I explained what I was up to and asked for a hand - with money, sandwich-making, donations of food, etc.
I thought, perhaps, that I would receive some cans of tuna, maybe a few dollars, etc. Whatever my friends could spare. And it would be very helpful. Every single cent would count.
I was wrong.
One little email incited the generosity of a community. In the weeks prior to our Great Sandwich Make giveaway, we
collected the following items from friends, family, and complete strangers:
- 80 granola bars
- homemade brownies
- 100s of homemade cookies and biscotti
- cans of tuna
- kraft dinner
- cereal bars
- Safeway gift cards
- candy canes
- bread, baguettes, muffins, and pastries (care of Fratelli Bakery on Commercial)
- money money money (donations from $10 to $300!)
I used the money to buy:
- 175 juice boxes
- 120 granola bars
- 60 apples
- 60 bananas
- 60 tangerines
- Lots and lots of deli meat. Fresh shaved turkey breast, chicken breast, roast beef, and pastrami
- mayo
- mustard
- Mozzarella, cheddar, swiss, Monteray Jack, and Marble cheeses
- 200 Ziploc bags
With all of the ingredients for some killer care packages ready, we promptly began the sandwich- and kit-making at 9.
Seven hours later, we had 171 care packages, sore backs, and warm hearts. It was incredible. (A HUGE thanks to Paul and Mike for their superior packaging skills!)
“Wow. That was amazing!” Mike said as we sealed the last care package. “171. Amazing!”
Paul piped in: “The most amazing part is next.” He winked at me. He was right.
We parked at Main and Hastings. Mike naively put an hour 20 in the meter. Paul and I snickered behind his back. How cute! We loaded up with three bags (30 packages) each and started our firstround of delivery.
“Would you like a sandwich?” I asked a gentleman on the corner.
“Sandwich? Yeah! I sure would!” He was eager. He smiled a toothless grin when I handed it to him. He scanned the Ziploc bag, turned his head backward and yelled, “Guys! Sandwiches!” And then the onslaught began.
We didn’t move a single step. All three of us just stood in place, for maybe 3 minutes, handing out packages, shaking hands, wishing Happy New Year, accepting “thank yous” and “God bless yous” by the tens and eventually hundreds. One woman couldn’t bear to look me in the eye, but mumbled “I am so hungry. Thank you.” as she turned away, package in hand. One woman sitting on the side of the street opened hers right away and devoured its contents so fast that when we turned back to get our second load, the only trace was a bag branded with “You Matter” blowing in the wind. Paul, Mike, and I exchanged glances. We have no idea what it feels like to be that hungry. That desperate.
For our second load, we crossed the street and walked down Hastings toward Carrall. One man kissed my hand in gratitude. Another accepted a care package in one hand with his crack pipe in the other. Word spread like wildfire. As we walked, people were running up to us from behind: “Got anymore sandwiches?” “I heard you had sandwiches?” “Can I have a sandwich, please?”
For desperate and hungry people, they were, by all accounts, gracious.
Paul handed out the last sandwich 10 minutes after we arrived. “Thanks for coming out guys,” the recipient said, his face weathered from a life hard lived. “We surely appreciate it.” We walked in silence back to the car. A lot happened in those 10 minutes. It was hard to process. Though several people have since praised us for the gifts we managed to bestow that day, the true gift was that which we received: genuine gratefulness.
If ever you are feeling ungrateful for what you have, ask a homeless drug addict if they want a sandwich. Life is a splendid thing – all of the hiccups and bumps and bits of tragedy included. We are a lucky bunch. And we are changed forever.
This experience, by the way, was by no means the result of the effort of just three people. We were the conduits, but we could not have fed 171 hungry mouths this day without the generosity of over a dozen people who donated their time, money, and food. They reminded me of the power of the human spirit.
Every “thank you,” “God bless you,” smile of appreciation, handshake, and in one case a kiss on the cheek was meant for ALL of these people.
