This month, the Pantry is giving out a frozen chicken and a smallish bag of Thanksgiving fixin's (cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, etc.) to each client.
The clients are staggering out with more bags than usual, many with double-parked cars in the lot or grocery carts or roller bags to get it all home. Some walk. Some ride the bus. Some take BART.
That sounds like a lot of food, but it's not. No milk, no eggs, no juice for the children, lots of canned stuff. . It's a make-do, but they seem especially grateful.
I kept looking up from checking in clients on the computer to see a growing line of drawn, concerned faces watching me work as fast as I could. It was cold yesterday, and they were standing outside.
"Sorry for the wait," I'd say.
"No problem," they'd invariably reply. Humbling.
To divert myself, I began to think about buying inexpensive aprons for the front-room crew. They'd give us a lift, anyway.
Amazon has a slew of aprons, and I've already spent quite a bit of time poring over possibilities.
1940's wallpaper-cheerful print?
Green stripe? A bit more dignified? Do we care?
Anyway, it'd be a morale boost for the volunteers. So much gratitude in the face of heartbreak, so much need, so little we can do.
Which apron do you vote for?
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