I run a kitchen at a homeless shelter. We run on donations from food banks, supermarkets, Chic Fil A, Starbucks, and Auntie Anne's pretzels. That's not counting the hundreds of people who donate food, clothing, hygiene products, and money among inherent things. Churches donate their time and energy,as well as tons of food and whatever else their parishioners can do.
An average breakfast is 2 eggs, toast, a banana, or orange. Sometimes, it's pancakes or French toast or Starbucks breakfast sandwiches. Lunch in winter is a sandwich, bowl of soup, and a snack of some kind. Once it gets warm, the soup is replaced by fruit. Dinner is always meat, potato, and veggie. Sometimes, we do salads. Today, for instance, I did eggs, sausage, and toast for breakfast. Lunch was pizza, snack, and fruit. Dinner gonna be burgers, fries, and Mac salad.
We do all meals 7 days a week except Sunday lunch. Sunday dinner is usually ham, pasta, turkey.. something filling because of the lack of Lunch. I'm only supposed to do small portions to follow health guidelines, but people gotta eat. So I do restaurant size.
It's not easy work. I run the kitchen so I make up a menu that runs for 2 weeks, I cook 5 days. Get here at 530 am and leave 630pm. I don't take money for my position. I was lucky in the restaurant business to have made enough that I'm retired and only doing this cos I want to. I've seen too many homeless and less fortunate people who go hungry. Not on my watch. Not now, not ever
Edit. Holy shit, this thing blew up. Thank ya all
If ya wanna donate, look to your local shelter or whats called a Union Rescue Mission. It's a religion based shelter,nondenominational. Whatever where ever ya choose to do, be it time, money, food, clothes, hygiene products, bedding, give locally. Call the place first and see what they need. I can tell you that with it being summer almost, summer clothes are probably needed. Diapers and wipes, towels, etc etc. Hell, ya drop off a check for $25, it does a lot.
Fwiw: I lived in a homeless shelter when I was like 23 for a month. The first day I woke up in the shelter was Thankgiving Day in Denver, Colorado. I didn't even realize it was Thanksgiving Day. I had been living in my truck for about 30 days prior to that. They served us a Thanksgiving dinner. Looking back, it was such a surreal blessing in disguise bc I was really nervous about sleeping in a homeless shelter. Street people are a different breed, and I was taught that you DO NOT want to associate with other homeless people. On the street, yes. But in the shelter, it was more civil. And warm. Plus showers and washing machines. They even had a clothing bank. Being homeless and discovering the homeless resource network in a city is a very interesting experience. I received a lot of donated items. This is why, now that I'm financially stable, I donate what I can. If people didn't do things like that, people like me at that time would be SOL. Things like toiletries, underwear, socks, shoes, and deodorant.
I highly recommend volunteering at a homeless shelter. You can meet some really cool people who have been around the block many a time.
Also, to add, if anyone is curious as to why I didn't just get and maintain a job?
It was because I was undiagnosed and untreated, struggling with schizophrenia and major depression. It was harder to maintain a job than survive off pure survival instinct and adrenaline on the street. I found food at soup kitchens, and I slept where I could. Also, my delusions told me that I belong there. Now that I am treated on medication, it's not like that anymore. It's much more managble. That's why they say most, if not all, homeless people are struggling with a mental illness, and also probably substance abuse. It can be pretty savage living that life out there. What ultimately made the change for me was getting help. Both financial, but first and foremost, medical. Slowly, over time, I got my life back, bit by bit. Many homeless people feel lost in it. They don't want to change. Some are apathetic to change. Some go homeless for a bit, then get out. Those are the success stories. I'm an Army vet. I had to use the VA hospital to get help.
hippyloves on May 29th, 2023 at 17:51 UTC »
Don't most of the homeless shelters run on donations.
DeliciousWarthog53 on May 29th, 2023 at 18:42 UTC »
I run a kitchen at a homeless shelter. We run on donations from food banks, supermarkets, Chic Fil A, Starbucks, and Auntie Anne's pretzels. That's not counting the hundreds of people who donate food, clothing, hygiene products, and money among inherent things. Churches donate their time and energy,as well as tons of food and whatever else their parishioners can do.
An average breakfast is 2 eggs, toast, a banana, or orange. Sometimes, it's pancakes or French toast or Starbucks breakfast sandwiches. Lunch in winter is a sandwich, bowl of soup, and a snack of some kind. Once it gets warm, the soup is replaced by fruit. Dinner is always meat, potato, and veggie. Sometimes, we do salads. Today, for instance, I did eggs, sausage, and toast for breakfast. Lunch was pizza, snack, and fruit. Dinner gonna be burgers, fries, and Mac salad.
We do all meals 7 days a week except Sunday lunch. Sunday dinner is usually ham, pasta, turkey.. something filling because of the lack of Lunch. I'm only supposed to do small portions to follow health guidelines, but people gotta eat. So I do restaurant size.
It's not easy work. I run the kitchen so I make up a menu that runs for 2 weeks, I cook 5 days. Get here at 530 am and leave 630pm. I don't take money for my position. I was lucky in the restaurant business to have made enough that I'm retired and only doing this cos I want to. I've seen too many homeless and less fortunate people who go hungry. Not on my watch. Not now, not ever
Edit. Holy shit, this thing blew up. Thank ya all
If ya wanna donate, look to your local shelter or whats called a Union Rescue Mission. It's a religion based shelter,nondenominational. Whatever where ever ya choose to do, be it time, money, food, clothes, hygiene products, bedding, give locally. Call the place first and see what they need. I can tell you that with it being summer almost, summer clothes are probably needed. Diapers and wipes, towels, etc etc. Hell, ya drop off a check for $25, it does a lot.
Local local local
SweetTeaRex92 on May 29th, 2023 at 20:22 UTC »
Fwiw: I lived in a homeless shelter when I was like 23 for a month. The first day I woke up in the shelter was Thankgiving Day in Denver, Colorado. I didn't even realize it was Thanksgiving Day. I had been living in my truck for about 30 days prior to that. They served us a Thanksgiving dinner. Looking back, it was such a surreal blessing in disguise bc I was really nervous about sleeping in a homeless shelter. Street people are a different breed, and I was taught that you DO NOT want to associate with other homeless people. On the street, yes. But in the shelter, it was more civil. And warm. Plus showers and washing machines. They even had a clothing bank. Being homeless and discovering the homeless resource network in a city is a very interesting experience. I received a lot of donated items. This is why, now that I'm financially stable, I donate what I can. If people didn't do things like that, people like me at that time would be SOL. Things like toiletries, underwear, socks, shoes, and deodorant.
I highly recommend volunteering at a homeless shelter. You can meet some really cool people who have been around the block many a time.
Also, to add, if anyone is curious as to why I didn't just get and maintain a job?
It was because I was undiagnosed and untreated, struggling with schizophrenia and major depression. It was harder to maintain a job than survive off pure survival instinct and adrenaline on the street. I found food at soup kitchens, and I slept where I could. Also, my delusions told me that I belong there. Now that I am treated on medication, it's not like that anymore. It's much more managble. That's why they say most, if not all, homeless people are struggling with a mental illness, and also probably substance abuse. It can be pretty savage living that life out there. What ultimately made the change for me was getting help. Both financial, but first and foremost, medical. Slowly, over time, I got my life back, bit by bit. Many homeless people feel lost in it. They don't want to change. Some are apathetic to change. Some go homeless for a bit, then get out. Those are the success stories. I'm an Army vet. I had to use the VA hospital to get help.