This Wednesday started out as any regular Wednesday. Breakfast, getting David off to work, straightening the house, and reviewing my list of errands before heading off to Hopelink to volunteer. For just this week I delivered to an extra person as her “regular” volunteer was unavailable. I had agreed to do the extra delivery weeks ago and nobody stopped me from collecting a second round of eggs, milk, bread, and other staples. I chose to deliver to the new lady first, carefully winding my way through an unfamiliar Kirkland neighborhood. Her house was pretty easy to find, a small pink house with an overgrown yard and porch full of hanging wooden knick nacks. I rang the doorbell and a woman peeked at me in confusion from behind the blinds. It took a lot of gesturing at the full grocery bags to get her to open the door.

Lady: What are you doing here? What are those for?

Me: I am from Hopelink. Your regular volunteer wasn’t able to make it this week so I brought you your groceries.

Lady: (confused) My volunteer delivered to me yesterday.

Me: oh, hmmm….

Lady: But my son, you know, he’s been in the ICU on a ventilator and everything. He’s getting better, though, and he is probably going to come live with me for a little while…I sure could use some extra food.

Through a communication snafu the Lord had provided this poor lady with food to feed both her and her son for the week. God works in the little things and it was such a blessing to be part of it. 

    My early Wednesday afternoons are spent at the Kirkland Hopelink food bank. As of last week the Kirkland food bank merged with the Northshore Hopelink into a  much larger facility in North Kirkland. The food bank had an “orientation open house” last Friday but I spent last Friday at work so Wednesday was the first day at the new facility. My volunteer title is “food delivery driver” and I get the opportunity to deliver food every week to people that are unable to come pick up the food themselves. They give me little lists of their likes and dislikes and of their medical conditions.

    There were a lot of changes that took place with the move including a change to a whole different system to how we decide how much food to allow each family to have. One of the biggest changes, though, was that the bank was now open most days during business hours and people are not assigned a certain day or time to come in. They are allowed to come in twice a month. So instead of myself and the other volunteers being the only ones there as I am accustomed to the bank was teeming with people who qualify for food bank. The center was holding mini orientation sessions all week for the families.  I have to admit that I found the change a little bit difficult. First of all, because I was picking up food, people assumed that I was on of the people who used the food bank and not a volunteer. Very different experience. Second, I was able to get a small glimpse of the people who come through the bank. Hispanic couples with lots of kids in tow, older people all hunched over their carts, your average every day people who had hit hard times. Walking in and out of the bank were people clasping the little sheet with directions to the new location. The looked down when I walked by, seemingly embarrassed and yet proud at the same time. It was heart warming and yet tragic simultaneously to be a part of it all.