ONE VOICE
They line up on the stairs, spilling out onto the wet sidewalk.
A woman next to me politely asks about school, my major and what I plan to do when I graduate as she shifts bundles from one arm to another, and her weight from one thin soled shoe to the next. A rumbling of impatience starts from the back of the crowd that has now grown to the curb; an array of ages and colors, some with plastic sacks and sleeping bags. A woman with gray hair, somebody's grandmother, stands next to a woman in a wheelchair, somebody's daughter. The woman next to me tells me about her brother who is a successful database administrator. A young couple arrives, the mother bouncing her baby to quiet her until they can reach the dining hall.
A heavy door stands locked, a barrier between a warm dry dining area and rainy weather. I wait patiently with everyone else to get in out of the rain.
Dozens of eyes stare curiously at me, showing hunger and tried patience.
The doors open and an eager rush propels the crowd forward into the basement of First Christian Church, 1000 Kentucky St. Volunteers head toward the kitchen to heat up prepared dishes and set long tables with rolled silverware, casseroles, salads and desserts. Guests at L.I.N.K., Lawrence Interdenominational Nutrition Kitchen, can serve themselves coffee while waiting for a sign that the food is ready. Guests make their way around tables, much like a buffet, served by volunteers who place steaming piles of food onto their plates. For some of the guests, this is the one hot meal they can count on, no questions asked.
thursday, September 18, 2003