The Pay is Good

Children of clients and volunteers play together.

The San Mateo church has sleeping facilities but not enough volunteers. The Foster City, Belmont, and Burlingame churches have volunteers but no beds or showers. The four churches -- Lutheran, Catholic, Congregational, and Episcopal -- came together this week to help four displaced families get back on their feet.

Families under duress have been coming to Home and Hope churches and synagogues for over a decade. They receive warm meals, a place to sleep, and a day-care/office facility at which to spend the day if they're not attending school or going to work.

Tessa, Helena, and Kay

The waiting list is long, and the resources are stretched; people do what they can.

For the past five years I had been bringing ice cream, which didn't entail any effort (or risk to the diners). Last night we were short of cooks, so I threw a couple of trays of chicken into the oven. There were no ill effects, and they asked for the leftovers to fill a gap over the weekend.

I suspect my future responsibilities will be increased, but that's all right because the pay is good.