Service is the Rent we Pay

Pulling myself out of bed each morning is a task, especially when the high that day is below 30. Nevertheless, I got up early this morning to volunteer at an American Red Cross Food Bank in South Boston. I bundled up, caught a bus for the first time since coming to Boston, nervously examined every stop to make sure I wouldn't miss mine, still missed it, walked anxiously up and down the street, and fortunately stumbled upon my destination.

Peter, one of the directors, wasted no time directing me to the assembly line. He offered no "hello, how are you? What made you decide to come visit us today?" Instead, he rushed to show me how to restock the bins of frozen meat, yogurt, hummus, and fruit. A little nonplussed, I jumped right in. Thirty minutes later I realized we were understaffed. We had little time to prepare food packages for people waiting outside in the very cold I feared when I awoke this morning in my warm, comfortable bed. After the initial rush, I spoke with several other volunteers, who were all very kind and outgoing. Two of them even invited me to lunch, and one of them even paid for it!

I found this opportunity through Boston Cares, an organization that works to coordinate service projects in the city so ordinary people can give back. Shirley Chisholm said, "Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth." I could not agree more.