By Rebecca Helberg
The foreclosure epidemic that has spread throughout both Chicago and the United States is difficult to stomach. Since the housing bubble burst in 2008, people have been struggling to pay their mortgages commonly leading to foreclosure. According to a May 2012 Chicago Tribune article, 44% of Cook County homes with a mortgage are underwater. Working at A Just Harvest (AJH) this summer has allowed me to go beyond reading and learning about the economic crisis and view face to face the issues that Chicago is confronting.
During my internship at AJH, just one short summer, I have seen Community Kitchen patrons seek out a support system and a healthy meal in a time of crisis. The atmosphere within the kitchen is truly communal. Conversation between friends and family fill the air which evoke a feeling of shared love and warmth. I volunteered in the kitchen four times throughout my internship and each time I had my own obstacles and trepidations but by the end of the experience I felt a little bit closer to being in tune with the economic struggles of our city.
I also had the honor of interviewing all of the volunteers of the year nominees from a wide variety of organizations. When prompted on why A Just Harvest was special to them, a common answer involved the ability for AJH to promote a sense of respect and dignity in their work. This inspired me to truly think about the definitions of ‘respect’ and ‘dignity’. Everyone has a different image of what respect and dignity mean. They are intangible concepts that deserve discussion.
To me respect is the ‘golden rule’: treat others as you want to be treated. The golden rule is something that I strive to use every day no matter where I am. I translated this in the kitchen by giving patrons my undivided attention and serving food with pleasantries. That is what I want when I am being served food.
Dignity is a harder concept for me. With little experience with direct service in low-income areas until this summer, I have only recently formed what dignity means in this context. Dignity is looking past religion, skin color, economic status, or any other type of label, and treating a person as a human being. We all have fears, dreams, worries, and goals that make up who we are. Recognizing that allowed me to view the Community Kitchen as a space full of stories and personalities and to listen more intently to the patrons that I was serving.
The summer is coming to an end as is my internship. I’m beginning a job in Washington D.C. at a similar anti-hunger organization to AJH in a Center for Employment Training division. A Just Harvest provided a fresh and humbling perspective for me in the world of non-profits. It faced me with obstacles that people are struggling with today more directly than any textbook or news report ever did.
In my next step I want to continue to meet the faces of those that are experiencing the economic crisis firsthand. I have a lot of extraordinary ideas, but this summer has reminded me that I have to start at the ground floor. That I have to listen, understand, and respect the community I want to work in before doing any systemic changes. I’m thankful for the people at AJH and their openness to accept me into their organization. They showed me the exceptional work that they do each and every day and I am grateful. Thank you AJH for an amazing summer and a forever impactful experience in my life.