Straight Street Service Day Recap
On March 11th eight members of Grace Alive, along with eight college students and a few other volunteers showed up at 808 W Central Blvd., the Straight Street site, to feed the homeless community in Orlando. At least that’s what we thought!
It was a day filled with expectation and excitement, as our church began a partnership with this amazing organization.
More than 70 people showed up to receive a plate of food, charge their phones, receive hygiene products, and honestly, be seen and valued.
The day started with a little more action than we anticipated, as a fight between 2 dogs broke out and one of the owners had a seizure. Paramedics and police showed up and the situation seemed under control.
Then food shared started. The director of Straight Street, PJ, shared a word of encouragement and reminded us all of God’s love. He reminded us that regardless of our backgrounds or current situation, God has a purpose for our lives as that we are His creation.
With the goal to serve in a “restaurant-style” setting, volunteers lined up, served drinks, and got plates ready with delicious pork chops, rice/pasta, veggies, and salad.
Everybody was busy doing something, some more comfortably than others approached each client with a smile and the question “can I get anything for you?”
It was beautiful to see people from different races and ages serving, not thinking about themselves but thinking of others.
One lady stood out to me, Lorren, she was one of the dog owners. She didn’t want to eat as she cried because Jack, her dog, was wounded and bleeding. I encouraged her to join the crowd and eat which she eventually did. When I asked Lorren if she was ok, she began to share her story, full of hopelessness and hurt. But at the end, she said “I’m glad y’all are here, they hate me but I know y’all don’t”. I asked, “who are they?”. She responded “all of them, everybody outside of here”.
Her answer was hurtful, not personally but socially, it hurt me to hear that our city, our society, even ourselves, choose to disregard, turn to the other side, and ignore people like Lorren.
I’m not sure if there is a quick fix to this problem, but I’m incredibly thankful for an organization like Straight Street, that truly helps to bridge the gap between the people of Orlando and those within the hunger and homelessness community.
We thought we went to serve them but they ended up serving us by showing us God’s heart.
I have committed to serving there once a month, and I would love for you to join me!
Lorren matters to God, every person matters to God!