They assemble before dawn, some appearing as early as 3 a.m. They know that because of limited resources only the first 40 clients can be accommodated when the door opens at 8 a.m.
Men and women across the age spectrum wait patiently. Their circumstances are desperate. Eviction is a reality for some. Others face loss of gas and electric service. Some have run out of food. A man has been robbed of his few remaining dollars. They represent extreme poverty in our community.
At Metropolitan Ministries, statistics take on human faces.
This is our community’s emergency room for social services. For the agency’s clients, there is no safety net left. They must stretch food stamps, low wages, disability or unemployment benefits, and aid for dependent children from one month to the next. Any unforeseen circumstance precipitates an economic and psychological calamity.
They often have no means of contact for possible help. Many lack transportation beyond shoe leather.
Once inside, the men and women are welcomed. A volunteer offers a prayer of thanksgiving and of intercession for a friend who has recently suffered injury.
Volunteer counselors positioned at three stations begin triage, conducting confidential interviews of the clients in the order in which they register. Their needs are acute, and they have run out of options for addressing them.
Clients, who are greeted by their first names, wait patiently for interviews. A young woman struggles to suppress her sobs.
The counselors listen respectfully to each story before going to work by telephone and Internet to address the varied problems. Solutions are drawn from a wide array of community services. Each exchange is between one human being and another — one almost out of hope, another seeking to lessen misery.
A construction worker has lost his job in another state. Power to his poorly insulated house has been cut. He lacks transportation. Job applications have been futile. Contacts are suggested. His utilities bill is paid, and he is given a voucher for the Food Bank.
An older woman whose job has been abolished receives an eviction notice. She is guardian for two children. Arrangements are completed to pay overdue rent.
An older man, disabled for years, has exhausted his funds with a week remaining in the month. He has no food for his family. He picks up two loaves of bread and a voucher for a box of food from the Food Bank.
A single mother of four has lost her power. “We can eat or heat.” Her overdue utility bill is paid. She collects bread and toiletries before she departs.
A bakery delivers a load of bread that had not sold the previous day. It is quickly distributed. A lady arrives with a van-load of paper towels and toilet tissue, donated by her church. Pet food has been donated. A homeless person may rely upon a dog as an early warning system of possible trouble.
When tornadoes struck our region in the spring, Federal and state agencies responded. Relief was slow to reach dazed individuals who had lost all of their belongings. Metropolitan Ministries mobilized a team for devastated communities to deliver immediate and sustained aid, providing cash, clothing, food, hygienic supplies, and replacement of lost medications, eyeglasses, and dentures.
Extreme human needs are highlighted annually in this holiday season. Crises of poverty and despair are relentless, occurring throughout the year. Staff and volunteers of agencies such as Metropolitan Ministries, the Community Kitchen, the Food Bank, and Partnership for Families and Children strive to make a difference in the lives of distressed fellow human beings. Our year-round support is vital.
Politicians who speak only of the needs of the “job-creators” and the middle class should spend a morning at Metropolitan Ministries listening to people who are too often ignored.
Contact Clif Cleaveland at cleaveland1000@comcast.net.