Personal Narrative: St. Anthony's Dining Room

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Walking down Golden Gate Avenue, I felt the cold San Francisco air hit me as I stepped into the Tenderloin for one of the first times in my life. I noticed groups of homeless people huddled in tents and sleeping bags as far as the eye could see. Up to this point, all of my preconceived notions about this area of the city seemed true, the drug paraphernalia, the homeless people, and the surplus of liquor stores. By walking into the front doors at St. Anthony’s Dining Room, I would never look at that neighborhood with the same condescending attitude. I was greeted by a longtime volunteer coordinator, Barbara. Her no-nonsense attitude was there from the beginning and she expected me to give my all to help the “guests”. By referring to the people eating as guests, we were giving them a restaurant experience. My first day started by folding napkins and utensils with long time volunteers. Learning about their stories and interactions with guests were truly inspiring. I was still uneasy and anxious as the day had not truly begun yet. For my first shift, I was in charge of pushing the cart around to pick up the finished trays of the guests. My lack of experience with the guests …show more content…

There I was shy, as it was my first day but the occasional greeting was exchanged. After I quickly ate an apple and glanced at my phone, it was time for my second shift. This time I was moving up to the big leagues, the food line. This is where thousands of trays were created one part of a meal at a time for the guests. I was in charge of placing the salad, and after the first dozen trays I was in a groove. As the hungry guests walked past they made me feel important with the occasional “God bless you” or even just a thank you. Just as the tray count hit over 3,000, it was closing time. After saying goodbye to my fellow volunteers for the day, I walked outside with the sun gleaming, with a new outlook on

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