Yesterday, I started work at one of the community food banks in the city. It was a mix of highs and lows. A few highs included the look of absolute gratitude on people's faces when they receive food. It was also a huge blessing to see how cheerful many people are despite their circumstances, and took the time to say one thing or the other that made me smile. I also love the sense of community and love I feel as a staff of this community group. Everyone made me feel really welcome and loved on my first day.
A few lows was the emotional drain I felt. The sense of dire need from some of the clients made me feel quite sad. It also saddened me that we (the foodbank) can't always provide as much help as some people require.
Substance abuse
Less than 10% of our clients are homeless, but many of them are substance abusers. I've learnt a few things about heroine and methadone that I want to share. First of all, meeting all these people who talk about their substance abuse has made me less judgmental. They are regular people like everyone else who have made poor choices and neither me, nor society, has the right to judge them. We all have our struggles in life and so do they.
Heroine is an expensive addiction and users sometimes go on methadone to wean themselves off heroine. Methadone is used as a pain reliever and drug detox, and some of the side effects I've noticed from patients is the need for sugary foods. At first, I thought "what on earth is methadone and what does it have to do with sweet snacks?" Then the lady I work with explained it all.
Patience & Compassion
One lady called to ask "is the food bank open and is there a line-up?" I told her that I couldn't see the door (and possible line-up) from where I was sitting in reception and she then proceeded to ask a few more times. After the call, I made a comment about the odd phone call and the lady I work with kindly reminded me to show kindness to people. "Some of these people have no money and no food, they get dirty looks when they go to the grocery store, and we have the opportunity to brighten their day. If they ask how many people there are in the line-up, tell them 5, or tell them 40. Just give them a number." What a powerful lesson in compassion!
 |
| Image souce |
Substance abuse
Less than 10% of our clients are homeless, but many of them are substance abusers. I've learnt a few things about heroine and methadone that I want to share. First of all, meeting all these people who talk about their substance abuse has made me less judgmental. They are regular people like everyone else who have made poor choices and neither me, nor society, has the right to judge them. We all have our struggles in life and so do they.
Heroine is an expensive addiction and users sometimes go on methadone to wean themselves off heroine. Methadone is used as a pain reliever and drug detox, and some of the side effects I've noticed from patients is the need for sugary foods. At first, I thought "what on earth is methadone and what does it have to do with sweet snacks?" Then the lady I work with explained it all.
Patience & Compassion
One lady called to ask "is the food bank open and is there a line-up?" I told her that I couldn't see the door (and possible line-up) from where I was sitting in reception and she then proceeded to ask a few more times. After the call, I made a comment about the odd phone call and the lady I work with kindly reminded me to show kindness to people. "Some of these people have no money and no food, they get dirty looks when they go to the grocery store, and we have the opportunity to brighten their day. If they ask how many people there are in the line-up, tell them 5, or tell them 40. Just give them a number." What a powerful lesson in compassion!
