The Usual Suspects...literally.

I have recently been informed that my readership has grown, which is wonderful news! I would like to repeat my urging to you that if you know of someone who might be interested, feel free to pass on this link. My experiences here are practically worthless if not shared with others. I also welcome any questions or comments you may have and I believe my e-mail address is displayed on this page.

The post-Thanksgiving letdown has been very hard on the people of Kensington. On Sunday, about 460 people were served at the meal. Before that, I had never seen numbers higher than 410. I am hoping it is because all people had in their homes to eat was turkey and they were getting sick of it, but I fear that is not the real reason.

A blessing in the form of excessive donations of meat from the company who gives us weekly leftovers allowed us to hand out frozen meat during the meal yesterday. Of course, yours truly was stationed with the 168 packages of corned beef, roast beef, and uncooked prime rib explaining to people that the corned beef was not, in fact, ham and that the prime rib must be cooked before consumption and you are only allowed to take one frozen meat chunk. Some guests were puzzled, some excited, some wishing they could have cakes instead.

As I start to get to know the guests better, I thought it might be interesting to describe some of them to you so that you might get to know them, too. They amaze me every single day-they have so many struggles and challenges to face. It is amazing that some of them are even alive. I have changed their names, not because I think they would mind me writing about them, but to protect their anonymity.

Chuckie is a frequent resident of the loading dock of the warehouse next door to our house. He has been living on the street for more years than you could count on your fingers and toes. He is roughly 50 years old, and daily tries to sneak into the senior citizens' line at the meal. He usually has a vacant expression on his face, resembling a lost puppy. There is a rumor that he may have Alzheimer's, but won't see a doctor or take care of himself in any way. The team has tried countless times to check him into a shelter, sometimes at his own request, but he hardly ever stays the night. He will nearly always be seen the next morning, sitting at the foot of the steps up to the Inn, bidding everyone a good morning. A couple weeks ago, he was in our bathroom for an excessive amount of time and when I went to check on him he explained to me that he had gotten very sick and needed to wash his clothes. I found him a clean change of clothes and he begged me to call a shelter for him. Knowing his history and having to be somewhere else myself, I was reluctant to help but knew I wouldn't be able to clear my conscience if I didn't. I called a couple of shelters, but no one would pick him up (this is not a service most shelters typically provide, but I thought I would give it a shot). After calling my site supervisor for advice, Chuckie and I decided he should probably just go to the hospital where there would be medical attention for his illness and a social worker to find him a place for the night. The next morning on the way to Mass, I saw him standing on the corner of Kensington holding a new blanket.

Clyde & Jolene are a young couple who just recently appeared at the Inn in the last couple months. I haven't seen them lately, so I am hoping they had a change of fortune. Katelyn spent a lot of time talking to them and related their story to me. They were married about 8 months ago, both with jobs and sharing an apartment. They went to Las Vegas on their honeymoon, where they tried hard drugs for the first time. They returned to Philly, burned through their money and ended up in an abandoned house nearby. They weren't born into this lifestyle as many of our guests were, they came to it as a result of their own decisions. The last we knew Jolene was trying to get into a rehab program, but couldn't because she didn't have any identification.

Rocky is one of the most recognizable guests at the Inn. He will talk to anyone (for hours if you let him) and usually does. He is almost like our mascot. He used to be a truck driver, or something in a similar vein, but was in an accident which caused some damage to his brain. He also suffers from a seizure disorder, which causes him a lot of stress. He is always cheerful and has a heart of gold (as long as you don't insult his mother). He does whatever he can to help out at the Inn, arriving near the beginning of the meal, and staying as long as he is allowed after everyone else has gone. He claims he is "security" and without him none of us would be safe. The idea, though, of Rocky standing up to some of the guys who come through our gate is laughable. If you met him, you'd understand why. He's not exactly an intimidating character. He calls everyone Brother and Sister So-and-so and my site supervisor is called his father because Rocky (like all of us) looks up to him so much.

There's just a brief sampling of stories of our guests. I will try to write about some more next chance I get. Have a wonderful day!