Healthy mind tip: volunteer a bit!

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Christmas is the time of the year that we usually spend with our family, having a good time, catching up, laughing, eating traditional food and having a rest from our daily routines. This year, my Christmas was different. I joined forces with a girl from the Communication department and with other lovely people and spent Christmas Eve in a local church. Nothing special, you would say, many people go to church on Christmas Eve. But in this church, homeless people gather each year, on the 24th of December and are given a warm meal, a place to sleep and cozy clothes for the winter.

When I arrived there, at 5.30 pm, I saw huge amounts of food, bottles of water, juice, fruits, vegetables, coffee, candles, cookies, bags with toiletry, forks, decorations. Then, I saw all these people who were transforming the church into a big dining hall. They were preparing a feast. Soon, I found myself lighting candles, sweeping the floor, preparing a salad dressing, washing glasses, arranging the tables, moving chairs around, all while chatting to lovely people who were all doing the same. 

Before I knew it, we finished organizing everything and I was told I should stay and guard the food. I took my spot, the doors of the church were opened and I saw people who started entering the church. Most of them had shabby clothes and carried bags (their belongings I supposed) with them. I saw many of them cleaning their shoes on the carpet before entering the church. They all took their hats off, before smiling and wishing us, the volunteers, a Merry Christmas. I smiled back and it felt good. Soon, the room filled with people and some of them had to stand because of the fact that all seats at the tables were taken. Nevertheless, when an old man with a crook entered, they managed to find a seat for him.

Then, the church service was held, we lit our candles and listened to the priest, while more people arrived with food, dessert and a willingness to help. After the service, the people who’d attended it were served dinner. It was a real feast. They filled their plates and then came back for some more. They loved the food, the dessert, the juice, the fact that they could eat out of plates and sit at a table in a warm room, chatting and not worrying about the cold. Then, they received small bags containing soap, razors, napkins… and their eyes lit up. All the persons who donated clothing items and money for these people offered them a happy day, without worries, which is a lot for a person without a roof under their head or a fridge with food to grab to when hungry.

I then was told that I should just hang out with them. I didn’t feel useful just talking to people, I felt the need to clean the tables, wash the dishes or be helpful in another way, but I took the advice, went to a table and asked the people if they enjoyed dinner and if they were having a lovely time.

Before I knew it, they started asking me where I came from and then told me stories from their past. They all seemed to be people like you and me so I wondered how come that they’ve lost their homes. Some of them had a drinking problem, some had lost their parents, some had lost their job, the stories were different, but they were not complaining. They preferred talking about history, about their wishes and dreams. One man told me that his only wish was to “find a partner to live and love”, another one told me that he did not want to become rich, but to “have a roof over the head, be able to pay his bills and a woman who would motivate him to go running, because he felt a bit fat”, I was also given advice, I was told to “chase my dreams and work with passion, because today’s society is too pragmatic”. I entered a discussion about today’s children, who will not be able to grow up and have feelings, because their parents don’t have time for them anymore and leave them with their grandparents and smartphones instead. Then, a lady told me to clean the tables, because they were too messy, which I did, before she ordered a tea and a Sprite and thanked me for being so prompt.

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Later on, people grabbed the bags they entered with, pulled out blankets and found a spot on the floor, usually near the heater, where they would prepare their “bed”. They took their shoes off, laid down and went to sleep. Some did not have a blanket and thus slept on the chairs. Others just had coffee and continued chatting with me. Being Romanian, I had the chance to practice my language skills and to talk to Romanian people. Most of them were homeless because they had worked without a permit and then were caught. I advised them not to give up and to keep their hopes up.

I went home at 1.30, brushed my teeth, took a shower and entered my warm bed: three things a homeless person cannot do. This is why I decided that my resolution for 2023 would be to stop judging people (I never even look at homeless people when I see them on the street and just suppose they are drug addicts or alcoholics) and to try and give more back: it can be clothes, food or a smile.