America's Very 1st Rescue Mission-

At first it seemed we were nearly silent on the way home tonight.

In a strange way, we bore witness to the most quietly dysfunctional and yet oh-so-typical  family dinner ever: Carlos complaining about mopping the floor. Mr. Greene refuting: "And you call yourself the hurricane?!" Some scared to the try the fish, some refusing their veggies.

Tonight we helped set the tables and serve dinner to our neighbors, the residents who live at the New York City Rescue Mission- and in the process learned what a gregarious, sincere, and gracious bunch live just next door to us.  While one resident grilled us about what it is like to go off to college (we later found out he has a sixteen year old daughter about to go herself) others told us stories of scholarships to four year colleges, decisions made and regretted, and ultimately doors that are about to open (waiting a painstaking five weeks for the results of the GED test).

In addition, we served dinner to over 200 walk-in individuals that night...people who were welcomed inside by the smell of a warm meal.  No one was refused at the door.

Grateful for our help and eager to see us come back we left with a notion of a new definition of community - that there was something unique about the "family" that sat around that table tonight.

I couldn't help but think that tonight we witnessed the very sense of community we've been striving to create here at Lafayette all along....

-Jaclyn
4th Floor RA

P.S. If you see Walter outside of the NYCRM ask him any multiplication problem. He's a times-table virtuoso...it's unbelievable.

**(For information on getting involved in bi-weekly trips to the NYCRM contact Jaclyn @ jhp298@nyu.edu)**