Friday, September 18, 2009

Rediculous

A gentleman, we'll call him Bob, walked into our office at Manna. He wanted to know if we could give him gift cards to the local drug store. He said he was low on cash and needed to pick up some personal items. We know Bob well... and that he smokes a pack of cigarettes each day. We told him we wouldn't subsidize his smoking habit.

Michelle came to our food pantry one day, saying she just wanted to take a few items without signing-in. After she was told she couldn't just walk in a take things, she began verbally abusing the volunteer who was helping. When a staff member stepped in, we learned that Michelle never registered with us before and wasn't a resident of the community.

Individuals come to us with requests that at times can seem ridiculous; but that doesn't mean they are ridiculous. They believe their need is genuine and we do our best honor that perspective. It can be a challenge to not judge them and to uphold our personal standards of treating everyone with dignity and respect...

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