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For the past ten years, I have volunteered with St. Paul’s Youth Group to provide a meal at Liberation Veteran Services on Hull Street in Richmond. There are about 30 veterans living in one big room separated by low-walled cubbies each containing a bed. They have their own lockers and there is a communal kitchen and dining area. I sometimes wonder how they manage with no sense of privacy. It’s meant to be a transitional home so ideally, they are able to move onto their own place in a reasonable amount of time. Traditionally, the youth have cooked a meal together at St. Paul’s kitchen and brought it over to LVS, but with the advent of COVID, we’ve had some limitations and mostly just cooked at home and brought food there.
Here is what I love about the experience. The youth arrive apprehensive, not knowing what to expect. The guys line up at the counter and the youth serve them. Then the best part comes. The reason I most want to be there. The youth find a table and sit with the vets. They listen to them. They talk to them. And you know what? They are really interested in what they guys are saying. The vets talk about whether they were in the army, navy, air force or marines. They say where they grew up and talk about their own children. They joke with each other about the best sports team. We are sharing a meal together and making a connection. At that moment we are truly one family.
Lord, we thank you for bringing us all to your table. Amen.
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