an example of what it would take to make a difference in the community by caring for one of the most vulnerable of all, people who are homeless.
DAY OF DIGNITY 2008
Event Tips
Coordinating an event to feed the poor, make children smile or to service humanity in general takes planning and a dedicated team. In basic preparations for a humanitarian event your team must be assembled, assigned task and coordinated with an aim of a fluid success. Fluidity implies choosing the path of least resistance, feigning away from micromanaging but at the same time paying attention to details. The details are the people you are serving, their families, their feelings, their needs and their happiness. The stimulating feeling one gets as they realize some one genuinely cares about them and the condition they are in surpasses perception.
The core teams of volunteers you select to aid in your vision and movement towards helping humanity must be trustworthy, humble, respectful, courteous, patient, kind, and posses the ability to become emotionally detached when necessary. When helping those in the dust you and your team may witness horrid things, be prepared. This core group of volunteers must be entrusted to delegate specific tasks assigned for them to carry out. To be able to delegate any task effectively you must have a blueprint of what is in your heart. If you want to feed the poor and have fun for the kids what will you give them? How will you procure this? How will they take what you are giving with them? How is this done islamically and efficiently? How much will this cost? How much does this cost? If you are trying to provide health care, dental services or a combination of humanitarian efforts you must ask yourself similar questions and others like those regarding liability issues.
Each team assigned a task must be given trust. They must accept this trust to be responsible and to do their job the best they can collectively. This trust will give the coordinator of the event flexibility to manage all other delegated tasked with a general management mindset. After giving the teams a detailed goal or end result of what you want and how you want it they are to be entrusted with the task. Once entrusted with the task they are not to be micromanaged for this is counterproductive and facilitates unwanted drama. The coordinator must trust to a certain extent that his team’s wit, intellect and ingenuity will suffice for his or her unspoken suggestions. Freely give your ideas and input within your ongoing and spontaneous councils. Do this with a tone of peer suggestion, not the roar of the dominating shot caller. Asserting your position of leadership is to be done with wisdom and only when appropriate and necessary. If you use wisdom and humility as you lead your team and serve the masses you will find it easy to flow with the show already written.
September 28th, 2008, MASJID TAQWA, Brooklyn
Rules of Engagement
- Never give cash to a homeless person
Too often, well intended gifts are converted to drugs or alcohol - even when the “hard luck” stories they tell are true. If the person is hungry, buy them a sandwich and a beverage. - Talk to the person with respect.
Taking time to talk to a homeless person in a friendly, respectful manner can give them a wonderful sense of civility and dignity. And besides being just neighborly, it gives the person a weapon to fight the isolation, depression and paranoia that many homeless people face. - Recognize that homeless people (and their problems) are not all the same.
The homeless are as diverse as the colors of a rainbow. The person you meet may be a battered woman, an addicted veteran; someone who is lacking job skills…the list goes on. Be open-minded. - Share God’s love whenever you can.
A homeless person is still a human being. Treat him like God tells you to treat others, your neighbors, friends, families. Speak with them, heal them, and help them. Treat them with what they have been deprived of- honor and dignity. - Pray for the homeless.
Exposure to the elements, dirt, occasional violence, and lack of purpose all drain years from a person’s life. Keep them in your prayers- for their safety, security, self-preservation, sustenance, health and above all humanity. - Take precautions for your own safety.
Some people living on the streets are criminals and fugitives running from the law. Always be prudent while talking with street people. Stay in areas where other people can see you. Don’t take unnecessary chances. - Distribution.
Distribute only one item per person. Each person will be escorted by a volunteer from the line and walked through the tents to pick up each item. - Photographs/Video/Media.
We will take our own photographs and video for the event. Volunteers must refrain from taking photos with out asking the guest- Most of the time they don’t like it. All volunteers must talk to the Media Contact, Faiza Ali, before discussing any matters with the Media.
Brooklyn Site Map
September 28th, 2008, St. Francis Xavier Mission
The Welcome Table
Every Sunday, a day when most other soup kitchens in NYC are closed, approximately 700 meals are served to our guests. Soup, salad, a hot entrée, juice, coffee, tea, (or iced tea), bread, fruit, and dessert are offered to whoever comes and is hungry. However, the Welcome Table aims to be more than just another “soup kitchen.” By providing a welcoming and supportive atmosphere for our guests, we hope to impart a sense of dignity to those accorded scant respect by society.
The Welcome Table is proud to provide volunteers an opportunity to service and have personal contact with people who they may not otherwise encounter. This experience is vital to the larger issue of exposing local school groups, volunteer conduits such as NYCares, and corporations an opportunity to affect social change.
Only 23.7% of New York City’s Emergency Food Programs are open on Sundays. The Food Stamps Program is the first line of defense against hunger for millions of families, yet only 36.8% of emergency food participants residing in Manhattan are enrolled in the Food Stamps Program. That too runs out for most families before the end of the month. We always expect more guests in the last Sunday of every month. ________________________________________FAQ
What time should I come?
Volunteers are expected to show up at 11am and the event ends at 4pm. Jobs are assigned on a first come-first served basis, so showing up early gives you more choices.
What should I wear?
Something comfortable: Day of Dignity T-Shirts, jeans, and sturdy shoes with some tread. We provide full aprons and hairnets, which everyone working with the food must wear. If you prefer not to wear a hairnet, you can wear a baseball cap, bandana, or Hijab.
What not to wear?
It’s probably best not to wear expensive or flashy jewelry or low-cut/risqué clothes. Modesty is key. Keep in mind that this is a soup kitchen as well as a church.
Where are we located?
The address is 55 West 15th Street, just east of 6th Avenue (between 6th and 5th), on the north side of the street. Take the F or V train to 14th Street Station. Or take the 4, 5, 6, L, N, R, or W trains to Union Square Station.
Five Steps to Get Started:
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Go to the coat closet (it’s on the east side of the hall, near the women’s bathroom) and drop off your jacket and purse or bag. Please hold on to your wallet and cell phone. We keep the door locked when guests are in the hall, but unfortunately, despite our best efforts, sometimes things still run off. -
Find the sign-in sheet. Typically it’s on a clipboard near the Snapple refrigerator. Please give us your name and email address. Since you are coming with an organization, please identify as Islamic Relief Humanitarian Day too. -
Don an apron and make a nametag for yourself. There should be sticky labels near the sign-in clipboard. -
If you’re part of a team of volunteers, find your team leader and let him/her know that you’ve arrived.