Hannah Llika
La Puente Volunteer
As I returned from the Thursday morning City Market pickup, I could see the fence already filled up with migrant workers waiting to hear about the day’s work.
My day had just begun, and like every other Thursday, I was wondering how I would manage getting all these donations inside- particularly the rather heavy boxes of orange juice and crates of milk.
No sooner had I stepped out of the van, than guests were approaching me asking to help. They didn’t wait for an answer, and after I opened the sliding van door, they were hefting out everything that I packed in there.
It was no use trying to assist them, I was shooed away. Instances like these are no one time occurrence; they happen every week and in all different types of scenarios.
When I first began work at the Shelter, I would hear story after story about how great migrant season is and that I will “come to love it” in my own way. This I did not doubt, but feeding 150 people for lunch?
Finding extra room on the dining room floor for someone to sleep? What about the fact that I haven’t taken a Spanish class since high school? One can worry all they want about the way things can go wrong during this time of year at the Shelter, and nothing works out perfectly by any means. But in all actuality, migrant season is the best time to volunteer at La Puente.
Every day when you come in to work, you are greeted by people who are genuinely happy to see you and appreciative of your service (and attempts at speaking Spanish).
Indeed, there is an influx of guests eating, staying and in need of services; however, that is the very point of serving, to contribute under any type of circumstance. Perhaps what amazes me the most is that they are, as a group, unlike any other type of guests typically staying at the shelter.
These are people who never stop working. No matter what time of day it is, no matter what needs to be done, they never stop going. Instead of complaining, they pick up the slack; instead of giving up on literally hundreds of dishes, they include whatever mess I make in the kitchen. Their work ethic is infectious!
I find myself finding odd chores to complete around the Home so that I can keep their space respectably clean. Every day it astounds me how incredibly hard they work day after day. Of course, guest chores are a part of the every day routine but the migrant workers go above and beyond any of our expectations. It is the full-time Shelter volunteers who thank them for their service to us and La Puente.
At the end of the day, having over seventy people staying at the Shelter turns out to be not a hassle, but a blessing.
We always encourage members of the community of all ages to come spend time at the shelter, whether it’s cooking, cleaning or simply communicating with the guests.
We hope the community comes to see the shelter not just as a place for emergency housing, but a true home for all.
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