Although we arrived a week earlier than expected, a large crowd was waiting for us on 33rd Street in Manhattan for last night’s soup run. We served 125 meals of pasta with meatballs, as well as oranges, granola bars, coffee and juice. We distributed all of the clothing and toiletries we had and 75 sandwiches to others at a nearby drop-in center and on the steps of the post office.
We met a wide range of guests last night: those with medical conditions, mental health challenges, substance abuse issues and others who have a home but cannot afford food. We served a rough-looking young man with tattoos on his face who was eating his meal very quickly. When we offered him a second meal, he thanked us and said we should give it to someone else who was hungry. There were two guests in wheelchairs – one who accepted our food and any clothing we could give him. The other wheelchair-bound guest, Allie, and her partner, Curtis, talked with us for a while about the horrific accident she was in that has left her in a dire situation. When she was pregnant several months ago, she was struck by a semi-truck. Her baby survived and is being cared for by a family member but her leg was crushed. We were stunned when she showed us the horrific condition of her leg. She and Curtis are living on the street while she tries to get much needed medical attention. Allie, who is from upstate NY, moved to New York City to pursue a singing career and she amazed us with her angelic voice when she sang a gospel hymn.
Thank you to the donors, supporters and volunteers of the Soup Run. We greatly appreciate the generosity of our everyone in our extended community and this month, we express gratitude to our supporters from across Westchester County, Queens and New York City:
- The anonymous donor for their sponsorship
- The anonymous donation of homemade morning glory muffins
- The anonymous donation of 135 hand-crocheted hats
- Sandwiches from Kathryn Papataros
- Manny Louros and Zachary Karounos for preparing the meals and Basil Apostle for packing
- Minos Samoladas for his generous donation which enabled us to purchase clothing
- Melina Morris and Bombas (https://bombas.com/) for socks and T-shirts
- A group of 10 Heidrick & Struggles employees for their participation
- May Vlachos (St. George NYC) for preparing the Mental Health Clinic guide and including the Soup Run dates
- Constance Mavrovitis and Cynthia Herzegovitch for organizing the clothing
- Georgeann Mavrovitis and Loredana Soravito Curtis for preparing the toiletry kits
It is a privilege to share with our guests the abundance of compassion and all that we offer. We are accepting donations of new men’s and women’s underwear, coats and blankets. Please join us next month on November 21, 2019 (the Thursday before Thanksgiving).