I was emcee at the food pantry again today. It was the first one of the month, so it was busy (something like 115 families), and it's held in the un-air-conditioned basement of a Methodist church, so today's 85 degree temperature added a special element.
A lot of our patrons have no transportation other than their own feet, so folks bring all sorts of things to help them get their groceries home. There's the popular 2-wheeled shopping cart, of course, and I'd guess about 10 per cent bring wheeled luggage with them. If you have to haul this stuff 2 miles back to an apartment, finding an old wheeled suitcase out in the alley can improve your day.
But today was something out of the ordinary. A woman about my age showed up in front of me when her number was called. "How're ya doin' today?" I asked in my cheerful, Social Security voice. "I'm doing fine," she answered, "I got the pins taken out of my leg." I congratulated her on that, then noticed that her joy was two-fold. She had brought her wheel chair with her to take her groceries home.
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