TiffanyMcMahan

Tiffany McMahan

Today, while at the Nashville Rescue Mission, we observed some very interesting things such as storage of items and the number of people that work there and that stay there on an average night. We are working solely with the male shelter. We met Willie, the coordinator for the mission, and he told us some very interesting stories. One of which he stated that some of the people are there because of drug addictions and are on a 7 month program where they work 5 days a week for 6 hours a day. There are quite a few men in the shelter staying per a night. We got to interact with them during lunch. Some of us got to serve while others got to help in the dining hall, by collecting trays and washing tables. We also got to speak to some of them during lunch. We also ate what they ate and I think this helped show us how they live. I think that the shelter is very kind to those staying and provide them with adequate living, but it is a very sad situation for those in this position. I think that it gives those in this position a chance to get back on their feet especially if they have been on drugs and are trying to recover. For us, I think it gave us a feel for how they live and how cities are dealing with the issue of homelessness.
By sorting through the piles of shoes, bedding, and clothing it gave us a feel of what the managers and coordinators go through to keep everything working cohesively. Willie and the other workers seemed to really appreciate our help, and tried to help us and make us feel welcomed as much as they could. Working as a group, we accomplished a lot in just a few hours and I believe that we have learned from this experience and it will be a life changing event for all of us and we will never forget it. Hopefully, throughout the week we will experience more living changing events that will forever be in our hearts.