The Open Door

June 7, 2019

The Open Door

We spent today at the Open Door soup kitchen in Waynesville, North Carolina. We learned that the facility serves, on average, 100 people a day. This is divided between lunch and dinner. The staff was welcoming of the students and eager to educate the patrons of our presence. Students were given the opportunity to help with a number of tasks including: preparing foods, restocking/organizing incoming donations, reorganizing the thrift store, cleaning the dining hall, general maintenance of the facility, handing out desserts and drinks during lunch, and a number of other small tasks. This was a great time to mingle with the patrons of this facility. I spoke with several individuals and listened to their journeys to Waynesville. One woman, whom I spent a great deal of time with, was accompanied by a small toddler. She told me this was her granddaughter which she cared for because her mother was no longer able to care for her due to incarceration and lost her custody while battling a drug addiction. I listened to her stories of struggle both financially and mentally. This woman was a very pure individual who was clearly doing the best she could with what little she had. She told me that the little girl was known as the "Open Door Baby" because she had been coming to the facility since she was an infant. This really opened my eyes to a new world that I was sheltered from. I believe prior to this experience, I put on blinders when it came to the underprivileged population and had preconceived ideas of why they were in the situations they are. After speaking to this woman, I have a new outlook on those who are not as fortunate as I am. I was speaking to my boyfriend, Art, shortly after leaving the facility. He had mentioned that he was exhausted from mowing the grass (by the way, thank you Art!). I replied, "We should just be thankful we have grass to mow, a mower to cut it with, and a house to live in." I think this really sums up the impact that this service learning experience had on me. 

What are the challenges the individuals you met today face? 

This community faces challenges every day with meeting their basic needs of living. Some struggle to find a meal to eat, others struggle with drug addictions, housing, job security, healthcare, clothing, and even paying for life sustaining medications. This cascade of disparities is unique for each individual as no two people presented with the same story. Some mentioned that one bad decision created a snowball effect on their life and landed them where they are today. I found that most everyone was very open about talking about their situations and why they were there. I believe most just wanted a genuine person to listen and understand them. One woman told me that she didn't mind speaking to me about her life because it was a way for me to better understand her and not just judge her by her looks. 

How does The Open Door help with some of the needs of this community? 

Open Door provides a number of services to the community. They offer two meals a day Monday thru Friday and one meal on the weekends. They also have a thrift store which offers low cost clothing, household items, jewelry, etc. The facility provides a store like program that allows people to "shop" for food to take when they leave. They provide financial assistance for housing and utility and medications. They give individuals a place to come and practice prayer as well as offer arts and crafts to keep them occupied and off of the streets. Open Door also gives churches and individuals a place to volunteer at. Volunteers don't have to be from a specific background, patrons are able to volunteer as well. While the facility doesn't look like much from the outside, they have a number of services they provide to the community. 

Are there other connections in the community to help improve the health of those facing health disparities? 

Meridian Behavioral Health is a local facility that offers individuals the opportunity to get health screenings done, detox programs, referrals, and attend group therapy. After these services, they can go back to the Open Door and receive financial assistance with prescriptions as well. This addresses the primary health disparities of the community which include behavioral health and substance addiction.

Hannah, Brittany, Kendi, and Kyle with the donations we provided to the Open Door

The group in the dining hall at the Open Door

Cleaning up after lunch was served

Autumn mopping the floors of the facility