To kick off our 25th year, Colman Knight staff and clients had the privilege of volunteering at The Pine Street Inn in Boston. Every night more than 7,000 men, women and children in the city of Boston have no home. The mission of The Pine Street Inn (which was written on a large mural by the entrance) is to end homelessness. The Pine Street Inn offers to guests 700 beds in three locations (450 emergency and 250 transitional) as well as 2,000 meals per day. They also offer street outreach, job training and placement, and permanent supportive housing.
On a normal day, Pine Street Inn guests are asked to leave the shelter after breakfast so that cleaning and maintenance can be done. With temperatures below 10 degrees this past week, guests were given the opportunity to stay in the shelter during the day and receive lunch. With frostbite being a reality after a short period of time, street outreach vans were out in full force feeding the homeless as well as encouraging them to come into the shelter.
On a very cold winter morning, we ventured into Boston not knowing what to expect during our volunteering experience. After a brief orientation, we were escorted into the kitchen where volumes of food are created everyday to meet the needs of the people who have nowhere else to get a hot meal. Our morning consisted of preparing meatloaf (enough for 250 people) and chopping vegetables. Five of us were asked to serve lunch to the men and women. Lunch on this particular day consisted of a sandwich, soup, an apple and a drink. We were struck by how appreciative the guests were and how the Pine Street Inn staff treated everyone with the dignity we all deserve. After serving lunch, we were given a tour of the facilities and the director detailed their various programs, always keeping in mind their mission to end homelessness.
We had a bittersweet feeling on our way back to Colman Knight offices. We felt grateful to have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of men and women; people who are someone’s son or daughter, mother or father, brother or sister. However, much work needs to be done to achieve The Pine Street Inn’s mission to end homelessness. If you are interested in more information, please visit The Pine Street Inn’s website.
