Recently I volunteered at a local food bank called The Sharing Table located in my affluent Upper East Side neighborhood. Living in this region of Manhattan is almost like residing in a “Pre-Depression era” time capsule. Mothers continue to buy their infants designer strollers; impossibly skinny women carry diamond purses; and rock stars buy cavernous townhouses next door to you. Living in this kind of environment, it is frighteningly easy to forget that America is in the midst of a monumental economic catastrophe. Some of us read The New York Times or watch CNBC and those millions of unemployed can seem like foreign entities. Those numbers don’t have real faces. We cannot begin to fathom the impact of this economic calamity without appreciating its implications on actual human beings – who we don’t see much of on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
I was reminded of this impact today though at Christ Church on Park Avenue and 60th street. I was invited to participate in this volunteer activity by a friend and mentor of mine who himself is a rockstar who I happened to have made friends with for no other reason probably than the fortunate opportunity I am afforded by living in this particular neighborhood. He quietly and anonymously volunteers here regularly. He told me that he does it to keep himself real and more grounded, as his industry has “an uncanny way of making you feel very unreal and ungrounded kid” as he put it. I notice that as busy as he is, he still finds the time to sneak in a few hours to volunteer around the city or around the world. I can imagine that it is a very different experiene for him than being on stage playing in front of thousands of people, or being locked in recording studios for months at a time.
As we shuffled into the basement one late Sunday afternoon I was introduced to the man who is in charge of the place. His name is Walter Gray Lamb. A well-known graphic designer by trade, he has been quietly running this food bank for homeless or hungry people in New York for over twenty years. I was very impressed and inspired by him and his dedication to helping people. It made me wonder if I had it within myself to do what he does. The moment the church doors opened people started nervously filing into the basement. A lot of these men and women seemed lost. They were physically present, but you could sense that they were spiritually and mentally elsewhere. You could tell that they were truly grateful to be receiving this food (one less costly strain on their budgets).
When we had finished serving these hungry people, a man approached me. He was in his mid-twenties, and many of his upper teeth seemed to be absent. But nevertheless, he greeted me with a warm grin, and we began talking. He asked me why I was here, and I told him that I just thought it was the right place to be. He expressed his longing to escape from New York. He told me that he was planning to join the National Guard because they provided some form of financial stability. He told me that he was currently writing a paper on the history of chemical weapons since the end of World War II. I was profoundly amazed by his breadth of knowledge concerning this rather esoteric subject. We discovered a mutual appreciation for the work of Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky. Eventually, it was time for us all to leave and I wished the man good luck.
Talking with this man reminded me of something that had rarely occurred to me before. Our conversation made me realize just how thin the line is between poverty and financial security in America. I mean, the gentleman I had met was a seemingly learned and capable individual who could probably do anything he wanted. However, he is currently dependent on the generosity of Christ Church for food.
It occurred to me that this economic crisis could serve as an awakening for the world and the United States. Perhaps it could remind us that we are all involved in this collective experience of human life, and while we are living on this earth it is our obligation to help others in need. Without that kind of charity and compassion we would have nothing.
So the next time you find yourself flipping through the pages of the Wall Street Journal, or watching some buffoon like Jim Kramer screaming in panic on the television, try heading down to your local food bank. There is a high probability that you will be overcome with an incredibly profound sensation that only comes from helping and connecting with others. You could also feel assured that as long as people are willing to help out, America and the rest of the world will be okay.
Tyler Bejoian
15 years old, New York City
