MartyMuppets
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- Feb 6, 2006
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Okay. This is what is upsetting me.
As you know I used to be a Catholic. But I left the Church because I was having difficulties accepting certain points of Catholic teaching and I'm with the Salvation Army now.
But I'm still good friends with my former Church and I've been made welcome to stay on as a volunteer worker for the St. Vincent de Paul Welfare Center giving out assistance with food to the needy.
But things are so heartbreaking at work on Mondays each week.
Even while I was still a practicing Catholic we were having problems with some people from other Catholic Parishes who were supposed to be Christians, yet abused clients when they came in for assistance and support. Some of them even being refused food for the most pathetic reasons. But here is the current situation.
I won't say their real names out of respect, but me and my friend Sarah are very unhappy with one man in particular. Gregory, who is a member of my ex-parish has been working with us for a few years. He used to sometimes come in for assistance himself to feed his wife and grandchildren because his son has a mental problem and causes financial worries for Gregory and his wife.
Well for one thing Gregory is abusing the system for after we finish work on Mondays and whatever other day he also comes in to work, he takes food without even officially recording it as being given to him. Not that we begrudge it to him for Sarah and I know his family need it. But in principle he should come in on a day when he isn't working and get his emergency food as a client. But that's not the worst of it.
We open up at 9am and 1pm is when we officially "close". And Gregory has been getting grouchier and grouchier about wanting to close at 1. First one time he told Sarah to keep an eye on the doors and not let anybody in after quarter past 12 because he was getting out of there at 1 o'clock. Now he's started turning the sign around from open to closed at 20 minutes to 1pm. Especially when we're getting so many clients to see to it looks like we'll be working overtime. He's argued to Sarah that we'll never be able to leave by 1 if we don't start shutting up 15 to 20 minutes earlier at least and one recent time he blew a mild gasket raising his voice and shouting "I'm not staying here a minute after 1!" I think it's disgraceful that Gregory, a man who knows what it feels like to be in need of assistance himself, should be so cranky and whiney about having to stay on for a little bit after 1pm to help others in need of assistance. He used to be mistreated by a previous worker who's left now, and we stood up for him. Now he's coming so close to mistreating others the same way he was mistreated.
And on top of this another man who was by our side through all the trouble we endured previously has started to adopt the same attitude himself. I've heard him say to people who've come in for assistance after 1 while we're still preparing to leave. "No I'm sorry. We're closed."
That is a real slap in the face to Sarah and myself. We don't think it's right. We're not like an ordinary store or business that closes at a certain set time. If the needy come to us and we haven't left yet, how can we refuse to help them with food? It's hurt me deeply over the few years I've been working there to see people turned away particularly because it's been after 1 o'clock.
I may no longer be Catholic, but I imagine that Mother Teresa would be so horrified by all this that she would burst into tears.
I am getting quite fed up with Gregory. I'm currently working in the interview room with him, handling the computer records. But if things keep on like this I think I will refuse to work with him. I'll go back to giving out the food with Sarah like I used to instead. It's driving me up the wall.
As you know I used to be a Catholic. But I left the Church because I was having difficulties accepting certain points of Catholic teaching and I'm with the Salvation Army now.
But I'm still good friends with my former Church and I've been made welcome to stay on as a volunteer worker for the St. Vincent de Paul Welfare Center giving out assistance with food to the needy.
But things are so heartbreaking at work on Mondays each week.
Even while I was still a practicing Catholic we were having problems with some people from other Catholic Parishes who were supposed to be Christians, yet abused clients when they came in for assistance and support. Some of them even being refused food for the most pathetic reasons. But here is the current situation.
I won't say their real names out of respect, but me and my friend Sarah are very unhappy with one man in particular. Gregory, who is a member of my ex-parish has been working with us for a few years. He used to sometimes come in for assistance himself to feed his wife and grandchildren because his son has a mental problem and causes financial worries for Gregory and his wife.
Well for one thing Gregory is abusing the system for after we finish work on Mondays and whatever other day he also comes in to work, he takes food without even officially recording it as being given to him. Not that we begrudge it to him for Sarah and I know his family need it. But in principle he should come in on a day when he isn't working and get his emergency food as a client. But that's not the worst of it.
We open up at 9am and 1pm is when we officially "close". And Gregory has been getting grouchier and grouchier about wanting to close at 1. First one time he told Sarah to keep an eye on the doors and not let anybody in after quarter past 12 because he was getting out of there at 1 o'clock. Now he's started turning the sign around from open to closed at 20 minutes to 1pm. Especially when we're getting so many clients to see to it looks like we'll be working overtime. He's argued to Sarah that we'll never be able to leave by 1 if we don't start shutting up 15 to 20 minutes earlier at least and one recent time he blew a mild gasket raising his voice and shouting "I'm not staying here a minute after 1!" I think it's disgraceful that Gregory, a man who knows what it feels like to be in need of assistance himself, should be so cranky and whiney about having to stay on for a little bit after 1pm to help others in need of assistance. He used to be mistreated by a previous worker who's left now, and we stood up for him. Now he's coming so close to mistreating others the same way he was mistreated.
And on top of this another man who was by our side through all the trouble we endured previously has started to adopt the same attitude himself. I've heard him say to people who've come in for assistance after 1 while we're still preparing to leave. "No I'm sorry. We're closed."
That is a real slap in the face to Sarah and myself. We don't think it's right. We're not like an ordinary store or business that closes at a certain set time. If the needy come to us and we haven't left yet, how can we refuse to help them with food? It's hurt me deeply over the few years I've been working there to see people turned away particularly because it's been after 1 o'clock.
I may no longer be Catholic, but I imagine that Mother Teresa would be so horrified by all this that she would burst into tears.
I am getting quite fed up with Gregory. I'm currently working in the interview room with him, handling the computer records. But if things keep on like this I think I will refuse to work with him. I'll go back to giving out the food with Sarah like I used to instead. It's driving me up the wall.