ing the entrance to The Salvation Army, the boy had not
heard of a "Salvation Army" before, but on this night he
would learn who they were and what they do. He would
never forget what happened that night.
had no idea why they were there. It was probably the
worst night of his life.
and red suspenders.While apologizing, this man informed
the hungry travelers that they had already closed for the
night. After a long, lonely, hungry walk, they had arrived
too late.
children were very hungry and
confused. Crestfallen and unsure of
what was next, they turned away
from the man in the doorway to
start the long walk home, but then
he said, "no, don't go, come on in." The boy has never
forgotten that selfless soul who elected to go an extra mile
for his fellow human beings.
sparse dining area. Light shined on a short, stainless
steel food service area, which had been shut down for the
night. In an empty, lonely dining room, this selfless
Salvation Army soul opened a closed food line so a father
with three hungry children would not be turned away.
Not on this night, not on his watch. Meat loaf and gravy,
mashed potatoes, with creamed corn on the side, and a
second helping was had by all. Vanilla ice cream for
dessert came wrapped in a little white paper wrapper.
a father, mother, two brothers
and a little sister. The older
what was happening, but he was
too young to do anything about it.
ter reduced to tears from hunger, and it remains a
source of shame that he was unable to provide food
for her. His parents were seemingly paralyzed into
inaction, not knowing what to do. Like most people