Every year about this time I get tense about a certain task I do at work. Please do not think I am bah hum bug, or snotty before I begin my story. The local Salvation Army in the area that I work provides holiday assistance to needy individuals for Thanksgiving and Christmas. For the dialysis units they allow me to take their applications to my work, get some filled out, and then I get to go and pick up the items to take back to my units to give out to those that qualified. Sounds simple enough and very rewarding right? Wrong of course or that wouldn't be interesting enough to blog about.
First of all, getting the patients to provide me with all the information is a nightmare. If they need toys for kids I got to have the child's Social Security number which usually results in a huge ordeal, and some people just never get it to me, so that means they don't get a toy, and that makes them a pleasure to deal with. Then once I get the applications to the salvation army, I would have to stalk them to find out when and where to pick up the food items. They usually get a box of food, and a voucher to Farm Fresh to get a turkey or a ham, or sometimes they go crazy and have the actual Turkey there for me (then I have to store them all over town in other peoples freezers until I can get them to my patients). You just never know.
Once I finally get the time for pick up, I am told I get to come to the front of the line given I have so much to collect, and load up. This results, in the other people waiting impatiently to throw verbal threats my way, and then they make a comment given my appearance that I have no right to be as I look like I can afford it. There have been times in which they say, for my patients that live in certain counties I have to go to a different location and so on, so it might take days before I have all the food for my needy patients found. On some occasions they have ran out of vouchers, and told me to go to the Salvation Army office to get them directly, and when I arrive at the office the workers look at me like I am liar, and a thief, and refuse to give them to me which causes a week long battle to get the vouchers until after the holidays. That has gone over really well with the patients too mind you.
Also, mind you, I have been 7-8 months pregnant for the last two years when I have had to do this. And part of the reason I did not like being pregnant (grant it I liked parts of it, tiny parts though) was because I did not get the royal treatment from strangers with helping me with heavy objects, or holding doors open for me. So with Laura I had to load 20 boxes of heavy food items in a car,and unload them, and I was not delighted. I called in sick the next day as my back hurt.
Last year when I was pregnant with Rachel, Dave came up to help me, and he thought I was over exaggerating the horribleness of my Salvation Army dramas. Very quickly, he told me he couldn't believe I did this crap. That was the year they shorted me on boxes and vouchers.
This year, I was cringing at the thought of going through it all again, but excited to not be pregnant, and I was ready for some heavy lifting.
I turned in the applications for 15 people this year as that was all they gave me, and they surprised me with giving me a special card, and special time to come and pick up. I had to be there Monday morning at the crack of dawn at some outlet mall, as they were going to set up in a vacant store. They promised it would be swift and much easier this year for me. Guess they caught on to my grumbling....
I doubted them, I really did. I just knew it was going to be awful anyways. I arrived, and couldn't find a freaking door open. The mall didn't open until 10am, and here I was peering in the doors. After trying out every door at the mall, I finally found the special door. I guess they keep one door open for walkers to enter, and it was the last door I tried of course. So I was rattled, knowing, just knowing it was going to keep going down from there. But to my amazement, I got all my crap, and they loaded it in my car for me, and I had everything I needed.
I was amazed, and almost upset with myself for doubting them.
Then I had to go to my units to pass them out. You would think that would be the fun part. To see the greatfulness from the patients. As I have learned, most are not greatful, but some are. They don't even use the food for the holidays most of the time. Some usually get other stuff with their vouchers besides the turkey or ham. Heck one year one lady gave it someone for cash so she could get cigaretts. This year my excitement was carrying out a box for a patient to their car, and she just drove off with me standing there with the box. I thought to myself, well maybe shes going to pull around, or maybe she just really needed some food from McDonalds. No she just left. I sat there with my mouth wide open for a good 5 min.
Then of course I hear crap from my bosses. Love them. I do. Really. BUT i hear "why didn't so and so get a box", or a wealthy patient will see the boxes and me carrying them out, and want one and not understand. I don't give them to the patients all out in the open hoping to avoid that, but its hard to hide them when they leave and need my help.
So today one of my bosses says shes upset one didn't get a box, and I explained I was only allowed to get 15 and that certain patient didn't turn in his stuff in time so I couldn't include him. So she give me money and sends me off to Farm Fresh to make a personal box with him, and for the record I had to use my own money as she didn't give me enough. Normally I wouldn't mind, but I left my check book at home, and so I had to use my lunch money. So I am starving now. This patient better enjoy this food. So I just can't make everyone happy I guess. And guess what? I get to do this all again in a month. Any volunteers if I call in sick?
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