Life at a homeless shelter.

The morning was on the horizon, and I knew today would be particularly tough. We were down three volunteers at the shelter, and tonight would be especially cold. Our average visits were up 200 percent over the last week, mainly because of an unusual cold snap. It was almost 7am so I tapped on the girl’s door so they could get up to prepare for a day of virtual classes. Emmy was 12, and Alex 16. Both of them great students; although Zoom was wearing thin on them, they were ready to get back to school, and so was I. Emmy poked her head out the bedroom and reminded me that she needed some colored pencils. I nodded and smiled to acknowledge her and quickly jotted it down in my Moleskine, which I keep in my breast pocket. My mind immediately switched to my drive into work as the girl’s mom arrived home from her 3rd shift. The temperature flirted with 0 degrees Fahrenheit, so I was dressed relatively dense, pea coat, tweed hat, and boots.
I made my usual stop at the Starbucks on Fairbanks and began my daily plea to Mr. Roland. Today Roland was dressed in an older-looking yet warm team jacket and earmuffs. I was concerned that I didn’t see the blanket that usually accompanied him, but he looked comfortable. I grabbed my hot coffee and the same for Roland, bid him goodbye, and made my way into Jacobs Hope. Before I could pull into my parking spot, my phone explodes. Our guests at the homeless shelter couldn’t be adequately fed…