We met in the kitchen at nine. My friend was new to Albuquerque and hadn’t started her job yet, so I told her I’d show her some places to get help. I’ve had to figure so many things out by trial and error that I’m always glad to show someone how to do something. In my case, doing things the hard way was because I’d been slow to ask for help.

It was only her second day in town and she was getting out and getting things done. I knew from experience how good productive effort can feel. There is nothing like it for getting over worries and doubts.

The Storehouse was busy. The little wooden squares they gave us had 91 and 92 on them and the number they were calling was only 66. On any given day, from Monday to Saturday, the Storehouse will distribute food to 400 – 500 visitors. We sat in the old church pews and talked about books, M Scott Momeday and the Navajo tales of Coyote and Lizard. There were crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling of the old building, little touches of donations. It seemed like nothing was wasted.

Much sooner than we expected, the volunteers called our numbers and we showed our IDs at the front desk. They asked if we wanted clothes or food. You can receive either food or clothes once a month and every third Friday you can request pet food. We both chose food so they gave us tickets and told us where to wait. The line went down so quickly I had no time to explain how things worked.

The volunteers guided us through the supermarket with its sections for different kinds of canned goods, frozen meats and bread. There were smaller shelves for specialty items and pasta. We got to choose from many items. People were waiting to help at every turn.

There were a lot of people being helped and plenty of food for everyone. When we got out we compared our choices and saw we’d picked some of the same items. We had more than we could use, especially bread. But nothing would go to waste. Anything extra could be put up on shelves in the kitchen at our halfway house where people cook meals together.

While waiting for our ride we got to talking to some of the volunteers who told us the Storehouse will be moving soon. Partly because of gentrification and also to try out a distribution method. They want to bring food to the four quadrants of Albuquerque so people will have an easier time picking up food.

Whatever this new Storehouse looks like, we were sure that everything would run smoothly. My friend and I plan to pitch in as volunteers to give back and catch some of that positive attitude, so much more beneficial than their generous gift of food.

AUTHOR BIO: 

Robert Wilson is a short story author, novelist and award-winning poet from Albuquerque. His publication credits include contributions to the book, “Disrupting the School-to-Prison Pipeline,” published by the Harvard Educational Review, and As/Us literary journal’s Decolonial Love issue. He is the author of the “Black Light District” series of postmodern crime novels. Having received his high school diploma while incarcerated in 2013, he is dedicated to bringing writing workshops into correctional facilities, volunteering for UNM Writers in the Community, JustWrite, and the Gordon Bernell Charter School.

You can visit him at: www.facebook.com/pages/Robert-J-Wilson/360021757483448