By Lia Marsee
TAMPA- A line formed outside the door of the Trinity Cafe on Nebraska Avenue as the smell of breakfast wafted outside at 8:30 a.m. on a bright, sunny and warm November Morning.
More than 130 people gathered outside the cafe to be waited on and served a hot meal and a chance to connect with friends at the “Stampede of Service” event hosted by USF’s Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement.
The day was more than just a free meal or an act of charity. For the volunteers and individuals in need, this day was the foundation for a deep sense of community, friendship and understanding.
“I like to give back, these people are essentially our neighbors,” Kyle Alessi, a volunteer said. “I live a few miles down the street, I see them out in public all the time.”
Alessi has been volunteering for five years, where he has found his community within the homeless and the volunteers. Amongst those was Marvin Leonard who came for more than the breakfast sandwich, cereal and a drink. He was there hoping to connect with people who he knew while he was homeless.
“I didn’t want to spend any money and I wanted to be with the fellas,” Leonard said.
“They’re pretty cool, I know this guy and this guy,” Leonard said as he motioned towards people he knew, one of whom was Thomas Newsom. Newsom said he sleeps on the sidewalk but has been coming here for two years for the company he’s found here too.
“Good place to get a good hot meal and meet some great people,” Newsom said. “I come to see my friends, I know a lot of people here.”
Newsom said he hasn’t eaten in a restaurant in years, but through the Trinity Cafe, Newsom can enjoy this experience. This fully sit-down restaurant is run by many volunteers, where people serve as waiters to bring food to those in need and cater to their requests. These people work tirelessly for no pay, which helps the cafe run all 365 days of the year.
Their payment comes in other forms besides money. Maribel Rodriguez, a volunteer, said her payment is the feeling of giving back to the community.
“I’ve been coming here for four years, I remember it was a time in my life when I wanted to give back. I’ve loved it ever since,” said Rodriguez. “I come in here like it’s my job, even though I’m not getting paid for it, it’s just a different feeling.”
For Alessi, the payment comes in the form of knowledge.
“Just giving back, meeting people in the community, seeing life from a different perspective and just gaining life knowledge,” said Alessi who feels he is repaid in other ways as he feels safe within the community.
William Johnson, a homeless man, has served as a protector for Alessi. Alessi said that Johnson lives four or five streets away from Alessi where they see each other on a weekly basis. Alessi said he was having trouble with a homeless couple lurking around his home and he had asked Johnson to notify him if he saw them lurking around. Alessi said that Johnson had become the watchdog of the neighborhood from then on.
But when Johnson isn’t acting as a watchdog he is playing the piano for the diners in the middle of the cafe.
But unlike Alessi’s acceptance of the homeless, not everyone within his community shares his positive energy toward them. Homeless people face a stigma daily.
David Phillips, a veteran volunteer, said homeless people face rude insults or have change thrown at them. Essentially they are treated less than people in more fortunate situations.
Rebecca Lee Harris, an Associate Professor of Instruction Economics Department at the University of South Florida said stigmas include laziness, lack of hygiene, and mental illness. Harris said this stigma hasn’t just appeared but has been seen in the early 1900s with “tramps” or “hobos” who jumped trains. Harris said this negative stigma could stem from a level of internal fear.
“I think people tend to fear ‘the other’, whether that is people who look, act, or think differently. It may partly be out of fear as in ‘that could be me’,” Harris said.
This is another reason why Alessi believes it is important to give back. Rather than letting it scare people, Alessi said it should serve as a reminder.
“A Lot of our guests have fallen on hard times and it is kind of an eerie reminder that when you are here, we’re not that far off,” Alessi said. “We’re a missed paycheck or one injury away from falling on hard times.”
There is truth in Alessi’s perspective about the main causes of homelessness.
“Nowadays, we experience skyrocketing medical costs and really high housing costs, both of which drive many people to homelessness,” said Harris “That includes people living in their cars, “couch surfing” and living in shelters. Addiction can also play a role, but not always.”
This has led to the volunteers’ team captain, Priscilla Abrau’s drive to continuously try to create a welcoming environment.
“I think one of the reasons we love this place so much is because of its core value of dignity and respect to every single person that walks in,” Abrau said. “No matter what walk of life we’re here to serve them, we want to make sure that we provide them with at least one meal a day.”
Abrau started as a volunteer but after volunteering for ten years she got the position of team captain. Despite the promotion, she is still doing the extra work for free. Knowing that everyone can be served and fed accordingly has served as her form of payment. She works diligently to ensure operations run smoothly.
This idea runs through the work ethic of all volunteers.
“One time a day, we get to treat them and make them feel like they are a whole person as they are,” said Phillips.
It’s clear Abrau and Philips and the other volunteers have driven this point home as Leonard expresses the importance of finding community and ensuring a welcoming environment despite not knowing who they are.
“Overall they are cool people and really laid back, said Leonard. “They gather here to eat and then attend to their business but mainly have fun.”