Helping when Needed

Sometimes I will bring Elbert some food from home and almost always he does not take it. One time I brought chili and he really seemed to like that, but otherwise he refuses my offerings. He does the same to David and Lonnie too. I often wonder why someone who has few resources would reject food of any kind. He should be happy with any kind of food, right?

Recently, I received a call from a group that wants to volunteer. I talked through our typical volunteer opportunities, listing the primary needs first and the size of groups we can accommodate. Though I consistently create and maintain volunteer opportunities the group leader didn't seem to agree that I have no need for a group her size or for the number of hours she wants to volunteer. I just don't have enough for her group to do. We try to create meaningful service opportunities for all groups that want to volunteer. That last thing I want is for someone to volunteer and feel like they aren't completely anything.

I guess maybe now I'll trust Elbert when he says he doesn't like or want something that I think he should accept just because he relies on my kindness and charity.

Fridays with Elbert vol. 2

Elbert is full of ideas and intentions. Each day that he is in the office he spends significant time asking David to research auto and land auctions.

"Hey, uh, David," Elbert says in his scruffy but quiet voice. "When you get a minute can you look up land auctions in Alberta, Canada."

Yes, I said Alberta, Canada. Sometimes he asks David to research plots of land that are close to where he currently resides, Atlanta. One might assume that would be a good idea since he currently has extremely limited resources. But for Elbert it seems like the sky is the limit. Elbert has some goals and ideas about what he wants out of life and where he wants to be.

Sometimes those goals don't seem incredibly logical, but last Friday they were.

We all know August in Atlanta can be miserable, especially if you don't have air conditioning. I have sweat dripping off my face just by walking to the mailbox. Very little energy is exerted. The heat just gets you.

I can only imagine what it must be like for Elbert. He has no house or apartment to retire to in the evening. There is no oasis from the unbearable mid-day sun or lingering evening mugginess. Last Friday, Elbert decided it was time to address this problem.

"Uh, Megan," he said shyly. "Do you know where I can get an air conditioner. You all don't have one around here do you?"

"No, Elbert. That's not one of the items that constitutes as essential, household furniture. We don't get those in here."

"Well, uh, if I got someone to give me one do you think I could plug it up and drag it out to my little place in the woods."

I wasn't here to see it, but I'm sure Megan's face made a questioning look. Possibly a smirk. And if there were others in ear shot, a moment of laughter might have taken them over.

"I would only need about 400 ft of extension cord," Elbert said convincingly.

"Elbert," Megan paused. "Where are you going to plug that up?"

"Oh, well," again Elbert emphatically trying to convince her that this was a suggestion that one might hear everyday. "There's a plug outside by the door."

I can just imagine coming in one day and seeing a bright orange extension cord running the length of our parking lot that spans the width of several thousands of square feet of warehouses. At the end of the 400 ft orange trail there would be Elbert reclining in a hammock, his t-shirt blowing slightly with the power of the cool air forcing out of the air conditioning unit, and a refreshing drink with a decorative umbrella in hand.

I wish Elbert could have this oasis. I wish this was true for Elbert and so many others that are homeless. Walking the Atlanta streets day and night in the sweltering heat.

Elbert's ideas and intentions provide some entertainment for the Furniture Bank staff. Only because they seem so outlandish to us. But when you really think about it, what one of us wouldn't dream up the same if we had no escape from the heat.

Fridays with Elbert vol. 1

Apparently Friday's are exciting days around the office. I'm off on Friday's so I miss the fun, but the entertaining stories get passed along.

As I've said in previous blogs, Elbert has become central to the life of the Furniture Bank even though he does not work here and really has no particular reason he needs to hang around.

Several Friday's ago Elbert had a run in with the coffeemaker. David recounted the story for me:

I was on the phone talking with a donor.

'Yes, we take mattresses. Can I get your zip code? That will help me determine what day we can come out and pick the mattresses up,' he was talking in his polite, customer service voice.

Suddenly I heard this loud dripping sound. I turned my head and there was light brown liquid flowing from the coffeemaker. He focused on the donor, "I'm...I'm going to have to call you back," he said as he hung up.

The liquid was all over the place, David explains with emphatic motions with his hands and arms. I mean everywhere and spreading!

Elbert was outside smoking a cigarette.

David rushed through the front door to get outside, "Elbert, there's a situation with the coffeemaker. I'm going to need you to come in here and take care of this." He busted back through the Furniture Bank entrance and began to clean-up the mess.

He was good about trying to clean it up, but halfway through he decided he needed a break, David said with a note of question.

This is particularly funny because for the blocks of time Elbert is around the office his main activity, if you can call it that, is sitting. It's not like he was moving furniture in 90+ degree weather like our donations crew. He sits, asks David a random question here and there, and drinks cup of coffee after cup of coffee.

"So, what happened here, Elbert?," David said.

I'm not sure how the conversation continued, but Elbert eventually revealed that he decided to simplify the coffee making process. Apparently, in his rat race of a day, he couldn't spare the extra thirty seconds to add cream, sugar and stir the coffee. Instead, he thought it much better to add the cream prior to brewing the coffee.

Since then the coffeemaker is like driving behind an out-of-towner. Sometimes it clips right along and then suddenly it slows to an abrupt stop and then revs back up again. Lonnie started coffee this morning at 8 a.m. and it was still brewing at 10:30 when I got my second cup.

The broken coffeemaker is quite unfortunate since Elbert drinks several pots a day.

The Countdown: Boiling Point

One of my favorite shows is Boiling Point. The idea is to put regular people in irritating situations to see how long it will take the person to get angry, irate or curse someone out. If the person stays calm through the irritating situation, then he or she wins money. Most people don't win. Maybe I'm sick for enjoying it. Or maybe I think about the entertainment value I might add to the show. Some days I have a low tolerance for activities that don't go smoothly...like getting to the check out counter at the grocery store and getting a clerk that moves like molasses.

Most people on the show are polite at first. We all try to be understanding...Maybe the clerk has had a rough day, maybe it is the attendants first day on the job. We justify others actions. Then if the situation continues to anger us or frustration sets in, many of us will eventually blow up at the person who is the catalyst for our irritation. I find that the Post Office often puts me in this frame of mind. I have to prepare myself for what I encounter there. A few simple breathing exercises...and then I'm ready.

I say all this to set the scene for the Furniture Bank office. David, Lonnie, the client services manager, and I all share a large open office space. There is a board room style table in the open space as well. And in order for clients to get to the restroom, they have to go through the entire office. Needless to say, it can get quite chaotic in here. It requires a lot of concentration to actually get work done during some moments of the day. It can also be quite entertaining.

When I first started here I was always taken off guard when David or Lonnie would randomly start talking. It's kind of like standing in the grocery store line with someone wearing a bluetooth. For a moment you assume they must be talking about you. After 9 months, I've adjusted.

Today, we (the blogging audience and I) are starting a count down to see how long it takes Lonnie and David to hit their boiling points. I have yet to see it, but am confident it could happen one day.

It's important to know who Lonnie and David deal with. Lonnie works with the clients we serve, individuals and families moving out of homeless shelters, living with HIV/AIDS and fleeing domestic violence situations. She also works with our partnering agencies. Each year she does a couple of trainings to teach partnering agencies how they can refer people in need to the Furniture Bank. There are several common issues that Lonnie has with clients and agencies. Most of them revolve around people not thoroughly reading the paperwork we've provided at the training. So, the test is who will cause her to reach her boiling point first - clients or agencies?

David works with donors. He receives a lot of phone calls each day from individuals and companies that utilize our free pick-up service within the four country metro area. Most of David's frustrations with donors revolve around donors wanting the Furniture Bank system to be different. Namely, many people call wanting to donate...which of course is what we hope for. However, we can't offer priority pick-up service to anyone. Since we rely on many donations to adequately serve our clients, we have to provide pick-up service based on a route that will give us the most donations. We also need adequate notice in order to provide a pick-up. A donor can't call at 2 p.m. and expect to get on the route for the following day. That rarely happens.

David also manages our truck drivers and trucks. If you've read previous posts you know how fickle the trucks can be. So, the test is what will cause David to reach his boiling point - a donor, our truck drivers or our ever-failing truck?

And of course the ultimate question is, who will reach the boiling point first? Stay tuned for updates!