Vendor Writing: Norma B.

Food for Thought

BY NORMA B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

I’ve written before about how I must get ‘a certain look’ when I get hungry. Well, that must’ve been the case for most if not all of the instances you’ll read about here. For that reason please know that I’m just as grateful for all this as I am the money I receive — sometimes even more so especially if I’m REALLY, REALLY hungry.

First up there’s Adam who was just passing through one Sunday evening and stopped at Pan’s Soul Food to grab a bite to eat, and he said, “I thought since I was getting me something to eat I’d get you something too.” How sweet! He got me my favorite seafood combo: a sampling of shrimp, crab sticks, scallops and a piece of flounder with fries and slaw all for less than $10. Yum!

Jordan stops by occasionally and she ALWAYS has SPECIAL treats from her favorite coffee shop in East Nashville. Most recently, she not only brought a coffee, she also had a homemade triple berry pop-tart. (In case you’re wondering, homemade is SO much better than store bought!)

My granddaughter and I met Pat from Pennsylvania and her sister Tracy from New Jersey at the Waffle House near my spot while we were waiting to go to a doctors appointment. When I went to pay our bill I was told they’d bought our breakfast!

They said they’d come to town to take their brother home because he was homeless and gotten sick.

I commended them for assisting their brother, and proceeded to tell them about The Contributor and its purpose to help those experiencing homelessness.

The funny thing was, I wasn’t even trying to sell the paper that day, I just happened to have one on hand.

Not to be overlooked is Officer Hill who stopped one day and offered me a turkey sandwich. (It wasn’t a regular turkey sandwich, it was Boars Head.) Along with it there were Wavy Lays, Oreos and a strawberry lemonade. (My granddaughter loves ALL those things so I hope he doesn’t mind, I saved it for her!)

There’s Randy who briefly served as the manager of the Jack in the Box before pursuing other employment opportunities. He found out I REALLY liked their tiny tacos and from then on whenever he saw me out he ALWAYS made sure I got them along with anything else I wanted. How? He’d send Doug over telling him he “had an assignment for him.” The first time Doug not knowing what he wanted protested saying, “But I was about to take my break.” Randy said, “Fine. You can take it when you finish your assignment.” What was the task? Randy said, “Take your friend some tiny tacos and something to drink!” My order was ALWAYS free of charge, but in return, I’d send him the latest issue of The Contributor. Not a bad trade if I do say so myself!

The last incident I will relate here involves several individuals, but bear with me and you’ll see how it all came together and what made it SO special.

First to stop was a Hispanic man who gave me a bag of fruit. A tasty snack.

Next, Danny gave me a reusable Walmart bag with everything from tuna to toiletries, even socks — but wait, there’s more. Shamir stopped and gave me a dinner plate with chicken and dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, turnip greens and cornbread. It was more than enough for lunch and dinner! For desert, the bread man (who comes every Sunday afternoon) brought chocolate doughnuts in his goody box!

All that was missing was something to drink. Just then my Arizona man appeared.

No, he’s NOT from Arizona, but the first time he stopped to talk to me he said, “I don’t have much money, but can I get you anything?” I told him the Arizona drinks were 99 cents. From that time on a tradition was born. Now any time he sees me out, he buys me an Arizona drink, and his timing is AMAZ- ING! Problem solved.

All that happening in one day would be something special, right? But can you imagine it all happening in 10 minutes or so? There was only one thing to say as the last left that day, BREAK TIME!

The special time of giving is upon us, and I know many are hesitant to give money. If you choose to give food, PLEASE KNOW IT IS GREATLY APPRECIATED, but remember people need to eat 365 days a year and NOT only during the holiday season.

No matter what you choose to give, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO to help others in your community!