Restoring Dignity
The Denver Urban Semester (DUS) values partnership. Each semester we carefully consider internship placements for each of our students. This semester two students, Emily and Leah, have been interning at Metro Caring. Metro Caring is the largest hunger relief organization in Denver and is much more than simply a food bank.
Cindy Piggott, the Volunteer Coordinator, stated, “We seek to provide a hand up, not a hand out.” Metro Caring take a holistic approach to the issue of hunger by providing more than just food. Metro Caring volunteers assess other needs that their clients might have and strive to provide resources that lead to self-sufficiency. The organization provides limited medical care, financial assistance, nutrition classes, job readiness training and even assists individuals with obtaining IDs or birth certificates. They understand that there is more going on than an empty belly.
When a client arrives to Metro Caring, they are greeted with smiling faces. Each week, over 150 volunteers give their times to serve those who come into the center. These volunteers meet one-on-one with clients to assess their needs. Clients are then guided through the market and have the opportunity to choose their own food. Volunteers are trained and encouraged to treat each and every person with dignity. They see each person as an individual who is valuable. Furthermore, Metro Caring provides healthy, nutritional food, providing fresh food as often as possible (63% of their food assistance is fresh). The fresh produce is grown on site in a state-of-the-art greenhouse. Clients can come to Metro Caring once a month and no one is ever turned down. There is no income level discrimination and respect and dignity guide their work, no questions asked.
One of the smiling faces that individuals saw this summer was DUS intern, Emily. She had the opportunity to do intakes with clients and get a small glimpse into their lives. In her words, she was able to “restore dignity to hurting people.” Students like Emily have the space to explore what it looks like to live a life in which you extend love, value, and dignity to each individual. Emily put it beautifully by saying, “At first, I struggled a lot with the knowledge that I couldn't do much for them. I couldn't fix their families, the systems they were stuck in, or the illness that made their lives impossible. But I quickly embraced the power behind what I could offer them: a listening ear, a caring smile, a heartfelt laugh, and the precious gift of my time.” Emily was able to communicate value and worth by simply being with people.
Mile High Ministries values engaging with other people in our city that are bringing beauty into our world. We are thankful for places such as Metro Caring that take seriously the issues in our city such as hunger. And it is a joy to watch young college students learn and grow into being future leaders who also long for beauty. The beauty of the Kingdom is at hand and it is flourishing in the lives of our DUS students.
