Fridays at Dismas
Friday nights I go to the Dismas House. I know what you’re thinking – don’t you have fun on the weekends? Well, yes I do. I really do.
The Dismas House is a halfway house located a few blocks away from the Commons. It houses ten or so men recently out of prison, works to rehabilitate them, help them find jobs, and assimilate back into society. They have groups from the community come in and cook dinner and then eat with the residents. It’s supposed to be great for the residents, but I would argue it’s even better for the volunteers.
Every Friday night, I meet up with a group of Kissam residents as a part of Grassroots, a student organization committed to combatting poverty. They have become some of my favorite people on campus. We squeeze into Dismas House’s tiny kitchen, sometimes more than ten of us, and whip up a meal for the residents. We laugh a ton – sometimes at each other, but mostly with each other. Sometimes our meals are delicious, but sometimes a little questionable. We always make biscuits (because we love them) and dessert (because who can turn down dessert?). Somehow, we always manage to pull off a meal.
This week we had the “World’s Best Chicken Casserole”. It was interesting to say the least. Try taking roasted chicken, adding a bunch of mayonaisse and sour cream, green chilis, celery, black olives, Lays Potato Chips and cheese, and bake. Basically a heart attack on a plate. At least the brownies were good! The casserole, well, we agreed to not make it again.
Dismas gives me a chance to get away from Vandy and do something for the community. It lets me interact with people I would never otherwise meet. The stories these men tell are fascinating; they make you laugh, they make you think. They make me grateful for all the opportunities that I have had and mindful of my decisions. Last year, I would have never imagined I would spend three hours every Friday cooking dinner at a halfway house. However, after having done it since September now, I wouldn’t want to start my weekend any other way.
