max writes about a day at the soup kitchen

Volunteers at Haley House

Most of my readers know that my son Max lives in and works at a soup kitchen in Boston. I'd like to devote today's post to something he wrote recently about a day at Haley House:

"Breakfast at the soup kitchen this morning was like any other morning. We cracked the doors open at 5:30 am and were greeted by a dozen hungry guys who had either spent the night outside or had been anxious to leave the overnight shelter as early as possible. The men sat down to chat with each other or read the paper and sip some freshly brewed coffee. Meanwhile, folks in the kitchen got right to work cutting up vegetables and scrambling eggs. Breakfast in the soup kitchen always started like this.

Volunteers in the soup kitchen find out about Haley House from a variety of sources. Google ‘Soup Kitchen in Boston’ and we’re the first result. Some of our volunteers are neighbors who believe in the mission of Haley House. Others are college students who need to satisfy community service hours or just want to do something to help other people. There’s another group that comes to Haley House not because they want to volunteer, but because they’re hungry.

The actual kitchen at Haley House is separated from the dining room only by a small table on wheels. There’s no real separation between the two areas, which means anyone can freely cross what would ordinarily be an imposed barrier in any other soup kitchen. The easy access to the kitchen occasionally beckons one of the guests to come back and help out. After all, what better way to show one’s appreciation for the meal than to assist with food preparation or clean some dishes? No experience necessary –all you need is a hairnet and a quick trip to the hand washing station.

One of the volunteers today used to have a reputation for being irritable and unfriendly. That was before he started volunteering a few weeks ago. He was a guest in the soup kitchen for years before that. I wasn’t sure what changed or when, but I admired his hard work in the kitchen and appreciated the positive attitude he brought with him this morning. On his way out the door, we slapped hands and I told him thanks for his hard work. He responded, ‘no problem,’ and told me that volunteering has been an important and positive thing for him recently.

I didn’t know much about this guy or what circumstances led him to be homeless. Unprovoked by me, he started telling me about his heroin problem. He explained that using heroin all day will make someone sick to their stomach, exhausted, and irritable the next day — unless another fix could be procured early in the morning. But his dealer didn’t start selling until noon or later, so he was left sitting in the back of the soup kitchen to cope with ‘the kick.’

He told me about his recent decision to check into the methadone clinic, despite the harsh judgment of other users who looked down on people who went to the clinic. He was sick of being sick, and methadone could help keep the kick away. And besides, unlike heroin, methadone would help keep him out of jail where he’d get the kick anyways.

He told me that he felt welcomed by the other volunteers in the kitchen. They treated him with dignity and respect that he didn’t get on the street. For that reason, he wanted people to call him by his real name, not his street nickname that he associates with heroin users and other people who exert a negative influence on him. He wants to keep coming to volunteer because it makes him feel important. I think he’ll probably be working with us for a long time.

I know other homeless guys who also feel dignified and important when they volunteer in the soup kitchen. Hearing about this guy’s story today reaffirmed the significance of their role in the kitchen. That’s why I’m glad that breakfast at the soup kitchen this morning was like any other morning –fulfilling for people on both sides of the serving counter, regardless of how they came to Haley House."

haley house

I've spent the past two days making photos for Haley House. My son, Max, is one of five live-in residents here. He helps run the soup kitchen. He also helps with the clothing room and the food pantry. He works on the website. He even teaches a cooking class to at-risk high school kids. He's forging wonderful relationships with like minded good souls - people who have so much to learn from him and so much yet to teach him.

This is the philosophy of Haley House:


A revolution of the heart.

We believe in addressing problems at their very root. Using food as a vehicle we help alleviate suffering, build new skills and bring communities together. When people eat, work, and share stories, the barriers built by economic and educational disparities are broken down. Through these heart-connections we hope to create a genuinely peaceful society.

We believe in the possibility of transformation through personal relationships; where the advantaged and the most disadvantaged will be valued equally - while we honor the intrinsic goodness at the heart of every person.

We are open. We support spiritual exploration and do not discriminate against different practices. It is the power of various practices that transform people's lives and in the end, our world.

We are transparent. We listen deeply and collaborate before making decisions. This brings forth the best thinking from diverse points of view and experience.

This documentary, made in 2008 by Alexandra Pinschmidt, will give you a good idea as to the scope of what Haley House believes and the tremendous amount of good that Haley House accomplishes.





Here are some of my photos of guests who come to Haley House.

I made these photographs in the apartments of some of those guests who are now living in affordable housing thanks to Haley House.

Here are the residents: Mary Ashton, Albert, Tomas, John and Max (taken when they were on a retreat in New Hampshire several months ago).

And finally, here are Max and me standing in front of the soup kitchen.

trip to boston: haley house

We just returned from a visit with our son, Max. Let me tell you about the place where he now lives and works. He has written about it before for me to post on the blog. But now I have seen it for myself!

Haley House has been in the Back Bay area of Boston since before it transitioned into the upscale neighborhood it is now. It’s odd to find a soup kitchen, flanked by boutique shops and restaurants, situated on a beautiful tree lined street. The house itself was built in the mid 1800’s and still has some of the original pine plank floors. It slants and slopes a bit and needs work, but it is home to a group of inspired, compassionate and dedicated staff members and residents. The soup kitchen is on the first floor; the other floors accommodate administrative offices, a few cats, the residents and storage areas.

Max is one of five residents. The residents are wonderfully gentle, kind people who believe in making a difference. They live in very simple accommodations. I was struck by the peaceful, quiet and supportive nature of the place. These four guys and one woman work really well together and have become good friends. They are responsible for getting the food (which comes from the Haley House farm, local food banks and various grocers), planning the menus and then leading the groups of volunteers that arrive each day to prepare and serve the nutritious home-cooked meals. (The volunteers come from surrounding colleges, universities, churches, civic organizations, etc.) The residents take turn leading the meal shifts. Breakfast prep starts at 5:30 AM and is served to 50 – 80 men (the number varies depending on weather, the time of month, etc), who are referred to as Haley House “guests”. Most of the men are homeless, living in shelters or on the street. Many have addiction issues or struggle with mental illness, problems that are, of course, common to the disenfranchised. Some are just down on their luck. At Haley House, they know they can find a safe, warm place, a good breakfast and the pleasant and supportive camaraderie of the residents and volunteers. “Elder Care” lunch is served at noon to homeless men and women over the age of 55. There is also a clothing and food pantry.

The Haley House was founded by a smart, compassionate, socially and politically active, slightly irreverent woman named Kathe. She (and her husband) began doing humanitarian work by taking in destitute men they found sleeping on the street. Haley House is now a large and loving operation that not only helps feed the homeless, but also provides programs and support for the jobless and those transitioning out of homelessness. Haley House has a bakery cafe, an organic farm and residential properties that have been turned into affordable housing for low-income people.

Kathe has become a huge inspiration to Max. Eddie and I had a chance to chat with her, and we can see why. She has accomplished a tremendous amount of good work over the past 45 years and seems to have no thoughts of slowing down. She cares deeply for those who live in poverty and on the fringes of society and has motivated countless people to lend them a helping hand. Haley House functions on private donations and grants from various foundations.

Max heads up the clothing pantry, helps out with IT stuff and works several meal shifts. He LOVES what he’s doing. The residents and volunteers are encouraged to eat and mingle with the guests; since meeting and learning about people are among Max’s favorite things to do, he’s a happy camper! Part of the Haley House philosophy is “…the possibility of transformation through personal relationships, where the advantaged and the disadvantaged are valued equally, while the intrinsic goodness at the heart of every person in honored.” What a great lesson for Max to be learning (and living).

Organic chemistry class, biology class, homework, volunteering at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and tutoring a Harvard student in chemistry are what fill the rest of Max’s dance card. Needless to say, he is a busy boy. Since he sold his car, he has mastered the T and loves getting around Boston that way or on foot. He takes pride in the fact that he's living on $50/month: $30 for his T pass and $20 for the gym! He and the other residents get to eat all their meals at Haley House, where they have access to its large food pantry and a really nice kitchen.

It was great seeing our sonny boy and learning more about what he's doing!



















Tom, one of the other residents. He and Max also go to school together.


Eddie and and Max washing dishes after breakfast. We loved helping and being part of such a wonderful community, if for only one morning.


Our happy young man.

nice timing (by max feinstein)

Roger's Braid, Portland (GBF)


"As a regular reader of this blog, I was pretty thrilled when my mom recently embarked on a new project to photograph members of the homeless population in Portland. Part of my excitement stems from the new spectrum of colors present in photographs where once there was only black, white, and gray. As an avid enthusiast of GBF’s work, I’ve enjoyed comparing and contrasting the new style of work with the old. Perhaps even more exciting about this new project is the subject matter. Now, I’m not surprised that the artist in question has ventured into a previously untapped realm – this is something she regularly does – but that the current focus aligns so closely with recent events in my life. Specifically, since I moved to Boston but a few short months ago, I discovered a local not-for-profit whose mission it is to enrich the lives of the homeless population through food.

One could call Haley House a soup kitchen, but perhaps a more appropriate title might simply be restaurant with free healthy food. (And I do mean healthy – most of their food comes not from cans, but from a nearby organic farm.) In addition to serving meals, they also dole out a healthy dose of dignity to their patrons. Instead of simply serving guests and sending them back to wander the streets of Beantown, Haley House encourages volunteers to treat guests not as homeless people, but simply as people. Subtle though this distinction may seem, it has the distinct effect of reminding Haley House patrons that they deserve equal treatment as anyone else – an ideal that likely slips away rather quickly after a short period of life on the streets. The Haley House mission resonates beautifully with the ideals that have been deeply instilled in me be the author of this blog and her loving counterpart. That’s why I’m excited to begin working there regularly. (I will in fact be living at their residence for full-time volunteers, an opportunity afforded to me thanks to the generosity of Lynne Melcher and Melissa Mosher, whose thoughtful recommendations played no small part in the acceptance of my application.)

If you’re interested in learning more about Haley House and their work, I encourage you to check out their website. And if you’re in the Boston area, I highly recommend checking out their café at 12 Dade St. (02119 zip code). In the meantime, I’m looking forward to more installments of GBF’s latest project as a means to put the spotlight on the world of street living that’s often brushed aside from the average home-dweller’s daily discourse."

[Max will get room and board at Haley House in exchange for working there. He will be part of a small community of live-in residents who prepare and serve the meals to guests.]