As I got ready to hand out tortillas at Andre House in Phoenix, I felt a shiver scurry down my spine. Just a moment before, Father Eric told me that we would pass out tortillas to about 800 homeless people. To me that meant, 800 people that I have never met in my life would pass by me. 800 is more than a normal bunch. However, I thought that they would all be mean, crude, and scruffy looking people. Boy, was I wrong.

It was not my first time there, but it was my first time handing out tortillas, in the middle of the passageway. Where the guests entered the building.

A couple minutes later, the passage flooded with people. They were all different. Some had better clothes than others. Some of the guests were even more talkative than the rest. At first I just handed out the tortillas. That’s it. No eye contact. No emotion. Just tortillas. Later, I realized they’re just people. Hungry people. People who do not have as much as me or others. Things that we might take for granted.

At that moment I started greeting them. “Hi!” “Hello!” “How are you this evening?”
Everyone who responded was too kind. They were so happy that every volunteer was there. They thanked each and every volunteer individually, saying, “God Bless You.” I can recall a moment I greeted a lady and she said to me, “Esteban. What a lovely name.” To that I could only say thank you because no one had ever said anything that pleasant about my name. I had always been teased about my name in the most ridiculous ways possible ever. Ever.

The rest of the night I was there, I had a sort of spring in my step. As I opened, stacked and handed out tortillas I did so contentedly. Every person that I had handed a tortilla was so happy and grateful. They were happy with what they were being given and did not ask for more. Or even complain. They were not taking anything for granted; unlike some people in this world. When the service was over, and there was cleaning to be done, I only could ponder how polite the attendees were. To see them with smiles and joy across their faces made the whole night a success for me. Nothing else could have made that night even better than it already was.

Regardless of what the general public might think, not all of the less fortunates are not all how they a person might believe. Though the world might have turned the cold shoulder on them, every volunteer there remembers them.