Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 26, 1994 TAG: 9411280038
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CATHRYN McCUE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But no, they had homework to do. And not any ordinary book report or math assignment.
At noon, Harman, 14, and Salo, 13, were standing on Salem Avenue Southwest outside the Samaritan Inn rustling up barbecued chicken and beans for about 100 needy people. It was part of a community service project for their civics class at Hidden Valley Junior High.
It was also a lesson in reality neither will forget for a long time.
"It's sad that there are really people like this," said Salo, looking at the mix of men and women, black and white, young and old gathered on the sidewalk, waiting for their daily meal.
He described seeing one man, a Vietnam veteran, beg for money. "It's shocking. I didn't think it would be this bad."
Salo had never done any volunteer work like this before. He was shy around these people, he said, and a little nervous. But he looked intently into every person's face after placing a piece of barbecue on their Styrofoam plates.
Harman is used to this sort of thing, and enjoys it. His father, Jimmy Harman, runs Jimmy's Outdoor Catering across the street and often sends his son over to the Samaritan with leftovers.
John Harman's first encounter with the needy came a couple of years back, at Christmas. His father, tired of his kids complaining, "I want this, I want that," brought them to the Samaritan Inn to help serve dinner.
"It really changed our attitudes," John Harman said. So, when his teacher assigned a civics project, he immediately thought of the Samaritan Inn.
Relying on his dad's contacts, he and Salo called for contributions: Jimmy's donated 95 pounds of chicken and the smoker; Flowers Bakery donated bread; Quality Produce donated slaw fixings; and Sam's Wholesale Club gave 25 gallons of beans.
The boys worked part of Thanksgiving Day making the slaw and beans, and started at 9:30 Friday morning on the barbecue.
"It's a blessing for us," said Darlene Price, assistant director at the Samaritan Inn, watching the boys set up. After serving more than 200 turkey dinners with all the trimmings on Thursday, "We got to come in today and just kind of breathe," she said with a laugh.
The customers likewise were pleased by the meal, more a Fourth of July picnic than the usual Thanksgiving Day rerun.
"It's a surprise. It's a good surprise, too," said one man, who sat with his piled-high plate in a cardboard box stuffed with clothes.
One after another, they passed by the two teens who filled their plates with chicken and beans.
"Right there, son," said one, pointing where the beans should go.
"There you go, sir," Harman said.
"They made the cole slaw," said one woman to no one in particular. "It's good." She took a bite. "It's not quite as good as mine, but it is good."
Herbert George, 70, comes to the Samaritan Inn every day, not so much for the food but to be around people, he said.
"That's nice," he said, when told of the boys' project. "Kids learning about life. That's nice. That's beautiful."
by CNB