We spent yesterday morning in the big city at the food bank for this month's installment of the Teen Homeschool Service Club. I'm so terribly sorry I didn't have my camera. That place is a phototastic freak-a-thon of image love and pain.

The warehouse is located in the heart of a desperate neighborhood, chain linked, rusted, frightening, paved, necessary, and wonderful. (I locked my car. For the first time since my children were born.) Its also next door to a seed bank and across the street from a small urban learning garden. I noticed their garlic is up, various greens, possibly some cabbage.

On the same block, we passed an enormous stone barn and a silo situated next to some tracks. The barn has to be at least 100 years old and has been converted to office space. I pointed out to the children that such a big barn implied everything we could see, the gas station where we were standing, the traffic light, the buildings, a hundred acres of concrete and pavement, all of it had been farm land in the heyday of that barn. The irony of which, being there to help feed the hungry, I left unsaid.

The 14 kids worked hard for two and a half hours. What they accomplished mattered. While they worked an older couple came in looking for food. Food isn't really served here and folks are generally redirected to the local shelters, soup kitchens, and churches. The warehouse supplies these places that serve. But they keep prepackaged boxes stacked near the door. Each box contains approximately two meals for an average family. Each box is about the size of a case of Girl Scout Cookies.

Because I was wearing open-toed shoes, I had to work alone in an office space cutting and tying off produce bags.  You know those pink plastic mesh bags that hold potatoes and onions? I was making those. The smell of pesticide eventually began to burn in the back of my throat. I fought a gag response.

Yet the place is cheerful enough, full of smiling happy workers. Purposeful work is its own kind of food. And helping is good. Feeding hungry people is good.