philip’s story
I volunteered for work at the Manna Centre when between jobs a few years ago. My role was mainly cleaning and washing up but also chatting to the people coming into the centre from off the streets - Oh and sometimes playing chess - I am a good player and I discovered that quite a few of these people (quite often Eastern Europeans) were excellent chess players. All unexpected and leading to many interesting moments.
And of course I found out at first hand just how essential and valuable charities like Manna Society are for people who have hit real difficulties in their lives and are struggling to survive day-to-day. Often the people who need Manna are just like 'us', they work hard and have plans for the future; but then something unexpected happened and suddenly they were alone and vulnerable. When speaking with Manna people I often felt how close any of 'us' are to facing similar problems: an unexpected loss of a job, perhaps a mild run-in with the law that rebounds in so many ways but also stops 'them' getting a job and moving on; family that turns against you and casts you out. All these things create a painful cycle and very difficult to break out of.
Manna was an eye-opener of me. Of course I knew about hardship, (I guess we all do, we are surrounded by it), but talking to people and seeing how it came about was a genuine eye-opener. I would like to think that it changed me for the better.
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