The students at the Career Development Center spent some time during the month of February learning empathy first hand. The Skill Streaming class, along with the Culinary class, made soup to distribute to some of Pittsburgh’s homeless citizens.
The purpose of the activity was to encourage students to interact with diverse people and realize that life takes many unexpected turns. The students first gathered lidded bowls and utensils from local businesses, then decided which recipe they would like to prepare. They made individual portions and delivered them in person.
The students had the opportunity to listen to the stories some of the recipients had to share. They also found that some of the folks recognized the vehicle and were looking for them. Possibly the greatest lesson the students learned was when they saw some young men taking pictures and making fun of some sleeping homeless people. Our students got out of the vehicle and delivered the warming soup to those people who just moments before had been treated unkindly. They had the opportunity to lead by example and to treat fellow human beings with the dignity we all deserve.