By Mary Beth Nagengast
Don’t Walk By is an annual winter outreach connecting unhoused and food-insecure New Yorkers to hot meals, winter resources, health services, overnight hospitality, and more. Volunteers from local churches and beyond gather to serve on street teams or as on-site support to reach neighbors in need.
Before the street teams went out Saturday morning, Zack (Emergency Services Director, The Salvation Army) reminded the volunteers to come back after their outreach and join our guests for dinner. There is no separate meal for staff or volunteers—everyone sits around the round tables in the dining room together. ‘It’s church in there,’ he said.
One of the most important things Don’t Walk By teaches is the ministry of presence. This year, I supported the Guest Lounge and spent most of the afternoon guiding guests from the lounge down to the dining room. One of my favorite moments came late in the day when things had slowed down and everyone was tired. I was standing there with Max, one of our volunteers, when he turned to me and asked, “Would it be ok if I go play dominoes with that man?”
I could have cried.
Of course. Yes. Go play dominoes with that man. That is what Don’t Walk By is all about. As Josiah (CEO, City Relief) reminded us during the morning orientation, we don’t have to be anybody’s savior. We were there to serve our neighbors. To listen. To ask what they needed. Maybe they would like a hot meal—we had that. Maybe they could use a place to sleep that night—we had that. Maybe they needed medical care, legal support, a haircut, a winter coat, or a backpack. We could help with those things, too. Or maybe they needed a place to sit and a friend to play dominoes with. Thanks to Max, we even had that.
I love Don’t Walk By because it is a beautiful thing to see the body of Christ come together to serve side by side, simultaneously giving and receiving the love of Christ and the hope of the gospel with every friend we meet.
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. —Galatians 6:2
Plus: Follow this prayer for men and women experiencing homelessness
Mary Beth Nagengast is the Senior Manager, Generosity and Partnerships at Hope For New York.