Haley House is a changing organism; new faces appear, innovative programs are being developed, and the neighborhood surrounding Haley House is forever evolving. Nothing about Haley House is static, but amid this sometimes chaotic flurry of change it is nice to have a few constants, such as Lee and her friends, who have been regularly serving beef stew to the Haley House guests since the late 70's.

The original members of the "Stewmobile" (as Lee and her friends are affectionately referred to) were all parishioners of St. Jerome's Church in Belmont. They heard of Haley House through a Christian Service group and after making one delivery to the freezer, they felt they could make a larger contribution and started preparing different foods on Sundays. Over time, the group perfected their practice and settled on stew as their food of choice. To this day, every third Sunday of the month a group of roughly fifteen to eighteen people prepare beef stew and take turns bringing it to Haley House, along with fresh Italian bread, juice and a desert. With the help of a member of the live in community they serve the meal. Needless to say, the third Sunday is a favorite for many of the soup kitchen guests.

Of course, over three decades the Stewmobile itself has not been immune to change. Some members of the original group have left while others have joined throughout the years. It has not always been easy keeping the group together. When St. Jerome's was closed, the Stewmobile lost the foundation of its original sense of community, In the process of settling into different parishes, the group could have naturally drifted apart and disbanded. However, by that point the group had forged a strong enough bond with each other and with Haley House that they were able to overcome this obstacle and stay together.

The Stewmobile's involvement with Haley House over such a long period of time has given its members an interesting perspective on Haley House's evolution. When the group was first created, the volunteers would set the table and serve the first twenty-five guests while the rest watched TV, and then everyone would sit down together and eat. Afterwards the volunteers would clean up and start the process all over again. Second helpings of food were given if it was possible. Although the size of the soup kitchen and some of Haley House's policies have changed, Lee says that the respect given to the people being served has never changed, and is that what makes Haley House such a unique organization.

Lee has gotten a great amount of satisfaction from her work over the years at Haley House. She believes it is a very easy environment to work in; the guests are welcoming, and some come to Haley House quite frequently, so she enjoys being able to recognize the men and develop relationships with them.

The bond between guest and volunteer is one of the defining characteristics of Haley House. The other volunteers are welcoming as well and have tried to shown their appreciation for the Stewmobile, such as when one young man in the kitchen gave a cake to the group.

As for Lee, her involvement with Haley House has come full circle - she went to grammar school with Leo Haley, and although she did not know him as an adult, she and her friends have become an integral part of the institution named in his memory. It is dedicated, caring people like the Stewmobile community that create the atmosphere of love in the soup kitchen. The guests keep coming back for the love…and the stew is a close second!

IN MEMORIUM
It was with much sadness that we learned that one of the members of the Stewmobile, Dottie Maher, passed away on December 12. 2005. Dorothy "Dottie" was one of the founding members of the group and she made stew for our guests for almost thirty years. Haley House extends its deepest sympathy to Dottie and please know that the love Dottie cooked into her stew remains with us. 

They could have been simple. It would have easier. I could have closed my eyes, my mind, and my heart every Sunday and Monday morning this year.

But Haley House did not let me. Guys like Jerry, David and all who were there each morning saying hello amidst their busy cooking efforts and the guests who remembered my name and seemed to love teasing me about BC’s losing football team made me feel at home. Haley House, because of all the people who make it special, became a part of me.

There was that cold January morning when I took a break from washing the dishes. Sitting down next to two men playing checkers, I soon met Prince. As he quickly devoured his opponent, his bragging that he was the best in Boston made me want to play. Finally getting the opportunity after Prince produced another victim, I sat down for the first of many games. After several blowouts, I barely beat Prince, by some amazing luck. Throughout the months that followed, I never did beat Prince again. Yet each time I played him, I was reminded that even though our worlds appeared very different, we were still human beings who could enjoy each others company.

Another time, I was talking to a man who happened to love the Orlando Magic. As an old Chicago Bulls fan, I teased the man whom I nicknamed Orlando. Calling me Chicago, Orlando constantly compared O’Neal and Jordan. It was during these conversations that I realized my worlds and my interests are not always different than the guests’ at Haley  House.

However, it was during interaction with Staff and other volunteers that my experience at Haley House began to influence other areas of my life. Before lunch one morning, Noel and I read a newspaper article about all the different candidates running for the presidential nomination. While I favored those who were a bit more conservative, Noel challenged those candidates and their views. Standing in Haley House, it was hard to agree with cuts in support of welfare or tax breaks for the rich. Noel made me account for Haley House in thinking about what to stand for and whom to vote for.

It was these experiences and many more that made Haley House a part of me. Not only did I think about Haley House when I was there, I thought about the guests’ situation a lot. When someone told me that it was supposed to snow, I thought of the three guys who told me they sleep by the dumpster at the Burger King on Huntington Avenue. When people on the news and in the newspapers talk about cutting SSI, I think about the men who hobble into Haley House each day. When people speak about injustice in this world, I think about the men at Haley House and their struggles. When it is late at night and I’m trying to get comfortable under my comforter on my bed, I think of the men of Haley House curled up under a street light on some corner.

Yup, Haley House has been a part of me.

by David Moorhead, a BC Pulse Student