Paula

Paula and her husband of nine years, Leon, have been visiting the Friday Night Supper Program together since they were first married. She is tall and slim, has a wide smile and is easy to talk to. She flits back and forth from her table to the front table, which tonight is giving out extra yogurts donated at the last minute. She gets two, making sure to care for her husband. Back when she first began coming to FNSP, she was pretty heavy and on lots of different medications, trying to manage tubularsclerosis (a genetic disease manifesting in seizure-causing tumors in the brain and other organs), early onset diabetes and other ailments. Slowly, she came off the medications, began to lose weight and is now much healthier. Her seizures have become less frequent and diabetes is no longer imminent. Together, they live in low income housing and make ends meet with her social security disability checks and his part-time temporary work when he can get it. (Leon suffers from MS.) They visit soup kitchens a few nights a week, and Paula says "there are good people who are friendly and helpful at the soup kitchens." She also notes that the ability to get clothes and feminine products at Friday Night Supper when we have them is key for her. She easily lists the other guests she considers friends here on Friday night. Sometimes, Paula takes the extra women's clothing donated to FNSP and redistributes it in her housing complex to those women who need it most. Paula is one of the many faces of FNSP. She and her husband rely on our safe, warm, nutritious meals as part of their week.

David

David Harris, Dave to his friends, has enjoyed weekly meals at the Friday Night Supper (FNS) dinner program since 2002. The native Bostonian currently resides in the Allston/Brighton area, sharing an apartment with four other men for the last seven years. He works odds and ends jobs - any thing from painting to basic labor for local businesses. He notes that work has been a bit sparse over the last few weeks which he attributes to both the season and the economy. When jobs are not arranged in advance, Dave, 41, spends his time calling or visiting local businesses to line up work. One thing is consistent in Dave's daily routine: the avid reader stops by Urban Renewals (Brighton) to find any books that he has yet to read. He prefers horror and science fiction books, and names Stephen King as his favorite author. He is currently reading Michel Crichton, Sphere. "My roommates joke There are books everywhere, Dave", he says, adding that they have a household game of trying to find one book that he has not read. Dave visits a few other food programs, including the Brighton Center on Wednesdays and a youth run synagogue feeding program on Thursday. He also loves to cook "anything Italian" for himself and roommates and has a special weakness for French fries, which he cooks on a daily basis. Dave has noticed the recent rising food costs, specifically mentioning that a pound of potatoes, which used to cost $1, now costs up to $5. For these reasons, he is especially thankful for being able to split the costs of food with his roommates and for the services provided by FNS. First introduced six years ago to FNS by his friend Craig, Dave continues to come for a many reasons. He appreciates the good food, and especially the quality and variety offered by FNS. He finds both the volunteers and guests very friendly. Having sat at the same table for all six years, Dave knows many of his tablemates quite well. He particularly enjoys the holiday meals - both for the menu and for the festive spirit. When asked for suggestions to improve FNS, Dave comments, "things here are really quite good, to complain would be foolish." When pressed a bit more for suggestions, he says with a smile, "can we add French fries to the menu?"