Ed. Note: This week’s entry is written by Ryan Hall, a current intern at St. Anthony Foundation.

Sometimes the most profound experience of the Divine occurs in the most unexpected place. Since I began my internship at St. Anthony’s last fall, my usual mode of transit is through the Civic Center BART and for nearly seven months one man has been capturing my fascination, Melvin the violin man. If you’ve been through there, you know exactly who I am talking about. His appearance is much like those of many homeless individuals who have few resources to take care of themselves, tattered and dirty clothes, missing teeth, and carrying everything he owns. Yet, he is by no means ordinary. Melvin is in the BART station nearly every time I go through there and he is always playing a violin, always smiling and occasionally dancing. There is one caveat however; his music is not typical by any means. To the trained and untrained ear, Melvin’s music often sounds like fingernails on a chalk board. When I first saw him I thought he was just trying to be funny to make a buck, as all the strings on his violin were clearly broken. Whether it’s drugs, mental illness or inspiration, I do not know, but as the months went by I realized that Melvin really believed he was playing something beautiful. He even has sheet music that he appears to have written, and occasionally stops playing in order to edit it for just the right notes. His concertos are truly unique!

When I see him however, many questions come to mind. We live in a society that often places primary value on a person through their wealth, fame, professional skill or advanced knowledge, yet Melvin doesn’t quite fit into any of these categories. His music will never get him a record contract and most likely he will never be famous and make millions (though he is fairly popular on YouTube).

If this is how society frequently judges people, I often wonder, where does Melvin fit, not to mention all those we serve at St. Anthony’s? As a Christian, I believe every human being is loved by God and therefore has inherent human dignity and value that can never be taken away. Each time I see Melvin, I am reminded of this. Melvin challenges our culture to look beyond our superficial values and see the person for who they really are. They have nothing else to offer, but themselves. Melvin tries to offer his skill, knowing that is what his culture wants if his life is to have value, but his skill is frequently not appreciated. Nevertheless, when I walk by I am able to recognize his true value, which is so much greater than anything our society could place on him. Sometimes, I imagine that he really is playing a beautiful piece of music, certainly God can hear it. I thank God for Melvin each time I see him because without him, I may not recognize humanity’s true value and the divine presence in each one of us.

What’s cooking this week at St. Anthony Dining Room!

Monday, April 5 – Croatian Moussaka
Spicy ground beef on a bed of potatoes topped with bechamel (cream) sauce.

Tuesday, April 6 – BBQ Chicken
Served with mashed sweet potatoes.

Wednesday, April 7 – Turkey Tetrazzini
Chunks of tender turkey and vegetables simmered in a light sauce and served over pasta.

Thursday, April 8 – Braised Pork
Served with vegetables.

Friday, April 9 – Arroz Con Pollo
Latin American rice dish with vegetables and chicken.

Saturday, April 10 – Vegtarian Curried Lentils
A delicious casserole made with lentils and vegetables.

Sunday, April 11 – Sloppy Joes
A tangy mix of ground beef and tomato sauce served sandwich style.

Check back for weekly installments of On The Menu!

Today I stood on the sidewalk at lunch (I was tempted actually to sit/lie down but I suppose that is another issue entirely) and allowed myself to admire the resiliency of those members of the Tenderloin community who offer St. Anthony’s the privilege of serving them. At its peak, our Dining Room lunch line extended down Golden Gate Avenue past Leavenworth Street. Those of you who have been here before can likely appreciate the magnitude of that. The number of people, hungry, waiting patiently for their first (if not only) meal of the day, was inconceivable.

At that moment, I was instantly reminded of a conversation I had with a friend earlier this week. She had a visitor in town last weekend and decided to show her one of San Francisco’s great brunch spots. They waited 1 ½ hours to get into the restaurant, all the while chatting with strangers in line and enjoying the sunshine. Not entirely, unlike the experience of many of our guests on most days of the month, right?

In some respects it is exactly the same and demonstrates the point that poor people are not the only ones who wait for food. However, in MANY ways, it is entirely different. My friend waited in line because she wanted to; because she chose to, because she heard that the food was great and worth the wait. She could have chosen any one of a thousand other breakfast options that day. Perhaps had it not been for a rare, cloudless sky that day, she would have. She also knew that upon entering the restaurant, she would be provided a menu with countless items from which to choose and bottomless cups of coffee. These are all luxuries that many of our guests do not share: the inherent luxury of choice. Our guests stand in line for infinite amounts of time precisely because of a lack of choice.

Today, St. Anthony’s proved to be the only option for nearly 2000 hungry folks.