Last Few Weeks in Southern California

The Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

Happy Saint Patricks Day March 17, 2025:

Today it is Saint Patrick’s Day, and to celebrate, I could not help but include an image of the Cliffs of Moher, conjuring up a memory of a trip to Doolan, Ireland when I experienced the cliffs on a cold and grey late summer day in 1995 shortly after finishing my studies at Trinity College, Oxford, University. From the small village of Doolan, I made a forty-five minute hike, slightly wet from the drizzling rain, to the very edge of the cliffs—no guardrail in place. If one were to slip on the grassy area, oh well! I got close enough to the edge to feel that rush of intensity and danger. Though I won't be celebrating this day in Ireland, I am making a trek up to Los Angeles where pub crawlers are expected to start at 5pm today in Hollywood. I will not be joining them, but instead I am meeting friends of mine at the Midnight Mission to serve food to the homeless. My friend Bridget mentioned this a few months ago, and I was curious to go with her. So though I am not in Ireland staring down 669 foot cliffs, today is yet a new adventure meeting people who I would otherwise never have the opportunity of knowing, and creating a different kind of memory with friends.

The Midnight Mission in DTLA . . . March 18, 2025

Yesterday afternoon, my friend Bridget and I drove to the Midnight Mission, located in the Skid Row section of downtown Los Angeles. A few months ago, when she and I went hiking, I asked her about her service work at the mission, where she has been involved for the past eight years, and I expressed my interest in joining her. She graciously invited me, and the experience was truly memorable.

Working in the kitchen

The kitchen line up at the Midnight Mission

Established in 1914, the Midnight Mission is a homeless assistance program geared toward helping people get back on their feet. It offers food, shelter, and even a residential recovery program and a women’s crisis center.

Our job was to work in the kitchen, serving food alongside four other volunteers who had extensive experience at the Midnight Mission. Walking into the courtyard, we saw that the concrete tiles leading up to the front entryway were decorated with footprints, each representing an individual step of the 12-step recovery program. It was a powerful message, reminding us all that creating a new life starts with just one step.

Inside the lobby, the front check-in desk featured a picture of Clancy, a former Skid Row resident who achieved sobriety in 1958. By 1976, he had become the managing director of the Midnight Mission, helping countless men and women over the years until his passing in August 2020.

Group picture at the Midnight Mission

When we arrived, all the volunteers were in the kitchen, preparing food and getting everything ready to load up plates and serve men, women, and children coming through the line at 4:30 p.m. Once that time hit, it was a nonstop hustle.

I worked next to Koa, who was in charge of the meat service, with Joel beside him and Stu to my right, serving salad. Bridget stood at the end, handing out each plate with utensils. We served nearly 300 people that day. The work was completely exhilarating!

We constantly had to replenish the meat—first chicken, then pork, followed by beef, then another round of chicken. When we ran out of meat, we switched to pizza until we had nothing left. Everyone was fed, and afterward, the six of us cleaned the kitchen and cafeteria—wiping down tables and mopping the floors. It can get pretty messy.

As a tradition, we took a group picture in front of the Midnight Mission before heading to a Chinese restaurant, dining family-style. It was such a rush. Even on the drive there, I was overcome with an intense surge of energy. Everything about that day was powerful—but in the best way.

After dinner, we returned to the Midnight Mission to serve on a panel, with four of us speaking to residents in the recovery program. The entire day left me feeling deeply grateful—to meet the men and women coming through the Midnight Mission, to talk with them and to serve them.