What do sharpshooters, feeding the homeless and the Waldorf Astoria have in common?

Here in NYC, security has been very tight due to the start of the United Nations general assembly with world leaders in town.  Lots of streets are barricaded and there are hundreds of police everywhere. Hundreds and hundreds.  Helicopters overhead.  Gunboats in the East River.  The security is as extreme as when the Pope was here.  Of course, his visit coincided with the opening of the UN session, so the heightened security just goes on and on.

A few nights ago, we went to our new church for a training session for volunteers who want to help with the food pantry and shelter. We were ushered into the conference room by an Episcopal priest wearing black, round owlish glasses and a cycling shirt.  He explained that he just finished riding a bike from Boston to New York to raise money for the homeless. As he was explaining that adventure, he gestured casually toward the door and said, "Just ignore the sharpshooters on the terrace."  Sure enough, there were police snipers and spotters right there, pointing their rifles at the Waldorf Astoria next door.  Several world leaders (including from Russia and China) are staying there. We wanted to take a picture but we decided not to startle the snipers.  Rightly so. 

Anyway, the training session was inspiring and we signed up to help with the food pantry. Much to our astonishment, we learned that the chef at the Waldorf Astoria  provides the dinners for the homeless. Actually, now they've expanded the program to include chefs from two additional nearby hotels (the Palace and the Doubletree).  One of the tasks for volunteers is to go to the hotel kitchens to retrieve the hot meals and wheel them to the church in a large cart.  (A photo will follow.) 

Even feeding the homeless can be an upscale activity in Manhattan.

As you can tell, we are having some good experiences! 

The Waldorf Astoria New York, hosting heads of state and feeding the homeless