A Morning at Asbury Shalom Zone

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Asbury Shalom Zone (ASZ) is located in an old factory building on the lower West Side at the corner of Seventh and Jersey. Many churches in the Buffalo District support ASZ through generous donations of both monetary goods and time.

In fact, in response to a plea from Rev. John Beeson, a few summers ago a group of five UMC women began volunteering their time each weekday morning to be at the front desk to answer the phone, help people who come to ASZ, and do odd jobs. To help you know more about the vibrant ministry of ASZ, I decided to give you a glimpse of what happened during a recent Monday morning while I was volunteering.

The purpose of ASZ is to meet some of the needs of the largely Hispanic neighborhood community. In an attempt to meet these needs, ASZ provides job training, English classes, computer skill courses,   after school activities for children, food for those in need, and reasonably priced clothing and furniture. A building manager, Luis Reyes, runs ASZ and a number of faithful Hispanic volunteers run the clothing and furniture stores. These volunteers also sort donated clothes into two groups:

1. Clothing that will be sold in ASZ’s store; and
2. Clothing that will be made into bales to ship and sell in other countries. This bailing program is a money-making venture, generating about $6,000 for every 50 bales of clothing.

When I arrived, there was a young woman at the front office who had been sent to ASZ from Buffalo Works for job training. Social Services will pay her wages and she will work at ASZ for three days a week for two weeks. On the other two days, she will be hunting for a job. When she has completed her two weeks, someone else from Buffalo Works will replace her. Having a volunteer cover the front desk for a few hours each morning allows this young woman to focus on other tasks.

In addition to the bustle of volunteers coming and going, and answering phone calls, I had the following interactions while serving as reception for between two and three hours.

1. Three men came at different times to obtain referrals to the food pantry located at Primera Iglesia UMC, which is a few blocks from ASZ.
2. A mother arrived with her two small children. Only the children spoke English, so the daughter explained what was wanted. The mother seemed relieved when I referred to Luis, who could communicate with her in Spanish.
3. Students arrived for the BOCES English as a Second Language class that is held at ASZ. Their teacher, Mike, told me eight students are currently enrolled in the class. He mentioned that five of the students are enthusiastic, which helps the other three students focus and work harder on their studies.
4. Jim, who is ASZ’s treasurer and a member of Trinity UMC on Grand Island, stopped by to pick up the bills.
5. Luis’ son worked on his father’s computer, which has been crashing all too often.
6. A worker from Journey’s End, an organization that helps immigrants begin a new life in WNY, came to inspect the furniture they have stored in one of the rented storage rooms at ASZ. The next day, some of the items will be moved to help furnish the apartment of a new immigrant family.
7. Several shoppers come by, and left with their purchases.
8. Rev. Merle Showers, who was the director of Niagara Frontier City Ministries, arrives. Rev. Showers also performs some of the director functions of ASZ. Since Rev. Showers needs to purchase a range for a rental house owned by ASZ, he asks me to get quotes from firms that sell used gas ranges. I obtain quotes from six companies.

When I leave at about noon to go to my regular job, I know the afternoon at ASZ will be equally busy with after-school activities and the BOCES computer class. Tomorrow another volunteer will be serving as receptionist at the desk, and no doubt this volunteer will enjoy the experience as much as I do.

- by Rosemary Elliott, edited by Sondra Scott