Rochester lunches help man for unexpected reasons (video)
Jerry Harris, 55, sits at one of the dozen cafeteria tables inside the Rochester Salvation Army, enjoying a free hot lunch.
“Chili’s good,” he smiled. “It’s chilly outside, and there’s chili at the Army.”
Harris was one of about 100 people eating lunch on a Tuesday earlier this month. Some were homeless. Others were couples with limited incomes.
Harris was there for a different reason. He suffers from muscular dystrophy, and is wheelchair bound. He was at The Salvation Army because, in effect, the meal offered physical assistance.
“I don’t fix a lot of meals at home,” he said. “When you sit in a wheelchair, it’s kind of hard to work on a stove. No stoves are low enough for you.”
He also has trouble baking. He can get things into an oven, but doesn’t have enough strength to get them out.
Most of his muscle movement is minimal. He can’t raise his legs, and must use his hands to physically move them where he wants them to go. His upper body is stronger, but it too has limits. His disease began showing itself when he was 19, but didn’t take hold until 1999, the year he moved to Minnesota from Michigan.
Looking around the dining room, most lunch guests eat like you’d expect: fork in hand, hand to mouth, repeat. But not Harris. At least, not entirely. Instead, he must move his head down near his hand, several inches above his plate.
Harris isn’t a regular at The Salvation Army, but he appreciates the place every time he comes. He has two daughters, ages 9 and 11, and lives on a limited income.
For Harris, the noon meal program at the Rochester Salvation Army offers relief.
Video: Meet Jerry