Singing volunteer a hit in Duluth (video)
At least three times a week, the lunch room at the Duluth Salvation Army is filled with songs by the likes of Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland and The Beatles. But these classic tunes don’t blast out of a radio. They’re sung by volunteer David Grasso.
“The music is truly good for the soul,” explained Grosso, 66. “It’s a way to get a smile from a lot of people. Nothing better than that smiling – lightens life a little bit.”
Grasso greets people at the entrance to the Duluth Salvation Army’s weekday lunch program, where he checks folks in for a free hot meal. The dining room is quite small, so there are usually two lunch rushes – one at 11:30 a.m., another at 12:30 p.m. In between, there’s a lot of vocalizing, as Grasso likes to call it.
“Let it be, let it be, let it be!” he sings, belting out the 1970 Beatles hit.
From “Let it be” to “Somewhere over the rainbow,” his selections are purposeful and meant to enlighten those who might be troubled.
“There are people who have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own,” explained Grasso, who began volunteering at the Duluth Salvation Army three years ago. “My life was turned upside down one time through no fault of my own.”
Grasso didn’t go into detail about what happened to him. Instead, he went into song, like an oldies station without commercial interruption.
“I see men shaking hands sayin’ how do you do. Really they’re saying oh yes, I like you, oh yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world,” Grasso smiled, with his rendition of Louis Armstrong’s “What a wonderful world.”
That’s his point, really: It is a wonderful world, one where it’s important to be kind to one another, and respectful of where everybody is at in life. A world where if you have a moment, spend it singing, or volunteering – or, in Grasso’s case, both.