Wednesday, April 9, 2008

White Cane Wasn't On the Menu

Wayne, who is legally blind, has made his way to the soup kitchen every day since the tragic fire last week that stole his white cane and left him homeless.

When he picked up his tray of food Wednesday, there was something extra. Something not on the menu.

As he turned to take his food to a table, he froze. Something about the shapes he could barely make out. His fingers touched it. A collapsible white cane.

Joanne Lockwood, the kitchen’s quality control coordinator, made sure it was on his tray. She got the cane from Deacon Gil Nadeau, who visited the Central Association for the Blind the day before and purchased it for $30.

Wayne shook his head, and let out his easy laugh -- the one that was missing a week earlier, the morning after the nightmare blaze that left four people dead.

“I can’t believe you guys did this.”