I High-Fived an Inmate Today!

Yes, it's true. I high-fived an inmate today! When Holly and I got to the Salvation Army this morning, we found a group of men sporting clothing stamped with "Inmate" hauling 40-pound boxes of food into the gym of the S.A. The 2nd Thursday of every month is food day for senior citizens.
There weren't enough 2-wheel dollies for us to pitch in with that task, so we set out a table full of returned merchandise from Bed, Bath & Beyond that is donated to the S.A. There were all sorts of unnecessary gadgets as well as some very useful items, such as towels and shower curtains. The products are used (or at least bought and returned) and not guaranteed to be perfect or even functional, so they are given to the S.A. which lets the seniors take what they would like.
When the Salvation Army opened up, the gym was flooded with senior citizens eager to pick up their box of food. I had no idea until today that Sioux Falls has such a great population of people from Ukraine and Bosnia. They all have super long names like Schmittimvladimirivalbokluv and they can't speak much English; thankfully most of them were familiar with the system and as long as I could figure out their last name and find their certification (they must qualify to receive the food), they knew how to sign their name and where to go.
Nearly everyone who went through the line (which was well over 200) was very kind and appreciative. I enjoyed working with the seniors and Salvation Army workers and volunteers. I learned that Majors in the S.A. earn their title from age. Younger S.A. members have titles like "Colonel" and "Lieutenant." "Major" is for when they grow older. The Salvation Army is originally from Britain...interesting :-)
The inmates were all very respectful and most of them seemed very perky. I could tell they were pretty deprived of females because they acted thrilled to talk to Holly and me. I ask people tons of questions. It's how I learn and usually I'm not very embarrassed to ask people (even strangers) questions, so I asked some questions about life in the Pen. One of the inmates (the one who gave me a high-five) said it's just like daycare; the guards are babysitters and it's ultra-boring. They do have to work (I think pretty much every day at places such as the Salvation Army), and they all seemed very glad to have the chance to get away from the Pen. Almost all of them appeared to have good work ethic and ambition for accomplishing tasks. This was my first time interacting with prisoners so I felt like a kid at the zoo for the first time observing them. They worked really well with each other; when I asked if they were friends, they explained that they're like Holly and me: they're acquaintances from being in the same class. Good analogy. I didn't have the guts to ask what they're in for, but I have the impression that they would've gladly told us within another couple hours.
I've enjoyed learning about the Salvation Army and helping my fellow citizens through this organization. It appears to be a very moral organization, and it's fun to work with people who thank God and feed the poor.