Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Kay Aiko Abe Interview
Narrator: Kay Aiko Abe
Interviewer: Shin Yu Pai, Tom Ikeda
Location: Seattle, Washington
Date: December 2, 2008
Densho ID: denshovh-akay-01-0014

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SP: Well, I'd really like to hear you talk about your relationship with your youngest son, Norman. I know that it was his interest in feeding the homeless that really sort of got you started in the work that you're doing. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

KA: Yes. We were attending a small church right close to our house on Beacon Hill. And this Chinese lady, who was an immigrant lady, and her husband whom she had married, she met him at church. She had eight children by her first marriage, and he died, and she was a widow. And she met this David Stark, who became a Christian after having been homeless. And he had such compassion for the homeless people because he had been in that situation himself. He talked his wife into taking food down to feed the homeless. And before they knew it, they were surrounded by people. [Laughs] And I think they used to get the bread free, because they used to bring it to church for whoever wanted bread. And then they never told anyone about their feeding the homeless, but Norman found out and he became interested. And he said, "Mom," he said, "I think I want to help June and David." And I said, "Oh, Norman, we might get sued, you know, if anybody gets stomachache or complains." And I said, "Why don't you, maybe we ought to help some established places like Union Gospel." And he said, "Mom, but I think I really want to help these people out." So I said, "Well, I have to check it out. I don't want to take any chances." And so I went down with him, and they had one table, a wooden table. In fact, I have a picture maybe of it. And one huge pot, I think, filled with noodles. She works at the Su Chen noodle shop, and she'd get the discarded noodles that they can't sell, and boil that up and make the broth and put the broth in there. And it was a very, very simple meal, but all those people were so appreciative and thankful, and she would always say, "God bless you, Jesus loves you," you know. And I was so touched by her simple faith. So anyway, I got involved. [Laugh]

SP: And what year was that?

KA: I started in 1991, and we would, Norman remembers, in his letter to me, this birthday thing, he says, "I remember the first time we made chicken salad sandwiches, and when we went down there, it was gone within five minutes, everything, about a hundred sandwiches." [Laughs] And we were hooked. And so anyway, we'd make pizzas with french bread. I think the bread we were able to pick up for free down in the, one of those places, I can't even remember now, near the ferry. Because that's where June and David were picking up the bread. And so we'd make pizzas or make garlic bread, and we'd make salad or maybe something, stew or something. But anyway, David became ill, 1994. And he really wasn't able to do much work. And so June had to sort of back down, and he died early in 1995. And I was just waiting for her to come back after the funeral, but she said, "God has closed the door." And I said, "Oh, June, I can't do this alone." She said, "No, the Lord has closed the door." Because she started doing this when her children were quite young. The youngest was only four years old, and the older kids had to take care of the young ones. And they used to accuse her of, "You love the homeless more than you love me, or us." And she felt guilty, I think. So she said, "Now, I'm going to devote my time to my family," and I couldn't argue with that. And I told her, "Whenever you're ready, I'll pick you up," because she lives on Spokane street and I lived further south, so I could pick her up. She said, "Kay, I'm sorry, but I feel that God has closed the door." And so Norman and I took over.

<End Segment 14> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.