Vice President Joe Biden briefly took on a second job at a Washington homeless shelter near Union Station on Friday.
In a surprise visit to the Father McKenna Center of St. Aloysius Church on North Capitol and I Streets NW, Biden doled out fish sticks to those standing in line for lunch.
Biden said he served the meals because "you've got to remind yourself that but for the grace of God there go I. Sometimes you
forget that this is real.''
The vice president kept his attire casual, with a black baseball cap on his head, a black V-neck sweater, khaki trousers, rubber gloves and worn brown apron, the Washington Post reported.
The Father McKenna Center, a daytime drop-in shelter, offers substance abuse counseling and other services, including an HIV/AIDS program, for the homeless. It was named after Father Horace McKenna, who served at St. Aloysius for two decades.
A spokeswoman for Biden and his family told the Post that they try to stay active during the holiday season. Serving the homeless was something Biden said he wanted to do and "they told me I could do it here."
The homeless men at the shelter seemed less impressed. According to the Post, recipients grumbled about the presence of police and hid from members of the media, who rarely visit the center because of its policy against photography.
