An Easter Lunch

Longtime volunteer Dorrie ready to serve two plates of Black Forest ham and mashed potatoes at the start of today's meal.

We served a special Easter lunch today at The Wednesday Community Meal and our guests loved it. Everyone was treated to a meal of premium Black Forest ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, baked apples and soft white rolls along with soup, salad and apple crisp for dessert.

But that's not all, there was a special welcome and prayer led by Rev. Jim Bethell, music courtesy of our volunteer piano player Sandy Norcross and Easter candy handed out by our wonderful Listening Post volunteers who went table to table with Easter baskets.

One of our regular guests told me today, "Holidays are especially hard because I'm alone but being here makes me feel better. Everyone is so nice to me."

Being a part of the Wednesday Community Meal makes me feel better too. Volunteering each week grounds me and helps me put my life and my needs in perspective.

Can you imagine not having a home? — No place to sleep, get clean, go to the bathroom or keep your things?  A few years ago, I walked out to my car after volunteering and saw a guest shaving his face in the parking lot, peering into a broken full-length mirror that was leaning against a building.

"It's my lucky day, I'm so glad this mirror is here," he told me.  It was an image and a statement that I'll never forget and reminds me to be more appreciative of comforts in my life that are so easy to take for granted.

With the support of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, The Wednesday Community Meal has become a much needed place of comfort and weekly respite for so many.  It's a place to be greeted, feel welcomed, cared for and nourished. We served 359 meals today.

Fred, who is a founder and organizer of the Wednesday Community Meal, shopping at Cash 'n' Carry this past Tuesday for ingredients. That day, we also picked up our special order of Black Forest ham from SP Provisions.

Andy slicing ham with Leah and Martha supervising.  These three volunteers are kitchen VIPs. They are among the first to arrive in the morning and work nonstop until the end of service. And, they are a lot of fun!

Today's dessert was homemade apple crisp made by volunteer Cheryl. It was delicious!

A Break From The Heat

I had to get a picture of the super high schoolers who volunteered today. Besides being big helps, they are nice and a lot of fun to be around. Thank you Nicholas, Sam, Eleanor, Micah, Ava and Sierra!

In the winter, The Wednesday Community Meal serves as a place for the homeless to escape from cold temperatures and warm up.

Today, the opposite was true. Guests enjoyed the food, but they also appreciated the break from the heat and the opportunity to cool off in our large dining room at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.

Midway through today's service, a clean-cut female guest,  who looked to be about the same age as myself, came up to the kitchen window to say thank you for the food and hospitality. She told me that she's been homeless for a little over a year and just found out about the meal.

"I am so grateful that you do this," she said.

Volunteering at the weekly free meal and getting to know the guests has taught me not to take for granted the simple comforts in my life.

Having a home, food in the cupboard and a soft bed are blessings that I don't deserve any more than the next person. I don't know why I have them and others don't. Life is uncertain.

This is what I do know: Appreciating life's blessings, no matter how small, and doing my best to help others deeply enriches my life.

We served 245 meals today in addition to lots and lots of cups of cold lemonade.

Everyone Is Welcome

Dedicated volunteer Dan, getting a meal to eat with guests.

 

What I love most about the Wednesday Community Meal is that everyone is welcome. The doors open  at 11 a.m. at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (147 NW 19th, Portland, OR) and all you have to do is come inside.

Carol, a long-term volunteer in our dining room told me today that she notices the first time when someone comes in to eat, they usually seem shy, keep their head down and are hesitant to make eye contact.

But she said, once they've come a few times and get to know us, they come alive. She said she loves it when their eyes light up, they smile and they make friends with the other guests and volunteers.

To feed the hungry is the main reason we serve a meal on Wednesdays but there are so many other benefits like solace, fellowship and friendship. And these benefits are for everyone, guests and volunteers.

We served 317 meals today and as always, everyone was welcome.

Fresh fruit cups ready to be served.

A Sweet Wednesday

Cheryl's homemade Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Cake, plated and ready to be served.

Our service today at the Wednesday Community Meal was slow but sweet.

We served 185 meals, a lower number than usual, but that gave us more time than usual to relax and mingle with our guests.

Cheryl, who is our dessert specialist (every week she whips up a one of a kind treat from pantry donations), took it upon herself to go table to table early on in the service to chat with the guests.

Afterwards, she came into the kitchen pleased to tell me that everyone she talked to was enjoying the meal and that some told her the Wednesday lunch was the highlight of their week — an opportunity to be warm, relax, eat and visit.

I'm so happy to work with volunteers like Cheryl who sincerely care about the well-being of our guests.

Because, if truth be told, the hospitality is just as important as the food.