No Time For Photos

I've never had to worry if I get too busy to take photos at the Wednesday Community Meal because my friends Cheryl and Cindy always snap a few and I just ask them to send them to me. Not today.

It was hands down the busiest day I've ever experienced at our meal and no one had time to even think about taking photos. I attribute the whirlwind day to three things:

 1. It's the last Wednesday of the month when we typically have more guests because their social security is running out.

2. We were short on volunteers. Some of our regular volunteers couldn't come in at all and some had to leave early because of appointments. It just happens sometimes.

3. Our menu was especially labor intensive. We had to use what we had and that meant making spaghetti which is hard to do in large batches. The water takes seemingly forever to come to a boil and the 5 gallon pots are heavy to lift and drain. My friend Bill was a huge huge help in dealing with the pasta. Every time I got a batch (7 lbs. of dry pasta) going, I alerted him and he was on deck to do the draining. I also didn't make things any easier by making homemade French bread so that I could utilize a stash of free flour from The Oregon Food Bank.

On the bright side, the meal was a success. We served everyone who came to our door and the food was loved. I wish I had a picture to show you.

We served 400 meals today and gosh, I'm pretty positive that everyone who helped is ready for a nap.

A Delicious Day

A plate of crispy chicken with baked beans, mushroom ravioli with Swiss Chard and roasted tomatoes.

It was a delicious day at the Wednesday Community Meal at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. We served 204 guests plates of crispy oven roasted chicken and warm peach crisp for dessert.

For side dishes we had roasted tomatoes, green salads, baked beans, rice, mushroom ravioli with Swiss chard and soup. Not every guest got the same accompaniments to the chicken but there were no complaints. Everything was well received. It is a privilege to serve such nice people.

The chicken was especially popular. Before coating it with a breading of panko, flour, cornmeal, seasonings and herbs, we dipped it into a seasoned mixture of milk, lemon juice and oil.  Baking it in a 375 degree oven got it extra crispy and boy did it smell great.

Delicious!

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. 

Whistling, er, Washing While You Work

There's no question about it — without the dishwashers, there would be no Wednesday Community Meal at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.

At 8:30 a.m., as soon as the cooking begins, the pots and pans begin stacking up.

Then at 11 a.m., when the doors open for hungry guests, it's plates, silverware, soup bowls and dessert cups on top of the rest.

And, finally, when the doors close at 1 p.m., it's cleanup time and another full hour of work.

It's truly nonstop drudgery. But you'd never know it from the chatter and laughter coming from the dish-washing station. They make it look so easy. I think after years of observation, I've figured out their secret.

It's staying positive and having fun while you work. It's a real team effort and it's a joy to watch.

I'm so blessed to have the best team of dishwashers anyone could ever hope for.

We served 314 meals today but Jay, Bill, Brad, Dave and Steve made it look like a walk in the park.

Thank you for your dedication and inspiration.

Brad, Bill, Jay and Dave pausing for a quick photo

Steve, smiling as he works.

Loving Care

We served 235 meals today at the Wednesday Community Meal at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and the volunteers were served one sweet compliment.

The kind words came from a satisfied customer who poked his head into the kitchen and said  "you don't work for free because you are worthless, it's because you are priceless." What a nice thing to say.

He must have felt the loving care all the volunteers put into creating and serving a meal that's satisfying, healthy and delicious.

And, he must have noticed that the volunteers don't skimp on the small touches that can make a meal extra special.

Why not? Because everyone deserves a warm welcome, a crispy crouton in their soup and whipped cream on their apple pie.

We all need to treat each other with loving care.

Soup For Everyone

There was soup for everyone today at the Wednesday Community Meal at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. Good Samaritan Hospital is so kind to donate their leftovers and this week they gave us lots and lots of homemade and hearty soup — ham and bean and beef minestrone. Many guests asked for seconds and we were happy to oblige.

In addition to the soup,  we served 206 meals.  A bit of a lower number than usual but not surprising with it being the first Wednesday of April. We consistently feed more people towards the end of the month when money is running out.

Our menu changed quite a few times today so that we could use what we had. It's all about feeding people and preventing waste.

From the Oregon Food Bank, we had apples, eggs, herbs and potatoes so we made a frittata, roasted apples and biscuits for the first group of guests.

Then we had more food gleaned from Good Samaritan Hospital and some from Phil's Meat Market. Our later guests got barbecued chicken, baked chicken, meatballs, beef stir fry or catfish served with rice and a salad.

For dessert there was homemade chocolate banana cake with buttercream frosting.

There was plenty for everyone.