Dishwasher Appreciation

Our super dishwashing team in a photo taken a few weeks ago, in happier times. Clockwise from the back left is Steve, Jay, Bill, Kevin and Dave.

No one works harder at The Wednesday Community Meal than our team of volunteer dishwashers. Every Wednesday, they are among the first to arrive and the very last to leave.

Early in the morning, at 7:30 a.m., the pots and pans from the meal preparations start heading their way. And then, once the meal is served at 11 a.m., things get even busier because it's bus tub after bus tub of dirty dishes and silverware in addition to more pots and pans.

They are invaluable and I am grateful for their hard work and dedication.

Especially after today, I owe Bill, Jay, Dave, Steve, Kevin and Joe a debt of gratitude.

You see, we served ribs, lots of delicious ribs, ten pans full. We baked the ribs in a tomatoeye sauce and after such a long time in the oven, the pans were a real mess. The ribs were delicious, but the pans were atrocious and took lots of extra time and effort to clean.

I really wouldn't have blamed the dishwashers if they walked off the job and right out the door.  Thankfully, they didn't. They were really nice and I owe them big time and no sticky food next week.

We served 354 meals today.

Patiently Waiting

Catherine and Helen were part of today's great team of dining room volunteers. They worked nonstop, serving 418 meals in two hours!

Today, just like the last three Wednesdays, a man was already in line for the community meal when I entered Trinity Episcopal Cathedral to start cooking.

I always arrive before 7:30 a.m. and the meal doesn't even start until 11 a.m., so he had a very long wait ahead of him.

The first Wednesday I saw him waiting by the door,  I said, "good morning" and asked him if I could bring him a cup of coffee.

"Oh yes please," he said and when I returned with the cup of coffee and a Starbucks pastry he said, "God bless you lady."

Now that we've encountered each other three times, we know each other by name and I know just how Alfred likes his coffee.

"Hello, it's good to see you," I said to him this morning. "I'll be right out with your cup of coffee and I remember that you like it with sugar." He gave me a really big smile.

Alfred's sweet and grateful response is one of the reasons I love volunteering. Treating nice people just makes you feel good. Soon there were others waiting behind him and when the doors finally opened at 11 a.m. there was a very long line for the free for everyone meal.

Being the last Wednesday of the month, we were expecting a big crowd and we were right. We served 418 meals today.

One of today's most popular and colorful entrees was barbecued ribs with mashed sweet potatoes, tomatoes and blueberries. The ribs were donated by Good Samaritan Hospital and the blueberries and sweet potatoes were picked up by our gleaners from The Oregon Food Bank.

A Hearty Meal

Meatloaf and Baked Potato

Orange Chicken, Rice and Vegetables.

Guests at today's Wednesday Community Meal were treated to hearty entrees of meatloaf, roast beef and orange chicken and we received a very sweet compliment.

"You made me feel like I was eating at my grandma's house," said one man as he was leaving.

I'm so happy that he felt that way because it's exactly what we aim to do each week — Serve a pleasing meal in warm and friendly environment. We want the community meal to feel homey and comfortable because that's what our guests, especially the homeless, need and deserve.

We made the meatloaf from scratch with Cascade Farms Beef donated by SP Provisions and the roast beef and orange chicken were donated by Good Samaritan Hospital. The generosity of these and other local businesses allows us to feed the hundreds who come to our door each week and still keep our costs down.

We served 385 meals today.

Serving Shelter

The view of the dining room from the kitchen during our last half hour of service. I was so happy to see my friend Bob seated closest to the kitchen so that I could smile and wave at him. We've been friends for more than 16 years.

So far this year, Portland's weather has been very hard on the homeless. Last week it was snow and ice and this week it's been rain, nonstop rain.

Those who joined us at the Wednesday Community Meal today seemed to be seeking shelter just as much as a hot meal because they lingered longer than usual in the dining room. The tables cleared up slowly and there was a constant line to get in throughout most of our two hour lunch service.

But who can blame our guests for staying inside as long as possible? The wet weather has been miserable and Trinity Episcopal Cathedral's Kempton Hall is a beautiful, warm and comfortable place to eat.

We served 310 meals today and helped a lot of cold and wet folks warm up. 

Our entrees were crispy oven-baked chicken and homemade meat loaf. We also served soup, salad, dessert and lots and lots of hot chocolate and coffee.

Meatloaf was one of today's entrees.

Cold And Hungry

The Wednesday Community Meal's indispensable team of volunteer dishwashers. Thank you Steve, Jay, Bill, Kevin and Dave!

It's been an especially rough week for Portland's homeless community.

A Sunday snowstorm and ensuing freezing rain resulted in the Monday and Tuesday closures of most of our community's food agencies, including The Food Pantry at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.

So our homeless friends not only had to face harsh weather conditions, they had to face food scarcity for days. 

It was such a relief to wake up this morning to clear roads and know that The Wednesday Community Meal would happen. Our guests needed us. 

"Thank for for what you do, I was really hungry," said one of our guests as he was leaving today.  I am so happy that we were able to help.

I am also thankful for all of our dedicated volunteers who each Wednesday cook, serve, clean and wash dishes. It takes many hands to pull off an "everyone is welcome," free meal and we are blessed to have the help of so many nice volunteers.

We served 296 meals today.

Holiday Treats

Besides being served a well-rounded hot lunch,  today's Wednesday Community Meal guests also got to enjoy live holiday music and were given gift bags filled with toiletries, socks, gloves and scarves.

The music was courtesy of Sandy Norcross, our wonderful and dedicated volunteer piano player, and the gift bags were put together by Trinity Episcopal Cathedral fifth graders who collected donations. Both of these special holiday treats were greatly appreciated by our guests.

Like the the rest of the week, it rained heavily today which kept many of our regular guests who have housing, away from the meal. Those who joined us were primarily the homeless, and they trekked through awful wet weather to attend.

When one of our regular volunteers came in early this morning to help she told me there were three men already in line and that they looked cold and down and suggested that it would be nice to bring them each a hot drink. It was a great idea and when we handed them cups of steaming hot chocolate, they were very pleased. Sometimes small treats can make a big difference.

We served 289 meals.

We were lucky to have extra help in the dining room today from many young volunteers who were on break from school.

Craig and Dan (a.k.a Santa) were our coffee and hot chocolate baristas in the dining room today.

Scarlett helped pass out peppermint candies to guests.

Today's lunch of homemade chili, potatoes and roasted tomatoes.

After eating, guests bus their own dishes. Look at those clean plates!

Escaping The Rain

We tend to serve fewer guests at The Wednesday Community Meal when it's raining.

My theory is that those with housing or in a shelter opt to skip the wet trek to Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and stay inside and dry. It's primarily our homeless guests who join us rain or shine.


There's been record breaking rain in Portland this week and our lower 251 meal number reflected that.

One guest who takes the time to visit with me for a few minutes each Wednesday said, "This rain has been really hard on me." And then he politely asked, "Do you think I could have some extra food to go?" I was happy to oblige since we had plenty and we were also granting requests for seconds in the dining room.

Our aim at the meal is always, if we have the food, let's do our best to accommodate everyone.

Most of the guests who joined us today got an Italian sausage on a roll with sides of baked potatoes, coleslaw and roasted apples. Later guests were served entrees of steak and mushrooms, chili rellenos and orange chicken. Everyone was also offered soup, salad, dessert and drinks.

A lunch ready to be served.  Since the baked potatoes were small, guests got two.

The desserts we served were donated by Trader Joe's and New Seasons Market.

Happy To Serve Inside

Cindy, Leo, Dorrie and Courtney were part of a great team of volunteers who worked in the dining room today. Serving hundreds of meals during the two hour service is hard work, but they make it look easy, and they always have a smile for our guests.

I'm so happy we were able to go back to serving Trinity Episcopal's Wednesday Community Meal inside today. We served sack lunches last week due to the dining room being set up for the Cathedral's Community Thanksgiving Meal. 

It's been terribly cold and rainy here in Portland and the weekly respite of a hot, sit down meal in a warm dining room is so important, especially to our homeless guests.

Those who joined us today were treated to oven-baked chicken with rice, gravy, roasted vegetables and melon. There was also soup, salad, dessert and lots of hot coffee and cocoa.
 

Today's lunch.

We served 261 meals today.

Hot Lunches To Go

Leah and Kate were part of a small but great crew of volunteers who helped prepare and hand out the hot lunches today.

We served hot lunches to go at today's Wednesday Community Meal since Kempton Hall, where we usually serve, was being set up for tomorrow's Community Thanksgiving Meal.

Because it's been so cold here, it was important to us to still serve a hot meal that would warm our guests, so we made vegetarian chili, hot dogs and brownies.

Most of the beans that we used for the chili were donated by Shephard Chiropractic Clinic which recently held a canned food drive for us.

To the beans, we added zucchini, red onion, tomatoes, garlic, chili powder, cumin and a secret final ingredient — tofu! We received a donation two cases of silken tofu from Good Samaritan Hospital and it worked perfectly in the chili. It added lots of lean protein to the dish and no one even noticed it was there.

When I mentioned to one guest that there was tofu in the chili he wasn't fazed a bit and said, "That was so good, I hope you make it again."

We served 200 meals today.

Warm Bread

Today we served 340 lunches at Trinity Episcopal's Wednesday Community Meal and the highlight of of every plate was warm, just baked bread.

The bread was donated to us by Good Samaritan Hospital and came par baked and frozen. The hospital gave us three cases and it was so simple to prepare. All we had to do was bake it for 5 minutes in a 350-degree oven and voila! — fresh bread!

As the one who in the past has made bread dough from scratch for the meal, I can't even begin so say what a convenience this was.

In the hopes that we could get away with serving the bread without butter, we topped it with a bit of cheese, minced garlic and parsley before baking. Our plan worked and the guests loved it.

One man came up to the window as he was leaving and asked if he could have some more bread to go. When I handed it to him he said, "oh my,  it's still warm," and gave me the biggest smile.

Warm bread is spirit lifting and was exactly what our guests needed on this damp Portland day.

A Fantastic Bargain Of A Meal

A meal of beef fajitas.

The most expensive part of putting on the Wednesday Community Meal is buying the protein. It's hard to find donations of lean meat. So typically each week, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral purchases it for the free-for-everyone weekly meal.

Of course, there's a budget that we need to stay within, so we shop sales and look for deals. We usually buy pork or chicken.  

Beef is the protein that rarely makes an appearance on our menu. But today was different. The best part: It was all free!

Our guests were able to enjoy homemade beef fajitas because of donations of high-quality beef from two of our wonderful community partners, Lift Urban Portland and Good Samaritan Hospital.

Lift Urban Portland donated two giant roasts; Good Samaritan Hospital gave us 40 six-ounce steaks.

We chose to make fajitas because we knew slicing the beef thin and adding peppers, onions and tomatoes would make it go farther, feeding more people.

After the beef fajitas, we served chili-topped baked potatoes, chicken skewers, meatloaf, ribs, chicken curry and ham. The latter was a gorgeous spiral cut ham from Whole Foods, donated by a Trinity parishioner.

A ham meal.

All of the proteins we served today were donated and helped us stay way under budget. Here's the breakdown: We spent $149.08 on ingredients for today's meal and served 398! That's soup, salad, entree, dessert and drinks for .37 cents a person! It was delicious, too.

The Importance Of Soup

A comforting bowl of hot soup ready to be served.

We serve hot soup year-round at The Wednesday Community Meal but this is the start of the time of year when the temperature drops and soup does double duty because besides nourishing our guests, it warms them up. A hearty bowl of comforting soup is especially important to our homeless guests who struggle to stay warm.

Most of the soup we serve is gleaned from Good Samaritan Hospital and this is a huge help when it comes to putting together the weekly meal. Having premade soups saves us loads of preparation time and we always get a good variety, everything from basics like chicken noodle and beef barley to more exotic kinds like sweet and sour and corn chowder.  Longtime volunteer Martha is an absolute whiz at heating and serving the soup, she's been doing it regularly for years, and even sometimes combines soups to create a one of a kind special blend that always pleases. She's a pro!

Volunteer Martha at her soup station. She always goes out of her way to make every bowl beautiful with a garnish, sometimes it's shredded cheese and croutons, today it was parsley and a slice of French bread.

In addtion to the soup, we offered salad and entrees of hot turkey sandwiches, roast pork loin, teriyaki chicken skewers, orange chicken, fish and beef short ribs. There was also dessert and drinks of lemonade, coffee and hot chocolate.

We served 285 meals today.

A Place For Everyone

As I was working in the kitchen today, I caught a glimpse of four guests in the dining room chatting and laughing as they ate together at The Wednesday Community Meal.

 I could tell they were really having a good time together and it made me so happy. It was a reminder that our free weekly meal at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral is about so much more than just the food — though we did serve roasted pork, enchiladas and Key Lime bars for dessert!

Roasted pork, rice and roasted summer squash and eggplant.

Enchiladas, chips and roasted zucchini.

Key Lime Bars.

Spirits need nourishment as well, and friendships and fellowship are essential for our well-being. Belly-laughs are very good for everyone!

When you are homeless, it's nearly impossible to find a place of joy, a place where you are welcome to stay.

Think about it, if you had no home, where could you go and not be told to leave?

It's a problem in our community and elsewhere that needs addressing. Those without a home, they are real people, not statistics, and they need our care and attention.

I know the Wednesday Community Meal is just a once a week band-aid for a much larger problem but it at least helps. The meal is a place for everyone.

We served 437 meals today and everyone who came to our door was greeted, seated and treated with kindness and respect.

Oven S'mores and Roasted Pork Loin

Today's entree of roasted pork loin.

It was a busy day at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral's Wednesday Community Meal. We served 371 meals and there was a constant line to get inside until the last half hour of our two-hour lunch service, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The first 140 guests were treated to an entree of roasted pork loin, rice and baked pears. The gorgeous lean pork loins were generously purchased by Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and turned out so tender and delicious. We seasoned them with a homemade rub made with cumin, chili powder, garlic and salt and then baked them in a 325-degree oven until they were done and the outsides were golden brown crispy goodness. Then of course we had to make the meal even better by utilizing the drippings to make a rich gravy.

For dessert we served S'mores made in the oven. We just set graham crackers on a sheetpan, topped them with a large marshmallow and then put them in the oven for 3 minutes until the marshmallows were hot and soft. Then all we did was add a piece of Hershey's milk chocolate and another graham cracker and we had a dessert that the guests loved.

Topping the hot marshmallows with chocolate. These just need another graham cracker and they'll be ready to serve.

It was also fun to witness volunteer Dean having his very first taste of a S'more. He's 74 and had never had one before!

Dean after having his very first taste of a S'more which he said was delicious. He's so much fun!

Later, we served enchiladas, salmon, fried fish, chicken skewers and meatloaf, all donated by Good Samaritan Hospital. We are so blessed to have them as a gleaning partner.

Salmon donated by Good Samaritan Hospital.

We also offered everyone soup and salad. Longtime volunteer Martha took on heating and serving the soup and volunteer John made the salads that were extra special today because they were topped with crispy bacon and Parmesan cheese. It was a great meal.

The salads.

Chili Cheese Dogs And Crispy Potatoes

We weren't too busy at the Wednesday Community Meal today but guests who did join us for lunch at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in NW Portland enjoyed made-from-scratch chili cheese dogs and crispy oven-roasted potatoes.

We made the chili from donated dry beans that had soaked overnight, canned beans, onions and tomatoes. For seasoning, we added chili powder, cumin, garlic and salt and towards the end of cooking, snuck in some finely chopped kale for nutrition and color.

To serve, we added a scoop of the hot chili on top of an all-beef hotdog on a toasted bun and sprinkled on some cheese. It was a definite crowd pleaser — Quite a few guests asked for seconds and we were happy to oblige.

We served 272 meals today.

Wonderful Watermelon

Slices of the super watermelon that we served today. Look at that color!

Guests of the Wednesday Community Meal today were treated to thick slices of the best watermelon I think I've ever tasted. The organic melons from Hermiston, Oregon, were donated to us and they were crisp, juicy and super sweet — a real treat for everyone!

During our two-hour service we had quite a few requests for "extra watermelon please" and we were happy to oblige since we had plenty and we weren't too busy with it being the first Wednesday of the month.

In addition to the watermelon, we served entrees of chicken, turkey, salmon, chili cheese baked potatoes and pizza and of course there was also soup, salad and dessert.

One of the most popular desserts we served today was pound cake that we topped with baked apples and whipped cream. The apples came from Oregon Food Bank and were picked up by our volunteer gleaners. Today, volunteers Zane and Jan cored and sliced them, leaving the skins on, and then Zane tossed them with a bit of sugar and cinnamon and baked them until they were soft and caramelized. They made the kitchen smell so good and made our guests very happy.

Volunteer Mary Ann with a tray of desserts, including pound cake topped with baked apples and whipped cream.

Baked apple closeup.

We served 265 meals today.

Thank You Good Sam!

One of today's meals courtesy of Good Samaritan Hospital. The slice of watermelon is the only thing on the plate not from the hospital. It came from The Oregon Food Bank.

Good Samaritan Hospital is a longtime partner of The Wednesday Community Meal — Twice a week, volunteer gleaners go to the NW Portland hospital's kitchen to collect leftover and extra food that we can utilize.

Usually it's a few containers of soup, rice and a couple entrees like enchiladas and baked fish, but this past Thursday, the gleaners hit the motherload and came back with more food than ever before. There were six full pans of baked chicken, three large containers of rice pilaf, well over a hundred buttery rolls, pounds and pounds of crisp watermelon chunks and just under 500 mini strawberry tarts.

Knowing the watermelon wouldn't keep nearly a week for today's meal, we handed out the cooling treat the next day to guests who came to Trinity for bags of canned food.  The rest though, we refrigerated or froze and reheated for today's meal.

The baked chicken in an orange sauce was especially good and many guests told us so.

"Thank you! That chicken was the best thing I've eaten in a long time. It was so flavorful and tender." said one man as he was leaving.

Because of the generosity of Good Sam and the work of our wonderful volunteer gleaners, we were able to serve 265 delicious, well-rounded meals today. We fed every single person who came to our door and made a lot of hungry people happy. Thank you Good Sam!

A Hot And Busy Day

Volunteers Scarlett and Isla Blue helped in the hot kitchen today.

I need to thank all of the Wednesday Community Volunteers who came in to work today. It was a very busy day, we served 379 meal during our two hour service, and with the temperature outside being in the high 90's, it was extra hot and uncomfortable in the kitchen and dishwashing room. Thank you wonderful volunteers for pushing through!

Our poor guests were hot too. When we opened our doors at 11 a.m., there was a long line through the courtyard of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, going all the way out to the sidewalk on NW 19th Avenue.  Everyone was anxious to be able to come inside, eat and cool off. And, I'm pretty positive they especially liked the cold lemonade we served. 

Longtime regular volunteer Ann who has been helping since 2008 was constantly busy mixing and pouring lemonade into pitchers and she was diligent about putting ice in all of the batches so it would be nice and cold for our guests. Small details like adding ice, make a big difference and it's what we are all about at the Wednesday Community Meal — We strive to do our best to treat others the way we would want to be treated.

Most of the guests today got entrees of roasted turkey breast and gravy with sides of green beans, watermelon and rice that we tossed with sauteed kale and chard. Adding the veggies to the rice was a good way to utilize the fresh chard and kale that we gleaned form Spring Hill Organic Farm and also a good way to sneakily improve the diets of our guests.

Today's entree —  The watermelon was gleaned from The Oregon Food Bank and the rice is from Good Samaritan Hospital.

Gleaning from New Seasons Market this past Monday. All of the desserts we served today came from our haul from the newly opened store on NW Raleigh.

A South Of The Border Feast

Volunteers Justine and Rusti with today's lunch.

Guests at today's Wednesday Community Meal enjoyed homemade shredded pork and chicken enchiladas served with a side of chips, salsa and cold watermelon.

We made the enchiladas casserole-style using ingredients donated by the just-opened New Season's Market on NW Raleigh and ingredients purchased by Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. Thank you New Season's for partnering with us to help feed the hungry in our community!

In addition to shredded pork and roasted chicken, they were filled with rice, black beans, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, carrot, kale, tomato and cheese. They were tasty, healthy and a hit in the dining room.

Roasted chicken for the enchiladas. We seasoned it with garlic, chili powder, cumin and Kosher salt.

Getting ready to mix the enchilada filling made with rice, shredded pork, roasted chicken, mushrooms, zucchini, black beans, tomatoes, kale, carrot, onion, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and Kosher salt.

mmm.... homemade enchiladas!

Also a big hit, was the cold watermelon that our wonderful volunteer gleaners found at The Oregon Food Bank.  The watermelon was crisp, sweet and cooling, a real treat on a hot day.

In addition to the entree, everyone was offered soup, salad and dessert. The salads were especially nice and were made with a mix of lettuces, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, olives, homemade croutons and Parmesan cheese. Some of the tomatoes in the salads were even home-grown and just-picked thanks to Dan, our volunteer coffee barista, who kindly shares his garden's bounty.

Today's gorgeous salads were made by volunteers John and Leah.

We served 265 meals today.

Putting In Long Hours

Today's hard working kitchen crew included Sierra, Ian, John, Suzanne and Zane.

By the time lunch is served at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral's Wednesday Community Meal, a group of volunteers have already put in nearly four hours of work,  preparing the food, setting up and washing dishes. By the end of the meal service and cleanup, a handful of volunteers have worked more than seven straight hours. 

It definitely takes a strong team of dedicated volunteers to pull off the everyone is welcome free meal each week and I'm grateful for every single one of our volunteers. It's work but it's joyful work because we are feeding nice people and hopefully making a difference in their lives.

One kind guest came up to the kitchen window after the service today and said, "Hi, I've been enjoying this meal for years and I thought it was about time that I said thanks."

We served 277 meals today. Most of the guests got oven-roasted turkey and gravy over rice and then we moved on to serving fritatta filled with zucchini, potatoes and sweet peppers and finally sauteed chicken over quinoa. Everyone who joined us was also offered soup, salad and dessert.

A roasted turkey meal.

The last guests we served today got sauteed chicken over quinoa.