Frisbee Food

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are frequent helpers at Manna on Main Street. They come as part of a troop activity and then wind up returning when it's time for them to earn a special badge. John McCullough is one in a long line of Eagle Scouts who chose a project to benefit Manna. While most of the Scouts have opted to build shelves or undertake a repair project, John took a different route. He organized an Ultimate Frisbee tournament, recruiting eight different teams. Each player was required to bring nonperishable food goods, and John wound up collecting over 500 food items. John is just another example of how the young people in our community find innovative ways to give back and make a difference.

Sneak Preview

Folks will often ask us, who are "those people" who come to Manna on Main Street. Some have used the phrase "those people" in a demeaning way to describe our clients. Others, more innocent, are curious about who finds their way to a soup kitchen. To help clear up the confusion, we've written a book about the people who have come through our doors and how we've changed their lives. Stay tuned for details on when the book will be available.

Volunteerism = $0

Some organizations proudly proclaim that their volunteers provided "$xxx" of service over a given time period. They count the number of volunteer hours provided, multiply by a given hourly rate, and publish the results. There's even a web site that estimates the dollar value of volunteerism by state, as if someone's time in Pennsylvania is worth more or less than an individual's time in New Jersey.

At Manna on Main Street we believe that assigning a dollar value to an individual's time implies that it can be bought, purchased, had for a price. The practice of monetizing a gift trivializes not only the service, but the intention behind the service. It's like when a young child you care deeply about scrawls in crayon, and presents to you a picture colored outside the lines. You take that picture with great joy and hang it on the refrigerator for everyone to see. You never take that picture down or throw it away. And probably the last thing on your mind is to attempt to calculate the dollar value of an act of love.

Voices in our Heads

For the most part, the folks who come to Manna on Main Street are pretty much like the rest of us... they work, have families, have their joys and struggles. Every so often, individuals will show up who some would label as "different." A number of years ago a young man came to eat every day. He wore an aluminum foil hat. Upon entering the building he would spin around three times, then sit down and enjoy his meal. We might wonder what voices were in his head, telling him to wear the hat, spin around, and if interrupted from his routine, disappear for days. The voices he heard weren't necessarily bad, just different from ours. Too, how he responded to the voices really did no one any harm.

I think about the voices we hear. Sometimes they are not always helpful, but hopefully, how we respond brings about some good. We try to pay close attention to the voices we hear, never knowing how they might positively impact those around us and how they might reveal to us ways in which we can increase our service to others.

Summer Vacation (or not)

As the summer approaches, we do our best to change things up at Manna on Main Street. We ask our regular volunteers, those who come in each week to serve, to take the summer off. They really deserve a break, and too, it opens up the schedule for adults and youth who are available because of time off from school or work. Some of the regulars have said yes, they could use a break, and we probably won't see them again until September. Still, others don't want to take the time off. Coming to Manna and seeing our guests has become such a big part of their lives, that they are reluctant to give that up.

Manna's vision is "that everyone might be fed." At times we can forget that being fed, and the sense of wholeness that brings, can come from serving as well as being served...

The Doctor is Still In

The soup we serve at Manna on Main Street is usually made by volunteers. While most of the time their creations are very good, there are instances when the soup needs some attention. That is when we call on Ralph, our soup doctor. For more than 20 years Ralph has been a regular volunteer at Manna on Main Street. In his earlier years he would stop in every day and walk back to the kitchen to inspect the soup. If it needed something... more seasoning, more vegetables or a little thickening, Ralph would doctor it up.

Now in his mid-80s, Ralph comes in only a day or two each week. He spends a lot of time at home taking care of his wife. In addition he helps aging family members by driving them to doctor appointments, to the grocery store or wherever else they need to go. When Ralph does come in, he doesn't spend as much time on the soup, but he continues to doctor us with his mild, caring manner. There are times when we all need a little something... an encouraging word or a gentle pat on the back. It's good to have a doctor around.

Lizz 1

Lizz came to us in the summer of 2007 to help teach our summer cooking program. She returned the following year to lead the summer sessions again. In the fall of 2008 Lizz became a part-time employee, working under the co-op initiative for the Culinary Arts program at North Montco Technical Career Center (NMTCC). Lizz will be graduating this year and in the fall begin attending the Culinary Institute of America.

This week there was an event at the NMTCC, celebrating the students and their employers for their participation in the co-op program. Many kind words were said about the student's efforts and personal growth, and how the employers contributed to their advancement. One point not mentioned, however, was the impact the students had on the businesses they worked for. I think about what Lizz has done at Manna on Main Street; not only in performing her job responsibilities, but in the things she has taught us. A number of times we found ourselves struggling with a recurring problem, when Lizz would offer a simple, yet insightful suggestion on how to solve the dilemma. But more importantly were the significant contributions she made revolving around how she treated people - her kindness when dealing with the clients who came to eat at Manna, her helpfulness in working with the youth who came to serve, and her patience in interacting with some of the older volunteers who needed extra guidance and hand-holding.

We will miss Lizz when she moves on in the fall, but for now we celebrate her upcoming graduation and the joy she brings us each day.