Small Choices

Plastic ware seems like an insignificant topic. Plastic is plastic. What does it matter the type of plastic being used.

Actually, it's a big deal. It sends a message about the type of organization we are and how we treat our guests. Years ago we relied upon donated plastic forks, knives and spoons from a local manufacturer. It was the cheapest route for us to take. The company would frequently have rejects they couldn't sell. Never mind the fact that the forks would routinely break, that the knives couldn't cut and the spoons were hardly usable for soup. And then there were the sporks, a multi-purpose, entirely useless eating instrument.

So we changed. We now purchase heavy-duty plastic ware. The knives actually cut, the forks hold up under pressure and the spoons are designed for eating soup. It's one of the small measures we take to show that our clients have value and worth; that coming to a soup kitchen should not be denigrated by providing shoddy service. We look forward to the day when we have an industrial dish washer: just think, real silverware, plates, perhaps even linens...