Monday, November 29, 2010

Hiding in the Kitchen

Often there are new groups that come in to serve a meal at Manna. Sometimes the group will provide the food, other times, Manna will take care of the meal. It is always interesting to see the dynamics of a new team of volunteers. They are excited to have the opportunity to serve, but there can be a hesitancy in interacting with the guests that come to eat. We encourage our volunteers to not hide in the kitchen, but to talk with the people they serve. While some guests prefer to eat then leave, most of them are more than willing to share their stories or just chat about every day events.

For many of us, we spend too much time hiding in the kitchen. There are risks to putting ourselves out there, in the middle of conversations; voicing opinions, asking important questions. Not only at this time of year, but continually, we are challenged to reach out, to make a difference, to let our voices (and our service) be heard...

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Thanksgiving - Thanksreceiving

This past week has been an incredible one of giving and receiving. Looking at turkeys alone, more than 750 birds have been donated so far; equally impressive is the number of turkeys that have been distributed. By the end of Monday, more than 575 will have been given to our clients and to neighboring food pantries. We receive far more than we could possibly use, so we save some for the future and share most of them with like-minded organizations. After all, the donated food does not belong to us; it belongs to the community. We are just thankful to be on both ends of the giving and the receiving...

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Need?

When we see clients coming in for a meal or stopping by to pick up food for their family, we know the need is there. Why would someone come to a soup kitchen if they did not have a need. But sometimes we can become distracted where the need is not so apparent.

Yesterday an individual came to the food pantry for her bi-monthly supply of groceries, and she was driving a new, high-end car. For those new to serving people living on the edge, it can be hard to understand why someone would be driving a new car and still need help with food. Often times, people in need look for immediate gratification, what makes them feel good, without taking the long term view. They'll make poor choices; choices like buying things they can't really afford that keep them stuck at the bottom.

Our role isn't so much to criticize them, but to steer them toward making better decisions...

Monday, November 8, 2010

The Echo Effect

Kathy Davis recently commented about having a food drive for Manna on Main Steret. Part of her inspiration for that was her mother. Many years ago her mom had volunteered at Manna, preparing and serving soup. What is heartening is that we see this echo effect of giving being played out years beyond its founding. What kind of echo might you make...

Monday, November 1, 2010

The Long Slog

There are hints of optimism; some indicators that the economy may be on the mend, and that jobs are making a slight comeback. What we see is different. Perhaps it's because of the folks we work with... for the most part working poor. Their prospects continue to be pretty bleak. They don't have the education or training to lift themselves up from where they are today.

For the others we see: homeless, elderly and people with mental and physical challenges, the outlook is even worse. If recent college graduates are having trouble finding gainful employment, what are their possibilities?

This is not to say the situation is hopeless; on the contrary, we thrive on hope. It just further reinforces the importance of our work, our reaching out and lifting up those who need it the most...