On the Sunday lunch and volunteering.
Aug. 21st, 2013 05:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
missmaryrI just got home from the church. My feet hurt. I supervised the Sunday lunch today.
Yesterday I got the main meal ready, because I am lay Eucharistic minister today. Normally I come in early and boil the pasta or cook the rice if needed. Next week the preliminary cooking won’t be needed as I am using canned beans. The bags of beef stroganoff are already thawed and ready to go, and I bless Second Harvest again for having those meals available. Certainly I can’t cook that well- I wish! No, I mix the thawed meal with the pasta in the restaurant pans and put foil over it.
I shove the restaurant pans in the oven, yank out the twenty four cans of peas and put out the hamburger and hot dog buns we are using as rolls today. Then I look to see how many deserts we have. There are two large sheet cakes and two layer cakes, with two small one layer cakes. I save the two one-layer cakes for anyone who might have a birthday, and plan to use the larger cakes, with some breakfast sweets and large cookies as backup if needed.
There are two vegetable casseroles in the refrigerator, professional items donated by someone. I leave those to cook when I come back down. If we run out of all the vegetables, there are cans of pineapple and mandarin oranges we can use as backup. I thawed three large bags of beef stroganoff (I estimate they hold about two gallons) and three small bags (which hold about a quart) and mixed them with added pasta. I have another small bag sitting on the stove by boiling water. If we are slammed, that is my backup. I cooked far too much pasta yesterday, overestimating how much I needed. It won’t be wasted; I can find a way to use it as a side dish next week if we don’t need it today.
John is already here and setting up the serving tables. John came in as a volunteer once and has returned every Sunday for the last few weeks. He comes in early and does whatever we ask, but prefers helping with the meals. Earl is there as well; he helps me carry in the supplies I bought yesterday, including 16 pounds of ice and two bottles of the tea syrup we use for the sweet tea served. Libby is there; Glenn brings Jeff in. After helping John get the peas into two pans and on the stove, Earl helps him set up the food to be given away. Libby sets up the sign in desk.
Jeff writes up the meal on the whiteboard which lets everyone know what we’re serving today while I go over what we are serving and where everything is. Normally I set up everything and slide upstairs when everything but the last minute items are ready, but this time I can’t as I am serving. Paige already agreed to come down early and start buttering the bread and look out for early volunteers, and Kathy promises to come down after communion.
At this time I go up for the service. Afterwards, I come down to a bustling kitchen. We have volunteers from the outside church, in this case First Presbyterian. With Kathy, Blyth, Cole, Sims, and Paige, plus John, plus six other volunteers, I know we have plenty of help. They have already buttered the rolls and started putting the cake on desert plates. We make two gallons of tea and get the ice bucket ready.
At the same time, Beth, Glen, Libby and Earl, with some help from three of our guest who come to the service, make sure we have as many tables as we can squeeze in (13) and that the food is set out.
This is a great number of volunteers; this gives us enough people to greet our guests with a plate and silverware, serve the stroganoff, the peas, the bread, and the deserts, and have two help with the drinks. In addition, we have two people to help with the rolls and to ferry the filled pans. Then I remember the vegetable casseroles and run them in the oven. One pan of peas goes out, one pan of stroganoff goes out, deserts are on the table, and we put two pans of bread in a bowl. I check with Libby to ensure she is ready to register and open the door. Normally John works here, but he and Marlene have family obligations today.
I check with Libby. Second Harvest rules state that everyone coming in must register. She is ready, and I open the doors right at twelve. Those who are new fill out forms and the rest are checked off of a sheet. Second Harvest needs to know who they are serving. Everyone who is registered gets a red ticket. For the next half an hours, we serve continuously. The second pan of peas is about halfway down when I pull out the casseroles and take them out. We are on the third pan of stroganoff, and have plenty of rolls. We have rotated out all but one pan of bread and all of the cake is out. Sometime in here, Floyd comes in. Floyd will do whatever we ask, but he prefers dealing with the dishes. Once he is settled, he comes in and starts. We get another line of people, but all the table are full except one. We ask if they mind sharing, and they not only agree, but when the number of people turns out to be more than the seats available, they get up and offer theirs to the newcomers.
Libby tells me two people have birthdays, and we sing to them before giving them the two cakes I set aside. Then comes the moment of silence, and the announcements, which includes that in September we will not serve until 12:30.
By 12:45, we only have a trickle left and food left, so I call to let whoever wants come for seconds. By this time Beth has started calling numbers. Each table has a number, which is drawn at random, and the folks at that table go through and choose one bread, one meat, and a variety of other items. How much varies depending on availability. They must provide the ticket Libby gave them, to show they are registered and to ensure no one goes through twice.
The dishwasher runs constantly once the dishes start coming in. Between me and the volunteers helping in the kitchen, the tubs are rotated except for the silverware, which holds soapy water. That runs last. The rotation prevents tubs too large to carry and no stacked glasses, which often causes breakage.
Misty comes back for spray and a rag; she regularly wipes down the tables for us. Earl, John, and other volunteers help put everything up. Several volunteers fetch brooms to sweep. There are some of the large cookies left, some bread left, and just enough stroganoff in the small pan to save. The rest is gone. Some volunteers eat the rest of the cookies (I manage to resist, but barely) as we dry and put up and clean up. As we get down to the last load, the silverware, everything else is done and most people leave. Paige, Floyd and I finish the last of the silverware, sliding the forks into sleeves for next time.
With the amount of volunteers we had, we get out at two. I think this is remarkable considering we started serving at twelve and served 92 people.
I come home and sit, and my feet are sore. Worth it?
We served 92 people. We ensured that 92 people got a good solid meal. We gave it to them on real plates, where they could eat, relax, and feel safe for a time. We treated them with respect. Many, though not all, took home some food that will stretch their budget and ease their lives a little. That makes me, and all the people who helped today, feel good.
Worth it? You better believe it.
Yesterday I got the main meal ready, because I am lay Eucharistic minister today. Normally I come in early and boil the pasta or cook the rice if needed. Next week the preliminary cooking won’t be needed as I am using canned beans. The bags of beef stroganoff are already thawed and ready to go, and I bless Second Harvest again for having those meals available. Certainly I can’t cook that well- I wish! No, I mix the thawed meal with the pasta in the restaurant pans and put foil over it.
I shove the restaurant pans in the oven, yank out the twenty four cans of peas and put out the hamburger and hot dog buns we are using as rolls today. Then I look to see how many deserts we have. There are two large sheet cakes and two layer cakes, with two small one layer cakes. I save the two one-layer cakes for anyone who might have a birthday, and plan to use the larger cakes, with some breakfast sweets and large cookies as backup if needed.
There are two vegetable casseroles in the refrigerator, professional items donated by someone. I leave those to cook when I come back down. If we run out of all the vegetables, there are cans of pineapple and mandarin oranges we can use as backup. I thawed three large bags of beef stroganoff (I estimate they hold about two gallons) and three small bags (which hold about a quart) and mixed them with added pasta. I have another small bag sitting on the stove by boiling water. If we are slammed, that is my backup. I cooked far too much pasta yesterday, overestimating how much I needed. It won’t be wasted; I can find a way to use it as a side dish next week if we don’t need it today.
John is already here and setting up the serving tables. John came in as a volunteer once and has returned every Sunday for the last few weeks. He comes in early and does whatever we ask, but prefers helping with the meals. Earl is there as well; he helps me carry in the supplies I bought yesterday, including 16 pounds of ice and two bottles of the tea syrup we use for the sweet tea served. Libby is there; Glenn brings Jeff in. After helping John get the peas into two pans and on the stove, Earl helps him set up the food to be given away. Libby sets up the sign in desk.
Jeff writes up the meal on the whiteboard which lets everyone know what we’re serving today while I go over what we are serving and where everything is. Normally I set up everything and slide upstairs when everything but the last minute items are ready, but this time I can’t as I am serving. Paige already agreed to come down early and start buttering the bread and look out for early volunteers, and Kathy promises to come down after communion.
At this time I go up for the service. Afterwards, I come down to a bustling kitchen. We have volunteers from the outside church, in this case First Presbyterian. With Kathy, Blyth, Cole, Sims, and Paige, plus John, plus six other volunteers, I know we have plenty of help. They have already buttered the rolls and started putting the cake on desert plates. We make two gallons of tea and get the ice bucket ready.
At the same time, Beth, Glen, Libby and Earl, with some help from three of our guest who come to the service, make sure we have as many tables as we can squeeze in (13) and that the food is set out.
This is a great number of volunteers; this gives us enough people to greet our guests with a plate and silverware, serve the stroganoff, the peas, the bread, and the deserts, and have two help with the drinks. In addition, we have two people to help with the rolls and to ferry the filled pans. Then I remember the vegetable casseroles and run them in the oven. One pan of peas goes out, one pan of stroganoff goes out, deserts are on the table, and we put two pans of bread in a bowl. I check with Libby to ensure she is ready to register and open the door. Normally John works here, but he and Marlene have family obligations today.
I check with Libby. Second Harvest rules state that everyone coming in must register. She is ready, and I open the doors right at twelve. Those who are new fill out forms and the rest are checked off of a sheet. Second Harvest needs to know who they are serving. Everyone who is registered gets a red ticket. For the next half an hours, we serve continuously. The second pan of peas is about halfway down when I pull out the casseroles and take them out. We are on the third pan of stroganoff, and have plenty of rolls. We have rotated out all but one pan of bread and all of the cake is out. Sometime in here, Floyd comes in. Floyd will do whatever we ask, but he prefers dealing with the dishes. Once he is settled, he comes in and starts. We get another line of people, but all the table are full except one. We ask if they mind sharing, and they not only agree, but when the number of people turns out to be more than the seats available, they get up and offer theirs to the newcomers.
Libby tells me two people have birthdays, and we sing to them before giving them the two cakes I set aside. Then comes the moment of silence, and the announcements, which includes that in September we will not serve until 12:30.
By 12:45, we only have a trickle left and food left, so I call to let whoever wants come for seconds. By this time Beth has started calling numbers. Each table has a number, which is drawn at random, and the folks at that table go through and choose one bread, one meat, and a variety of other items. How much varies depending on availability. They must provide the ticket Libby gave them, to show they are registered and to ensure no one goes through twice.
The dishwasher runs constantly once the dishes start coming in. Between me and the volunteers helping in the kitchen, the tubs are rotated except for the silverware, which holds soapy water. That runs last. The rotation prevents tubs too large to carry and no stacked glasses, which often causes breakage.
Misty comes back for spray and a rag; she regularly wipes down the tables for us. Earl, John, and other volunteers help put everything up. Several volunteers fetch brooms to sweep. There are some of the large cookies left, some bread left, and just enough stroganoff in the small pan to save. The rest is gone. Some volunteers eat the rest of the cookies (I manage to resist, but barely) as we dry and put up and clean up. As we get down to the last load, the silverware, everything else is done and most people leave. Paige, Floyd and I finish the last of the silverware, sliding the forks into sleeves for next time.
With the amount of volunteers we had, we get out at two. I think this is remarkable considering we started serving at twelve and served 92 people.
I come home and sit, and my feet are sore. Worth it?
We served 92 people. We ensured that 92 people got a good solid meal. We gave it to them on real plates, where they could eat, relax, and feel safe for a time. We treated them with respect. Many, though not all, took home some food that will stretch their budget and ease their lives a little. That makes me, and all the people who helped today, feel good.
Worth it? You better believe it.
