I don’t know if you’ve ever tried volunteering. I’ve been doing it for a long time. The first time I volunteered was when I was in the scouts. I was in an Explorer troop and volunteered to help with a Cub Scout group. After growing up, I volunteered for groups like the American Cancer Society, but the most rewarding volunteering I did was with the Bemidji Community Soup Kitchen. They have since changed their name but their purpose is the same. At one time or another, I served in every possible position from washing the dirty dishes to being president of the organization. However, the most rewarding thing I did was cooking. I find it easier to cook for a couple hundred people then to cook for myself. Because of our funding sources, we had to keep a rough count of the people we served and a breakdown by age – we would guess their ages. The largest number of people I ever cook for was just shy of 500. That occurred in the spring of 1997 when the Red River flooded. You might remember it because a portion of Grand Forks North Dakota not only flooded but part of the downtown was destroyed by fire while being surrounded by floodwaters. It was an amazing sight as the water was too deep for fire trucks to get in, so they just had to let the fire burn itself out. We had a lot of refugees from the flooding and of course, we welcome them and fed them. Churches were very important for two reasons. First, they provided the kitchens and space to feed people. Second, they provided the people who would serve the meal and clean up afterwards.
When volunteers from the churches would come into serve, they were startled by who they were serving. Many had the impression that the people who used soup kitchens were alcoholics or drug addicts, but the majority of people we serve were families. The major reason people came to the soup kitchen was economic. A very common reason was that medical expenses had bankrupt a family. Another common reason was a health condition made it very hard for someone to get hired. The people were always so thankful for a warm meal and also the companionship the meal provided. I didn’t always cook, but when I did the numbers were almost always up from when others cooked. What was happening was the first people who came would tell others that I was the cook and the meal was good, so we would get a second round of diners. I had quit working at the soup kitchen when my disability made it impossible.
If you ever get a chance to volunteer, please take it. It will do more good than you can imagine.
