With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I thought you might like reminder of how easily you can make a huge difference. My fourth grader's class volunteers 4 students a week to help with lunch at a neighborhood soup kitchen. Her first day was Tuesday this week. Volunteers cook a meal of soup, salad, main course (meat loaf, green beans and mashed potatoes in this case) and dessert for the guest, some of Charlotte's homeless population . The also get coffee and milks and juices and sit at a table and be served, like in a restaurant. The volunteers are the "servers" they take orders and get the food for the diners. This week it was four girls, a chaperone and myself from our class with other volunteers. They did such an amazing job. They were so short staffed that the girls all had to fly solo. They were nervous and a little scared. They had never "met" a homeless person before. The director shared that if they had not been there we probably couldn't have served restaurant style. They would have had to wait in line and many would not get to eat because of the time allotment. The girls met some really wonderful people that day, as did I. There was one table that really took all of us by surprise. A family walked in with three children under the age of 5 and it broke our hearts. The girls lost a little bit of innocence that day, but they gained a perspective of people and an appreciation of the world that they live in. Everyone can't wait to help again. My daughter even wants to get up at 7 to help cook before school starts next week.
I am so proud of all of the girls, they made a difference this week in a large group of people's lives.
We are helping this soup kitchen for Thanksgiving this year as a family. I'm not saying everyone should do that but at least bake them a pie to serve or a couple of dollars to help out. It makes a difference and sets an amazing example for the next generation.
