Our March SOME servers, pictured from left to right: Josephina Hooker, Gina Hammond, Len Shapiro, Ann MacLeod, Mary MacDonnel, Jim Gemmer, John Macdonnel and Ken Knapp.
It was a full dining room two times over as Trinity Church fed a bevy of hungry diners at SOME in Washington, DC, in March. Short on staff and the usual bounty of local college-age volunteers, we hustled to keep the paper plates flowing. Without a volunteer to man the automatic dishwasher, the standard hard plastic serving ware was removed. Only one side of the serving station was manned. Jim Gemmer however stepped up to handle the heavy duty washing of pots and pans in the kitchen.
Most of the remaining kitchen duties including but not limited to fish, green bean and rice casserole preparation, were handled ably by Ken Knapp and John MacDonnell joined by Len Shapiro, with a small assist from Robin Keys. Portioning the vast array of desserts and bread were newcomer Josefina Hooker, whom we welcomed with open arms, Mary MacDonnell, Gina Hammond and Ann MacLeod. Gina baked a generous portion of green cookies honoring Saint Patrick, the “Apostle of Ireland.” Josefina donated a large number of Girl Scout cookies and Mary made some mouth watering Irish soda bread for the occasion. Service was halted briefly when one of the guests had a medical emergency outside the entrance. An ambulance was quickly dispatched and soon we were back in business. It was believed that the guest possibly overdosed on “Spice” or K2 synthetic marijuana. A member of the SOME security team reported that the use of this drug in the metropolitan area has skyrocketed and that unfortunately medical intervention is often required.
We were mindful during our service of the significant impact former Outreach leader the late Debbie Gale had on our program. She was right there in the kitchen with us for many, many years as well as on the van to DC. We will forever miss her warm spirit and welcoming nature. Debbie embodied what the SOME program is all about serving everyone with dignity and respect. We will return to DC to serve on May 18, with cooking scheduled the previous day May 17 in Cox Hall. Please consider joining us. A sign-up sheet is available in Cox Hall or you are encouraged to contact Ann MacLeod to confirm your participation.