A little slush on the roads and heavy traffic could not deter our ardent group from getting to DC on time to prepare and serve a hearty fish meal for over 360 guests at SOME in November.
Among the highlights was a visit from the Grand Poobah himself, Father John Adams, the co-founder and President of SOME. Father Adams, Father Horace McKenna and an interfaith group of priests, ministers and lay persons began SOME in 1970 to help feed the city of Washington’s destitute citizens. Father Adams recognized our distinguished group as a long-serving, Provide-a-Meal (PAM) volunteer organization. We were honored that he took time in his busy schedule to stop in the dining room and share his mission.
As we approach 2019, we will mark our 32nd year of service. And right there from the very beginning, when we carted our food into DC in a horse trailer in the wee hours of the morning for breakfast service, was the indomitable Ann MacLeod, our fearless leader. The mere presence of Ann is always among our highlights as she hands out plates and warmly greets the guests.
Another major attraction was the beautiful assortment of turkey cookies lovingly, professionally and patiently prepared by Gina Hammond. They were a real hit among the guests as was the pumpkin pie and whipped cream topping, along with Mary MacDonnell”s homemade pumpkin bread.
Learning of a major bridge closure in Washington and in haste, we set out on our journey a few minutes early, leaving two of our valuable participants behind, Paul Edmonson and Josephina Hooker. However, they thankfully decided to make the drive themselves and joined us in the dining hall. We were grateful for their determination and will make a better effort to take the anxiety level down a notch when the going gets tough.
Yet another highlight was the loyalty demonstrated by our Thursday cooks, who showed up in the Cox Hall kitchen in the middle of a raging ice storm. We dispensed with the chopping in record time and everyone thankfully made it safely home.
Among the DC crew: Ann MacLeod, Bob Appenzeller, Ken Knapp, Jim Gemmer, Bob and Mary MacDonnell, Margaret New, Carol Miller, Josephina Hooker, Paul Edmondson and Robin Keys. Laurie Volk unfortunately could not get out of her icy driveway.
Our team of rice casserole cooks included: Ann MacLeod, Bob and Joan Eliot, Ellen Hall, Tommy Breeden (who also loaded the van singled handedly), Holly Bimba, Stephanie Knapp, Robin Keys
Our proposed dates for 2019 are as follows:
January 17/18 March 14/15 May 16/17 July 18/19 September 19/20 November 14/15
We invite everyone to join us either in the kitchen or in DC for this important ministry. Your support and donations of baked goods is appreciated.
As the year winds down, we also would like to take the opportunity to thank Father Banse, our Vestry, church Administration and congregation for all their prayerful support over the years. We also want to give thanks for our service provider, Schenck Foods Co. in Winchester, VA as they celebrate their 90th year of quality wholesale distribution. Keeping our costs down is a hallmark of the SOME program and Schenck Foods strives to always give us the best possible price.
A letter from Jenny, a recipient of our outreach.