An Invitation to Serve Those in Need
“For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.” – Matthew 25:35
Hello all…
I need a team.
I am looking for 15-20 (or more) people that will commit to help provide, prepare, and serve meals to the homeless and working poor at Matt Talbot Kitchen in Lincoln beginning in September. An opening for an evening team has occurred in their schedule.
The meal will be served on the 3rd Tuesday of every month, from 5:30-6:30pm, followed by cleanup. The Kitchen serves an average of 150 people per meal. Food preparation may be done off site, and transported to Lincoln if desired. Six to eight team members would be needed to serve and cleanup at the Kitchen during our scheduled time. Plan to be in Lincoln from late afternoon until about 8pm. It is possible, if our team is large enough, that we could split the team up into even or odd months.
As the cost of food, its preparation and serving is borne by the members of the team, this will be a recurring investment of time and a moderate investment of money, perhaps $15-30/month, depending on our team size. Commitment and dedication will be key to sustaining the team. I’d ask you for a commitment of three to four months to provide the team with some measure of stability.
Now here’s the twist…
I’d like to add depth and elegance to this effort long term by creating a substantial community garden here in Stromsburg. Beginning next spring, I hope to develop a garden to provide fresh fruits and/or vegetables as raw ingredients to feed the hungry – not only at Matt Talbot Kitchen, but right here in Polk County too.
Those in poverty often lack the essential nutrition that comes from fresh produce. It is a challenge to serve nutritious meals to the homeless while keeping costs manageable. The prospect of carefully raising fresh food to serve at the Kitchen and share with our neighbors is, I think, a profound expression of our collective humanity and the call to love one another.
Again, the size of this effort will be directly proportional to the number of people that want to participate.
Please give this careful consideration. As a former volunteer at the Kitchen, I can tell you it changed my heart in profound ways. I feel compelled to fill this need.
The 1st meal we would serve will be Tuesday, September 16th. Time is short, and the need is urgent.
Organizational meeting: Tuesday, August 19th, 7pm at Rosey’s, downtown Stromsburg.
If you have any questions in the meantime, call me at 764-2673 or email me for more information.
If you absolutely know you want to serve this need in some way, either at the Kitchen or in the garden…I’d love to hear from you early. The volunteer coordinator at Matt Talbot is awaiting my reply.
If you know someone who might like to help, please forward this to them. I have faith that this message will find the right people.
If you are unsure or even skeptical, I’d still love to see you at the organizational meeting.
Together, we can make a difference.
Visit www.mtkserves.org for more info on the Kitchen.
Visit www.communitygarden.org for more info on community gardening.
Jason Rosenkranz
Tags: