On Saturday morning, January 24, 2015, Cindy and I had the pleasure of volunteering at the Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen, located at The Lodge in Morgan Hill. The Lodge is an apartment community dedicated to helping senior citizens lead independent lives. It is one of the dining room locations that the Loaves & Fishes organization services. Their mission is to serve meals to low-income families and seniors across the Santa Clara county.
We arrived on Saturday morning to help out during the breakfast service and were greeted by the two lead cooks, Albert and Ethan, as well as another volunteer, Johnny. Breakfast is self-service (like buffet style) at the facility since it has been found to be the most efficient way for guests to get food, so most of the volunteer work took place in the kitchen! We were first tasked with bringing breakfast items and utensils out to set-up in the dining area. As the guests helped themselves to breakfast, we assisted Albert and Ethan with prepping lunch. On the lunch menu for later that day was salad and chicken noodle soup. We helped with washing and chopping romaine lettuce, slicing tomatoes, and shredding and dicing grilled chicken. For someone like myself who doesn’t cook regularly, I had an enjoyable time exercising my novice knife skills! As breakfast time was finishing up, we went out in the dining area to help bus tables, push in chairs, and bring used tableware inside to be washed. It was a fun and eventful morning, and we got to meet some very vibrant people! For more information about the Loaves & Fishes organization and volunteer opportunities, please click here.
Photos c/o Suzann Muy