Opinion: Weekly meal should be a community event
By Kathryn Reed
It’s called a community dinner, but it doesn’t really meet the definition of a community dinner. I want to change that.
Earlier this year I started volunteering at Bread & Broth one day a month. (My first experience was the Thanksgiving meal last year.)
Each Monday from 4-5:30pm anyone may drop by Grace Hall in South Lake Tahoe to receive a free hot meal. It doesn’t matter your age or income or if you are a family or single or a couple. No questions are asked.
John Mauriello makes garlic bread for Bread & Broth diners. Photo/Kathryn Reed
It’s evident most of the people need this meal. A few appear to be there for the camaraderie as well.
These people are so incredibly grateful. The smiles of gratitude – it can bring tears to your eyes. And they look you in the eye. They say thank you.
I’m the one who has had to work at looking them in the eye. I’m the one saying thank you. They probably don’t know this, but they give me so much more than I am giving them.
I wish I could do more.
Part of the more is to make these Monday night gatherings a true community dinner. The reasons to do so are plentiful.
I have questions for the people who aren’t at this meal. Where are you?
Where is the City Council, city staff, Douglas County commissioners, El Dorado County supervisors, Lake Tahoe Unified staff and board, Lake Tahoe Community College staff and board, Douglas County School District staff and board, people working in social services, people working in food service, the people who call the South Shore home? So, everybody, where are you?
If the people in position of power could see the needs of the other half (three-quarters?), it would perhaps shed some light on why Lake Tahoe continues to be called “poverty with a view”. Imagine a city councilmember at each of the tables, but not able to talk to one another. Just eating, listening, breaking bread with their constituents.
Would the real issues of the city become clear? Would they figure out a sandwich board sign really isn’t that important? Would they figure out people are what’s important?
Then imagine interspersed with the regulars at Bread & Broth are you and your neighbors. Because, after all, the B&B regulars are your neighbors even if they don’t live on your street.
Would you then think twice about the person on your street who doesn’t use a bear proof can – is it that they don’t care or that $100 to buy one is a month’s or more worth of food to them? Would you help your neighbor more if you knew them better?
Bread & Broth doesn’t have the resources to feed a huge influx of people. So, to pay for this, I challenge businesses to individually or collectively sponsor an Adopt-A-Day. For $250 (tax deductible) this feeds more than 100 people. Lake Tahoe News is sponsoring tonight’s meal.
And I have suggested to some of my team members that a donation jar be put out each night. (This was really my mom’s idea because it’s what they do where she volunteers.) A $5 donation would pay for you and the person next to you to eat.
Besides getting a healthy meal and giving back, you would get to meet new people. People whom also call Lake Tahoe home.
Lake Tahoe has plenty of things wrong with it. But it also has plenty of things right with it. But as long there are people who struggle to find a meal each night, there is definitely something wrong. We can all help to make each Monday night evolve into a place people want to be instead of need to be.
Kae, yo have set a good example. Do all our elected officials read this? If they do, would they be willing to sit at separate tables, not as a group by themselves,and really talk with their table mates? Should people just show up to volunteer or do they call ahead? Thanks for your great story.
Wonderful ideas and comments. I work at Bread and Broth too, and agree about the overall attitudes and gratitude shown.
Everyone should go sometime for the good food and the actual
experience.
Great article Kae !
Maybe some aren’t there due to this being held by a Catholic church, even if it is not a church good works event, it still comes across as one, because of where it is held.
Kudos to them for taking on the task, and they are probably one of the few organizations that have the facilities to do this, but it doesn’t make someone who is not religious want to volunteer there. Maybe that is what they need to address more, that this is the communities event, not the churches?
All my donating goes to Christmas Cheer; which best as I can tell has no religious affiliation.
Good work is good work, no matter whose mantle it is performed under! I mean you don’t have to be a kid to volunteer at the Boy’s and Girl’s club, or a Catholic to volunteer at St. T’s. Kudos to ALL those that volunteer in our community, regardless of faith OR lack of therein. Nice job Kae, you not only talk the talk, but you also walk the walk!
Good article Kae.
In addition to the comapnies who often sponsor this program, there are lots of volunteers and contributors to the success of this program. Many do so silently and just go about their weekly work of picking up food from Raleys, Safeway, Sugar Pine Bakery, Grass Roots, the seasonal farmer’s markets, Grocery Outlet and many more. Other’s silently come in to prep food, prepare food, carry food, clean up, store food and answer the phones and interact directly with people to when and where the meal is served. They don’t want kudos, they just want to help. Do their job, as many will tell you.
Many of the diners are locals and many are passing through just trying to make it to their next waystation in life. In any case, they could care less about the religious affiliation of St. Theresa. They just want a hot meal and some company.
There are some amazing people in our community that step up to the plate. One quick and final story of one family is the fact that the same family pays, out of their own pocket, for the annual prime rib Xmas dinner. The family asks for no receipt, absolutely no recognition and the only question asked is, do we need to get more food. Is this enough?
All of this will never be enough but we have lots of very good people in our town and we should be proud of them and their efforts.
Thanks for giving me a different perspective, Kae. Even when food was scarce in my cupboard, I always thought this should be for people who didn’t have anyone who could help them. It was good to go today; my friend and I both talked to several people who shared their lives with us. I like the donation idea; we felt much better eating there and giving a donation.
There are a lot of people in our community who give their time to good causes. Knowing we can’t do everything, it is also good to know this is a great place to really see the people of South Lake Tahoe. I encourage more people to go – the food is great, and you just might meet an old friend or make a new one! Thanks to all the volunteers there – your work is noble!
Thanks to Kae for ‘stepping up to the plate’, as Austin says, in sponsoring today’s meal. She asks ‘where are you (?) “, as Bread & Broth does only one meal a week (Monday), and the gratitude is due at least in part to the need: too many look forward to just this day, with it’s distribution of ‘day-old’ baked goods, etc.
The Seniors are also served at their Center, for a nominal 3.00 most days of the week, but they also should be considered for extra community assistance.
For over two years now, South Lake Tahoe’s corporate hospitality folks have been recycling (composting) all their food waste, towards creating fresh & nutritious produce for folks like these (including school lunch programs) through the City’s so-called Sustainable Action Plan, under Item # 9, Healthy Food Systems, for just such community involvement as Kae calls for – but so far the City is still preoccupied with all the “usual”.
By the way, “food waste diversio
So much for ‘smart’ phones: the ongoing ‘food waste diversion program with Embassy, both Marriotts, and Aramark has already processed over 100 tons of food waste.
Meals on Wheels needs a little help too, if anyone has some extra time. Donations are wonderful, but it is the volunteers who really make it happen by getting the goods to the people who need it most. I know everyone is busy and a lot of us work more than one job to make ends meet, but if you can spare time to volunteer, our town has more than enough good causes.