The most recent volunteer shift was last Thursday, September 8th at 6am on the dot. Our volunteers for this month were Fatiha, Larry, and Anna from the Days Inn Connecticut Ave in DC. Below is a wonderful image of what's it's like to be a first time volunteer at Miriam's from Larry:
"Christin, being I’m the “newbie”, I thought I would write about the awesome experience at Miriam’s Kitchen this past Thursday 9/8/2011. First, thank you for the opportunity to serve others and serving God. For me at 5:00 a.m. on that rainy Thursday morning and not knowing where I was going I was feeling a bit anxious. I was tired, I had just finished a two day trade show for the Days Inn Alliance at the SGTP show in Crystal City VA, but felt compelled to try this new experience. I have worked at the DC Central Kitchen, as a prep person, have made egg salad sandwiches for Martha’s Table but in both of these experiences, I had never had contact with the guest.
I finally found the church where the kitchen is located, I parked on the street not knowing that the church provided parking. As I was walking down New Hampshire Avenue in the darkness of 5:40 a.m., I still wasn’t sure where I was headed, but for some reason, I happened on the church rather quickly. Now upon my arrival there was a gathering of what looked to be guests who were waiting for the kitchen to open. I was certainly out of my comfort zone. Not knowing even for sure if this is my destination, why there was the gathering. I approached one of the folks there with the crowd, in other situations I wasn’t comfortable, I didn’t feel threatened nor anxious, and oddly there was no rain falling at this time. You remember how rainy Thursday was, 13-15 inches of rain. I asked if this is Miriam’s Kitchen and the gentleman asked if I were a volunteer, I stated yes. I said I wasn’t sure of the location and now how to get in, in almost a chorus the gathering said to enter into the garage, the man who I was speaking to pointed to the garage door and said walk over there, he walked with me and when I arrived at the door he pointed out and pressed the garage door button that opened the garage door. Talk of your acts of kindness!
Once inside, I was shown the sign in sheet, apparel, and “wash your hands”. The staff that I worked with were very organized and my colleagues went right to duties as if these were their regularly scheduled tasks. I wasn’t sure who the staff and who the volunteers were, seemingly some a little grumpy. However, I introduced myself, cooked bacon, set tables, poured cereal, and had the glorious opportunity to serve the guests, 99 % with open hearts, smiles, and the grace to appreciate what someone is doing for them.
I will look forward to my next gathering at Miriam’s Kitchen and it certainly continues to cement the belief that by serving others you are serving God!"
Beautifully illustrated! This is such a great testimony to anyone interested in serving at Miriam's. As I shared with Larry, my first volunteer experience was similar. The guests were so helpful as I was confused in the darkness of early morning. What a fantastic feeling to have. These people are truly thankful for the care given to them by Miriam's and you can see it in their act of kindness and also in their smiles, which they greet you with bright and early at 6am.
Thank you to Larry for providing his Miriam's testimony. We hope that more of our team members have the opportunity to experience this as well.
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