Once a month volunteers get together to prepare and serve a meal at a local church to community members and their families. The majority of those who are served are either deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or developmentally or physically disabled. Many people who come to the feeding are impovershed and live in group homes and may not have any family left in their lives. Others are lucky enough to have family whom they live with and whom accompany them to the feeding.
Volunteers cook each meal as if it was for themselves. The time, effort and love put into each dish is reflected in the service and radiates out onto the population served. Those who come to eat get a full plate and balanced meal, with as much food as they wish. Any leftovers are handed out so the people who come can take food home.
On average, we serve about 150-200 plates each time we hold the feeding. About half of the food is donated from local churches and businesses, while the other half is purchased by volunteers.
The unique thing about this project is that none of the volunteers know sign language, none of them have ever worked with the blind, and the majority have never interacted with a developmentally disabled person. The only common thread is the food. Food is a universal language, everyone eats, and everyone has to eat. No one should ever feel hungry, regardless of their circumstances. The volunteers and attendees are united by food, they all eat together when the serving is done, and the food opens up communication that would otherwise be difficult to occur. Breaking barriers with food unites people, unites a community, while tackling the issue of hunger.
