Emdad Rahman
I DIDN’T expect to see many regulars today. Winter is different, and our homeless friends need to keep coming just to keep the big freeze at arms length. Stratford isn’t very friendly and we have a definite need for more services offered by volunteers at soup kitchens.
For this shift I had 17 biryanis and a further 30 fried chicken meals to distribute to homeless friends. The cold weather was milder than the treacherous traffic, and I arrived thirty minutes late. Luckily our location is surrounded by eateries, and my team mates tonight had been briefed to enjoy a coffee or three rather than wait outside in the chill.
We set up and were literally done within 40 minutes. I could’ve sworn we only served 10-15 people, but by the end of the shift all the meals had gone.
There were lots of new faces tonight. Amanda wasn’t there, but Billy popped along. He particularly enjoyed the food and enjoyed seconds – as did Petr, who took an extra one with him. I remember once when Petr told me at the Saturday soup kitchen that he had not had a proper meal since the previous Tuesday.
Tonight I had Sheuly and the lovely ladies from Miss University who use their talent, creativity, beauty and intellect to serve the wider community through outreach efforts and ambassadorial duties. It was a pleasure to have their assistance and we hope to collaborate on future projects.
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