Neighbors in Need
Jan 6
Neighbors in Need were the guests of Edmonds Senior Center this morning. Our cold and hungry Neighbors gratefully enjoyed an amazing egg and vegetables casserole, fruit compote, hash browns, sausage and a variety of fruit juices. It truly was a delicious meal.
Plus there was take-out! Thank you to Advocates Recovery for breakfast burritos. It was a good day for the hungry.
We served breakfast and gave bags of groceries to 60 Neighbors and 1 family.
Bags of groceries sounds simple, but it is a busy, by the numbers, process.
John Boone "shops" every Monday at Edmonds Food Bank for ready to eat staples.
Edmonds Unitarian Universalist Congregation shops each month for tuna, cheese sticks, mandarin oranges, ready to eat cereals, and single serve beverages.
Chuck works early Saturday mornings, to sort our inventory so that it can be "production line" bagged.
Early each Saturday morning Allen and David supervise several Neighbors who set up tables and chairs, the clothing bank, and the pantry area.
Chris, John, Miko, and Jude organize the pantry area for assembling grocery bags.
This pantry team plus any other available volunteers form a production line to fill 50 to 60 bags of groceries to hand to Neighbors (and welcome) these Neighbors) as they come in.
An hour and half later, the process is reversed with everything packed and returned to our storage area. Meeting food needs requires a large and busy team!!
Four additional volunteers set up and serve coffee.
Another four volunteers set up and supervise the clothing bank. Two of this team give a morning every week to sorting donations.
Three volunteers serve at the resource table to help Neighbors access solutions to health, transportation and housing needs.
Three to five volunteers circulate among the Neighbors. They are genuinely interested in our Neighbors' stories, their hopes and their fears.
This listing does not include the breakfast teams from Trinity Lutheran, Edmonds Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, and Nest Mission who rotate through the month to prepare breakfast.
And then there are the community resources who support Neighbors in Need through on site service and through collecting and donating clothing, toiletries and food. Thank you to the Medical Teams International dental van, Mercy Watch medical professionals, Advocates Recovery Services, Heroes' Cafe and the members of our congregations for your care of our Neighbors.
It is said that it takes a village. Neighbors in Need is a committed village. We welcome all who are in need and all who serve.
We wish you a 2024 that is rich in health and rich in experience.
Joan
with NiN leadership