The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25:40
Service at Safe Harbor gives us the opportunity to take Jesus’ words very literally; when we serve food and drink to the least in our community through serving a meal at Safe Harbor, we do it for Him.
Safe Harbor works with clients to identify barriers and move toward self sufficiency. Safe Harbor provides a safe warm environment to sleep, storage of some personal belongings, breakfast and dinner (some people have meals that are not residents), shower and laundry facilities and case management services, including access and referral to local resources. Safe Harbor also provides clients with clothes and personal hygiene products when available.
Calvary UMC gets the privilege of partnering with Safe Harbor to provide one of these services, serving dinner to the residents and guests every first and third Friday night of the month.
Cathy Wentworth is a Calvary member who serves at Safe Harbor often.
“I LOVE Safe Harbor. I love those people. I would be there every week if I could. The people we serve are so appreciative. Rarely does someone go through the line that doesn’t say thank you.
“I love coordinating meals and trying to think of something new and different for dinner. When I fix a meal, I try to plan the very best because God asks us to give our best! So I serve things like Chicken Tetrazzini and ice cream with sprinkles and whipped cream. There’s really no reason anyone in the U.S. should be hungry.
“Safe Harbor is a mission that I feel really passionate about,” she said.
Cathy serves at Safe Harbor with her Bible study group. She uses online recipes to figure out how to scale her cooking for large groups and makes sure to make more than enough so everyone can have seconds. The small group all pitch in on menu planning and purchasing and they always have enough.
Lurinda Venezia serves at Safe Harbor often as well. She says she places a priority on this volunteer opportunity to serve others because it is our mission to help others in need.
“It is always good working with others in our church and community and providing meals for folks who are very appreciative of our efforts. It is heartwarming to see a smile on their faces that someone cares for them,” she said.
If serving a meal at Safe Harbor seems like a good fit for your passions and callings, here are a couple of details you’ll need to consider:
- This is not a show up and serve opportunity. Serving a meal takes organizing a group of servers, planning a meal, shopping for ingredients, and cooking for 80 people.
- This is a great opportunity for a small group or a couple of families together.
- This can be a great opportunity for an individual, though finding a spot for an individual may take more time. An individual should be patient waiting for the call to serve at Safe Harbor.
- More info is available here
- Contact Ralph Smith at 829-2004 or RESmith61@frontier.com if you’d like more information or want to sign up to help.
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Tomorrow on the Daily Connection: A Light to My Path
About the Author
Lindsay Mitchell is a member of Calvary UMC.
