By Joe Mancini
Published December 1999
On September 13, 1999 we celebrated the good spirit and commitment Arleen Macpherson has offered to St. John’s Kitchen for the past eleven years. It was a wonderful day that highlighted the strength of the community of St. John’s Kitchen. The day began with all the extra preparations that go with a celebration including a late night cooking session to get the meal prepared ahead of time. At 10:00 am over one hundred people filed into St. John’s church representing all aspects of the Kitchen community. Regular patrons, volunteers and friends shared the spiritual connections of co-operation and respect for the dignity of all people in a special service of music, readings and reflections marking Arleen’s retirement.
After the service St. John’s Kitchen was buzzing with the expectations of a celebration. Gretchen had worked doubly hard all week to organize the service and to prepare the spaghetti dinner using organic tomatoes from the St. John’s Kitchen garden. Many of Arleen’s friends from the Kitchen contributed in hundreds of ways to create a festive atmosphere with tablecloths, banners, flowers and gifts. Andy Macpherson, Arleen’s son, created a special set of drawings to depict his mother’s contributions to St. John’s. These drawings were presented to Arleen after she helped serve all 400 meals. It was a wonderful way for Arleen to greet the many patrons and guests and to say thank-you while serving the spaghetti. The day was so positive and full of good wishes that it was clear that Arleen’s work was truly celebrated in a natural outburst of respect and thanks.
A few weeks later the K-W Oktoberfest Woman of the Year Committee awarded Arleen the Humanitarian Woman of the Year. It is a deserved honour for Arleen in recognition of her eleven years of service at St. John’s Kitchen and The Working Centre.
A celebration meal has its own energy. The way a meal is created on a regular day is cause for celebration as well. It is impossible to fairly describe or recognize the many people who contribute in hundreds of ways to ensure that a meal is served each day at St. John’s Kitchen.
What does it take to get that meal for 200 people cooked, served and cleaned up? It starts with people who are ready and willing to peel potatoes and carrots and to prepare onions, squash and other vegetables. It takes creative cooks who work with Gretchen to make large quantities of soups, stews, and casseroles, that are both meat-based and vegetarian. Then there is the preparation of sandwiches, salads and breads along with desserts of cookies, muffins, cakes or bread puddings.
The meal is often determined by a number of factors. The first is what arrives from the Foodbank’s fresh produce truck which brings vegetables, breads and desserts that grocery stores can no longer sell. The cooks at St. John’s Kitchen quickly turn surplus food into wholesome meals. It is not uncommon for volunteers to walk into the kitchen and say “I feel like cooking up a stir-fry today” or “I would like to make this special chili recipe.” The volunteer cooks working with Gretchen are very talented at improvising ingredients. We are very blessed with large and small donations of food.
Sometimes it’s a harvest from large gardens or a family bringing a weekly bag of carrots or potatoes. All such donations are mixed together as part of planning for the meal each day. We cook according to what we are given.
After serving the meal, it’s time for cleaning up. This is by far the hardest of chores. Anyone who has cleaned up after 200 people knows what a big job this is. The floors must be swept and mopped. The dishes are all put through the dishwasher and put away and the pots are all scrubbed clean. The food has to be put away and unfortunately there is a bit of distance and stairs between the kitchen and the cooler. The coffee pots have to be scrubbed and made ready for the next day. Then there are all those cleaning tasks to meet the requirements of the Public Health Department.
St. John’s Kitchen relies on volunteers to complete these chores. People come in to the kitchen and offer to lend a hand for a few hours. Other people come because they have friends who are volunteering and they want to join them. Schools send students to help out with both cooking and cleaning. The eagerness of students excited by helping out in a practical way is always appreciated.
All this energy and commitment is repeated daily at the Kitchen. This effort ensures that a nutritious meal is served in the downtown each weekday. This in itself is cause for celebration.
