snow & vounteering

I don't really remember hearing winter storms being given names... but apparently, not unlike hurricanes, they do name winter storms... and Winter Storm Nemo is hitting New England.  And he's hitting hard.  This morning, to my surprise, school was cancelled.  I did a few errands and then came home to try to paint... working on a painting I have had going for a while and am not sure what direction I want to head in with it... then I did something I haven't done in a long time.  I volunteered at a soup  kitchen.  Last spring I had inquired about volunteering there and they had some hoops to jump through, an application and some training and when I got ready to do those things I got the new job and it got placed very far back on the back burner.  Somehow my name was put on a list by the volunteer coordinator and I received an email yesterday.  The email said that due to the storm they were concerned that they would not have enough help and asked people to come if they could.  Originally my plan for tonight had included spending time with Jacey, as a celebration for her recent acceptance into grad school... and after getting the email asked her if she was up for volunteering before our celebratory dinner and she agreed... but as it worked out she ended up not coming his way today because her school was closed and she din't have to go to work.  I am glad she stayed put and stayed safe.  I decided to still go... and I was glad I was able to help out.  It was nice to be there, to do something for other people, and to meet some new people.  I worked next to one woman who seemed young, like college aged, but she had been out of college for a while.. made me feel old!  It was nice chatting with her.  I was in charge of keeping the side dishes warm without burning them on a huge gas stove an her job was making some soup... and the pot was so big I had to help the girl out a little from time to time.  she had to be on her tip toes to see all the way to the bottom.  After things got going and they figured the sides would stay warm until the end of the service, they asked me to help with some donations... boxes of fruits and vegetables from local grocery stores. the produce needed to be sorted into fruit, veggies, and rotten... it was not the most glamorous part of the night, the rotten fruit was gross... but I am happy to know that nothing goes to waste... the rotten produce goes to a local pig farmer...then, I got to put together some bag lunches, sandwiches, granola bar, and apple slices.  People who come to the shelter have the option of taking a bag lunch with them.  Because of the roles I played tonight, I didn't see or interact much with the people who were coming to the soup kitchen for food... I did help clean the dining area towards the end of the service, but most people were already leaving or had left at that point.  There was a familiar face there... a man I have seen often... he stays in an area close to one of my walking routes... he does Tai chi ... As he was leaving I watched him take time to say good bye to some of the staff and thanked each of them.

It was nice to volunteer... to help... to not be in charge... to meet some new people... I need to do it again.