Lunch and dignity

My visit to the Southside Community Kitchen today delivered a combination of expected and unexpected finds.

Expected: Friendly volunteers working to prepare lunch for an indeterminate number of guests at the Christ United Methodist Church on Jolly Road in Lansing. Rows of pie slices lined the kitchen counter, waiting to become dessert.

Unexpected: Round tables of eight set with paper place mats, plastic ware wrapped in paper napkins and secured with a dark green wrapper. A grand piano in the back corner of the room, being played as lovely background music. Volunteers acting as servers for the guests.

That's right: No one stands in line to wait for food at the Southside Community Kitchen, executive director Anna Thiel explained. "It's more dignified," she said.


On this day, the SCK served about 50 guests. The meal: Tuna Noodle Casserole, prepared by head cook Nina Machtel and her helpers ("the recipe was here when I got here in 2006," Machtel said), green beans, applesauce, milk and a slice of pie — pumpkin, apple or blueberry.

The pie was served by a little girl who was on spring break and accompanied her grandmother, who often volunteers at SCK. She put on an apron and gloves and quickly went to work going from guest to guest, informing them of their pie choices and delivering what they wanted.

The little girl's presence reminded me of a recent episode of ABC's "Secret Millionaire." In it, a Los Angeles multi-millionaire was sent to Skid Row to volunteer, learn about the people and the organizations, and decide where to give away some of his money. Midway through the episode, it started to feel as though this man had never volunteered growing up — or as an adult — and I felt bad for him. He lacked the life experience that helps build empathy. This little girl, on a random spring-break Monday, was having an experience this millionaire didn't get as a kid. While that may be a bit of a stretch, that's where my head was as I watched her work. And I was glad to see her helping.

The Southside Community Kitchen serves about 10,000 meals each year. With the cost of food going up — and the availability of food from organizations such as the Mid-Michigan Food Bank decreasing — grant dollars don't go as far as they used to. But Thiel and her crew keep the doors open, shopping sales and relying on monetary and food donations.

"We try to do more than serve a meal," she said. "We provide a social outlet for people."