LCCC: Soup Kitchen - A Night of Many Firsts

On Friday March 7, LCCC went to The Ark Aid Street Mission for the first time to serve dinner to patrons of the London community, and for many members, it was also their first time serving at a soup kitchen in general.

We arrived early to help set up, and we were ready to get started! :) Some of the roles included:

Handing out dinner tickets and ready with a hand sanitizer

We served a hot meal, with a choice of 2 different types of salad and a fruit mix for dessert

We served tea and coffee, while greeting and talking to the patrons

Towards the middle of the night, half of us traded off the floor to begin washing the many dishes. With LCCC, even washing dishes can be fun....

We wiped down the trays in prep for others to begin washing the dishes

The JJ Dishwasher Story: We were having a lot of trouble with this particular dishwasher because it kind of stopped working half way through our dishes. Janet was pressing the button to try to get the dishwasher going, and just as Jason walks into the kitchen, the dishwasher works. For the next load, the dishwasher stops working when Alana tries to press the button. Janet tries to press the button, nothing happens. Jason comes into the kitchen, and keeps his head down. When Jason finally looks at Janet (as she's pressing the button) the dishwasher works. Coincidence? Doesn't matter, because we (literally) LOL..so loud, that everyone could hear us outside. Plus, we broke out into song, and (tried) to sing "Just the way you are" from Pitch Perfect, with harmonies and all, which only generated more laughs.
The Coordinator for the Dinner Service passed a comment to Alana later that week of how "[he] really enjoyed having LCCC that night, especially because [he has] never had so many people laughing while washing dishes"

It was also Karaoke Night at The Ark!!! Seline shared her beautiful talent with others and sang some songs on the guitar.

 Many of us didn't know what to expect from serving at The Ark. Would the people act differently? Would the people be overly demanding or rude? As the night continued, our expectations slowly melted away as we were greeted with warm smiles, and good manners. The Ark is especially different because it is grounded in the Christian faith. Many people who come to The Ark call it "their church", and have a genuine respect for each other. The Ark was very much like a community, and we were very glad to be a part of it.

POST SOUP KITCHEN

After smelling and staring at food for several hours, our stomachs were screaming "FEED ME". So we decided to give our stomachs a little treat and we went to Marble Slab (for some of us, it was our very first time!)

Ice cream makes everything better

But we all know Marble Slab isn't real food....so we went next door to Prince Albert's to grab a bite to eat. Oh! And it's first Friday of Lent, so veggie burger and fish was the way to go.

Overall, we all had a great time having the opportunity to serve our London community at The Ark. It was a night filled with smiles, laughter, friendship and service. For those who weren't able to join us, we hope you'll be able to participate next year. It's a humbling and beautiful experience.

“To love God and neighbor is not something abstract, but profoundly concrete: it means seeing in every person and face of the Lord to be served, to serve him concretely. And you are, dear brothers and sisters, in the face of Jesus.” - Pope Francis

YOU are God's GIFT to a world that needs YOU