Volunteerism and turning 50 years ago
Staff writer
This past weekend our family volunteered, along with other Boeing employees and their families through Boeing's Good Neighbor program, at the Lord's Diner in Wichita.
This $1.25 million facility was built based on a vision of Bishop Eugene Gerber from the Catholic Diocese. Gerber helped the poor and homeless in the area surrounding Central and Broadway, where the facility is located.
It is from his vision and others in the community who saw the need that the quality facility was built with volunteer help and donations by various organizations and individuals. It is debt free, inter-denominational and operates with only five paid staff and more than 4,300 volunteers.
When the diner, which is a licensed restaurant, opened on Feb. 13, 2002, it served an average of 300 hot meals. The diner serves those in need of an evening meal from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. seven days a week.
According to executive director Wendy Glick, there was no place in Wichita that served evening meals to those in need. The Lord's Diner currently serves an average of 400 meals per day.
The guests include the homeless that make up 25 percent of those who come to eat. Others who come to the diner are the unemployed, the under-employed, and the mentally and physically disabled.
According to Glick, after Sept. 11 and the slumping economy, more people became unemployed and homeless, thus the increased numbers coming to the Lord's Diner.
Glick said the majority of guests who come to the diner are white males.
Glick also has seen an increase in single mothers with children coming to the facility. The diner has a section of the cafeteria-style restaurant roped off just for families.
For the Boeing volunteers who came on Saturday, our job was to clean the dining hall, kitchen, bathrooms, and offices.
Approximately 25-30 adults, teens, and youngsters of families showed up to volunteer their help. We divided into six or seven teams and were assigned various tasks.
We had a team assigned to paint the offices, another team was assigned to powerwash the kitchen, while another group was in charge of cleaning and painting the bathrooms.
Another team was responsible for prepping and scrubbing the 400 chairs and 60 tables at the diner. This group helped to get the tables and chairs ready to send to another group of volunteers waiting outside. This group scrubbed the tables and chairs another time while a Boeing volunteer sprayed and rinsed them with a powerwash machine.
Our particular group was responsible for washing the walls, and scrubbing the grout of the tile floors in the dining hall with toothbrushes, especially around the baseboard and then mopping them. We also washed out trash cans and prepared venetian blinds to get powerwashed.
While we waited, we mopped the portion of the floor where the chairs and tables were located and dried some of the areas with paper towels. We placed a fan on the floor to help speed up the drying process.
After the chairs and tables were powerwashed — we along with another group — dried them off and placed them back in order.
We did all this from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Most of us became tired and were exhausted, but we kept at it because of our love for the poor and our belief in the verses in Matthew 25:34-40, especially verse 40.
Our family was so blessed from this experience. We are now signing up to take a food handler's class to serve at the Lord's Diner. Because that's the way we are.
If you want to know more about the Lord's Diner just log on to their website at www.thelordsdiner.org.
*****
This April I turned 50. That's right, I turned the big 5-0 this month. Thanks to those who wished me a happy birthday. A special thank you to Lou and to Frank Wiens for his telephone birthday serenade again this year. He had a hard time tracking me down, but he persevered and contacted me later on Monday.
I don't feel any different. My bones have been aching for some time now.
I have been able to identify with seniors citizens who have aches and pains since I was diagnosed with mixed connective tissue disorder or MCTD. Any fluctuation in the barometric pressure or humidity in the air really affects my joints. So, this past month I've been in pain!
I also can identify with the seniors because I have diabetes, which I was diagnosed with approximately four years ago.
I find myself comparing notes with the seniors when I see them walking on the street, at the bank, or in the grocery store.
The first thing most of them say is, "You're too young to be suffering like that."
Funny how life is. I not only have sympathy for them but also empathy because I know what it really feels like to have every joint in your body hurt at one time or another.
But, I keep telling myself and others, we must keep going and do what's necessary to keep our bodies in the best condition possible.
I now have a pedometer I purchased at Greenhaw Pharmacy. Now that the cold temperatures have pretty subsided, I hope to increase the walking and hopefully, get in better shape
