Each Friday, a nutritous, full meal is served to 64 people at the American Cathedral on George V Avenue, which is near our church. I usually take the 63 bus, and then walk 5-6 blocks to the cathedral. Four different churches are responsible for planning for the meal each week. Here at the ACP, we have a volunteer coordinator, Mary Beth Goodell, who is here with her husband who is on a year's work assignment in Paris. Mary Beth teaches special ed at the British School here two days a week.People who wish to be here for the meal, must sign up the week previous, due to the limitation of room size, and giving the planners a means to purchase the food and plan the menu. The folks who come for the luncheon/dinner are low income, homeless, street, both women, men, and occasionally children.Around 10 in the morning, several volunteers begin the meal preparation, all done from scratch, and we begin cleaning the lettuce, fixing the meat, cutting up onions, carrots, potatoes, rice, etc., making the coffee, cutting the baguettes, setting up the tables, getting dishes counted out, etc. From 15-20 volunteers 
throughout the morning crowd in to the small kitchen, and we thoroughly enjoy the work and fellowship, joining in our service together--black, white, Asian,The people sign in, and are seated, and the food is ready to be served at 12:30. A prayer is said by the rector of the parish. In typical French style, the "entree" main meal, is served first along with baguettes, then the salad and brie cheese and more bread, then the dessert, then coffee. The people are served at the tables, and used dishes are cleaned off and sent down with a "dumb waiter".
Back in the kitchen, several volunteers are already washing up and sterilizing all the dishes and tableware, pots and pans, that have been used.John and I have been at most of the Friday "feeding" program, and have so enjoyed the work and fellowship of both volunteers and participants. It is so neat to have several of the volunteers (who speak French) mingle with the folk and talk with them. Some of them also stay and help with putting tables away, etc.I am reminded of the words from Isaiah 58, when God says: "What I'm interested in seeing you do is this: sharing your food with the hungry.....if you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, your lives will being to glow in the darkness" (The Message)
throughout the morning crowd in to the small kitchen, and we thoroughly enjoy the work and fellowship, joining in our service together--black, white, Asian,The people sign in, and are seated, and the food is ready to be served at 12:30. A prayer is said by the rector of the parish. In typical French style, the "entree" main meal, is served first along with baguettes, then the salad and brie cheese and more bread, then the dessert, then coffee. The people are served at the tables, and used dishes are cleaned off and sent down with a "dumb waiter".
Back in the kitchen, several volunteers are already washing up and sterilizing all the dishes and tableware, pots and pans, that have been used.John and I have been at most of the Friday "feeding" program, and have so enjoyed the work and fellowship of both volunteers and participants. It is so neat to have several of the volunteers (who speak French) mingle with the folk and talk with them. Some of them also stay and help with putting tables away, etc.I am reminded of the words from Isaiah 58, when God says: "What I'm interested in seeing you do is this: sharing your food with the hungry.....if you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, your lives will being to glow in the darkness" (The Message)
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