Greetings from Tabor! I wanted to take a moment to share with you a very meaningful experience that my advisor group took part in during Tabor’s recent Day of Service.
Last year, our group helped paint a map at the playground at our nearby elementary school, but this year I opted for a more communal and hopefully profound experience that would give our students an opportunity to connect with people. Rising in the early morning darkness of 5am, with a quick stop at Dunkin' Donuts, we headed off to Mercy Meals in New Bedford to help with their daily breakfast service.
Mercy Meals provides meals for people in need in the greater New Bedford community. I was curious how our students would react in a setting that was going to connect them with people who were from so many different situations and so unlike the people they interact with every day.
What happened upon our arrival was, to put it simply, amazing. As soon as we walked through the doors, our entire group engaged immediately setting up tables and unfolding chairs. It was incredible to see how quickly they jumped in to help and to greet and introduce themselves to all the other volunteers, all while helping in every way they could, whether asked or not. Our volunteer cooks started learning how to make omelets, french toast, sausages and pancakes, while the rest busied themselves finishing the table setting and prep. By 6:45am the cafeteria was ready to serve all who came through the doors.
After a short morning prayer, breakfast began and every seat at the seven tables was filled. The students were confident and ready now; taking orders with kind smiles, serving coffee and juice, preparing eggs to order, and flipping pancakes and french toast. All of the 150 or so people that came through the doors at Mercy Meals were met with happy faces, ones that represented not just those they might be familiar with, but also our new faces, ones they did not know, faces from near and far: Africa, Korea, Japan and China. Conversations began, hands were shook, and laughter could be heard over the calls for orders and the often quiet but genuine thank you's. After 40 minutes, it was over as quickly as it had begun. The dishes were cleared, washed, and put away, the griddles were cleaned, and the tables and chairs were returned to their places. The kids were all smiling and laughing with the regular volunteers and staff who praised them for their kindness and their willingness to work so hard feeding people they didn't know and would never see again.
When we all got back into the bus, I took a moment to tell them how proud I was for what they had done and, more importantly, how they had done it. My praise was met with smiles. Mercy Meals’ motto is to “Begin the Day With Hope,” and from what I witnessed and heard from the other volunteers, this group helped make that happen.
As advisors, we often have experiences like this with our advisees, when truly incredible events happen and the students rise up and prove themselves, but usually the moments get forgotten as “you should’ve been there” moments. I hope this post will let this moment live a bit longer.
I could not have been more proud of our students.
