Giving Back in Brooklyn

According to the Coalition for the Homeless, there are over 35,000 homeless New Yorkers who sought the aid of shelters in 2007. Last Friday I had the opportunity to meet a small fraction of Brooklyn’s homeless community by spending the day volunteering at Park Slope Christian Help’s (CHIPS) soup kitchen. I didn’t even realize a shelter existed right in my neighborhood until Shore Fire made a holiday donation to the charity.

CHIPS is lucky to have a number of regular volunteers who quickly put me to work making an enormous salad. There was no dressing so I had to get creative and concoct my own from lemons, spices and oil and vinegar. During meal service I ran dishes back and forth between the cafeteria and the kitchen. Even though I haven’t had a dishwasher since moving to New York, I definitely topped my dishwashing record and didn’t break a single one in the process. It was all in a day’s work for CHIPs and the volunteers to feed about 100 hungry mouths in the local community who really appreciate the help.

For more information on donating or volunteering at CHIPS: http://www.chipsonline.org/

Coaltion for the Homeless:
http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/

Lunch service at CHIPS soup kitchen.

Roseanne, a weekly volunteer spooning butternut squash into a serving pan.

Volunteers serve Friday's menu of chicken with rice and beans cafeteria style.