On the eve of Fat Tuesday, many of our volunteers gathered in the main room of Our Lady of Guadalupe Center in Lincoln, adjacent to our Gianna’s Java & Gelato, located in our beautiful St. Joseph Center, for a volunteer appreciation luncheon. I bet you can guess where the food and coffee came from... you guessed it, Gianna’s Java & Gelato!
After saying a prayer and thanking them for their hard work, we sat down and enjoyed a spinach salad garnished with slices of grilled chicken breast and feta cheese, topped off with raspberry vinaigrette. Even those who said they were full enjoyed some of our in-house, handcrafted gelato. One of our volunteers with a lactose intolerance enjoyed some of our sorbetto, which is water-based. There were a lot of ‘yum’ sounds…
After lunch, Mr. Curt Krueger, who is our director of social services, also thanked everyone present and told them a personal story that happened before our last heavy snowstorm. While out and about, he ran into a homeless woman who was alternatively laughing and crying. After engaging her in a conversation, he confirmed that, in addition to being homeless, she was inadequately dressed for winter.
With the donations of warm clothing, he was able to clothe her adequately and put her up in a long-term motel with a kitchenette, and purchase food before the onslaught of wind, ice and snow. He wanted to relate this to the volunteers because it was some of them who sorted the very clothes he gave to the woman.
His story reminds me of St. Paul’s description of the Church as a body: “As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’”(1 Cor 12:20-21).
In other words, if it was not for our donors, we would not have had the cash to pay for her stay in the long-term motel or the warm clothing to give her. Without our volunteers to sort the same clothing, we would not have been able to provide them for her.
As we are in the midst of this holy season of Lent in which we are asked to increase our prayers, fasting and alms giving, please allow me to thank all of our donors and volunteers. Also, please, please remember not to give up gelato or coffee this Lent... try giving up Brussels sprouts or wax beans instead!
