The tagline for the Christ Care ministry is “circles of care with Christ at the center.” Our group expanded our circle in late August to join with other volunteers at Project Open Hand, a not-for-profit that provides nutritionally sound meals for the chronically ill. It was a great experience on many levels. You learn a lot about yourself when your primary focus is to continuously add a dollop of grated cheese- in equal proportions- to more than 2,000 meals! (Project Open Hands produces 5,000 meals per day- our shift assembled about 2,500 meals.) One of the pillars of the Christ Care experience is mission work. Once small groups bond as a unit they are encouraged to reach out to others outside of their group to demonstrate Christ’s love. Nancy Runion has volunteered with Project Open Hand for years, so she was the catalyst for our first outreach effort. After a brief orientation, we each were assigned to a job on the food assembly line with other volunteers. Some of us packaged rolls, others ladled marinara sauce over chicken or put the food trays into position for shrink-wrapping. Three hours went quickly as we took pride in our individual responsibilities while getting to know our fellow workers.
I found myself thinking about where every meal was going that day – maybe to a young person suffering from HIV. Or, somebody’s elderly mother who no longer had the energy or resources to make her own dinner. It was easy to say a little prayer for the sick and shut-ins everywhere as the black, plastic trays were passed down the line. I was reminded for the umpteenth time how important it is to abandon pre-conceived notions. My cohorts on the line were members of “Rare Jewels,” a motorcycle club composed of African American women. I don’t know what I expected, but they turned out to be a lot like me- working Moms with an overabundance of classic Motown in their CD collection. Another co-worker was John, a middle-aged man who explained that he is a regular there because he once received meals from the organization. John had sort of a fatherly presence and he saved me more than once from accidentally knocking meals off of the line and onto the floor. My son, Chaz, was there as part of his community service for Marist School. He and a friend drove groceries to care-receivers in Peachtree Corners. Young Neve Smith was there, too, learning with the rest of us that our own problems fall quickly into perspective when we reach out to help those who can’t help themselves. You can be there, too! Learn more at www.projectopenhand.org.
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