[Community-service] An Event and suggestions

[nfoster at extremezone.com]

Cindy:

Congratulations for trying something new.  It sounds like there were several
challenges, but I’m sure there are ways to work around them.

I try to avoid large noisy gatherings like you described.  I have a slight
hearing loss and find those types of environments to be very stressful.  I used
to volunteer with a church group that provided a meal for a local homeless
shelter once a month.  I always worked on the food prep end.  It was a quieter
area and I like cooking.  I always had to cut up lots of onions, so wore the
surgical type gloves.  I’m assuming they’re made of latex, but not sure.  They
can be purchased at drug stores and I just provided my own.  I also use these
at home when preparing hot peppers.  They are so light that I can actually read
Braille through them.  They do tare fairly easily, so it is good to have some
spares.

If you participate in this project again I hope you will let us all know how it
goes.

Nella

Quoting Cindy Ray via Community-service <community-service at nfbnet.org>:

> I have avoided doing this event before because I don't feel comfortable
> working with food with those plastic bags with fingers in them on my hands.
> However, I decided that it was important for me to give it a shot. First, my
> church does the activity every month now and my Rotary Club does it every
> two months. So I decided to join with my Rotary in doing the event. It is
> called CFUM Supper Club (Children and Family Urban Movement) and serves
> those who are in need. Their income isn't quite enough, they don't have
> jobs, etc. So I went.
>
> First I buttered bread. It was difficult with the little bags on my fingers.
> (I suppose I should call them gloves.) I didn't do badly with it, but they
> weren't having anything I'd feel comfortable serving. The menu was spaghetti
> and meat sauce, salad and dressing, (you have to apply the dressing for
> them), Italian bread and butter, which I could actually serve, drinks, and a
> variety of desserts. They invited me to greet folks and to say the evening
> prayer.
>
> I didn't mind doing this, so I did, but it didn't go well. It was so  noisy
> that I couldn't always be certain people were close enough to greet, and
> they were often visiting with one another. Also, many of them thought I was
> in line or offered to help me with a tray. I did try to find another place
> to stand that would imply I was not in the line.
>
> Now, my main question is this: Has anyone ever used these gloves, and do you
> know if it is, in general, OK to switch them for Laytex gloves? Do those
> gloves work better?
>
> Thanks. Clearly this won't be an event I would want to put on the blog to
> inspire 75 days of service. LOL.
>
> Cindy Lou Ray
>
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