A great group of volunteers visited Martha’s Table this week all the way from Rochester, Minnesota.  They came to DC with their youth group for a week of service. The group from Crosswinds Church, ranging from rising freshmen to seniors in high school, goes on a yearly trip.  It rotates between a service trip in an inner city, a team-building trip, and a service trip in another country.

Out of the 24 members of the group, 12 were able to come volunteer for Martha’s Table Food Preparation program Tuesday the 19th.  This particular day they had all woken up at 5am to serve food with SOME at 6:45 am, split into separate groups to volunteer for Martha’s Table or painting for a chruch, and then went straight to fill and hand out hygiene packets and water from 1-4:30pm with Capitol Hill Ministries.  They had quite the full schedule working with a variety of service organizations around the area throughout the week, and we were fortunate to meet these dedicated and compassionate individuals.

Three of the upperclassmen also had the opportunity to volunteer for McKenna’s Wagon, our volunteer run model street feeding program, the night before.  Meredith Weincouff, a rising senior in high school said, “it was a great experience to work one-on-one with people in the community.”  Jessica Soroos said she enjoyed her experience and that it was “great to have time to talk with the people they were helping.”

When Meredith was asked about her experience with service and Martha’s Table she explained, “I like seeing the impact I am making, and I like how Martha’s Table gave us all the background information about the organization so that we could understand our purpose and how we were helping.  For me it is about the self-satisfaction from doing something productive and helpful.”  Her younger brother Keith Weincouff, who will be a freshman in high school this school year, said he also likes serving because it is fun to see how you can help people and how you can change lives.”

Another volunteer, Liv Block, commented that, “I like how welcoming Martha’s Table is and that everyone is so cheerful.”  Meredith Weincouff agreed that, “it is easier to work somewhere where you feel welcomed.”

Thank you to Crosswinds Church Youth Group for including us in your week of service!