Life and Island Times July 9 2016: Cooking With Love – A Christmas Story

This is from December 2013.

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Team members awoke early today, since the Metropolitan Community Church’s Cooking With Love program volunteers would be delivering Christmas meals to 130 souls across their island town. As Marlow opened the front doors to the church, the air was full of the comforting aromas of a pork chop, escalloped potatoes and green bean-mushroom casserole dinner. Today’s chefs, Charlie and Rita, along with Charlie’s kitchen bitch Charles must have gotten in before dawn, since the meal was ready for plating earlier than normal.

Marlow expected they would be short-handed since many of the on-island helpers were on the mainland with family, and the snowbird volunteers had yet to arrive for the season. Santa must have put the call out, since their numbers miraculously swelled just as the CWL elves started meal assembly. The Styrofoam containers bent with plentiful deliciousness, while the bags bulging with groceries destined for almost half of the homes were laid out on the floor with care.

The year’s Christmas meal was donated in memory of Charlie’s late husband Richard. His larger than life presence and stalwart support of MCC was celebrated as they walked through the assembly line. One volunteer laughingly retold the story of how Richard set the MCC kitchen afire almost burning down the building.

There were just enough drivers with cars to assign to each of the routes but not enough helpers. Marlow had route two (the first two floors of the Senior Center) and had delivered it before solo. Today’s bountiful delivery would be a tad slower due to weight and the normal exchange of holiday greetings in many languages at the door of each apartment.

Holiday Decorations outside of a Key Wey Senior Center Plaza apartment

He had barely begun his deliveries, when this year’s island Christmas present arrived early. Marlow stopped after the second of five turns on the first floor at a long-time customer’s apartment – Cindy Williams in #114. In response to his knock, she arrived quickly at the door and told him that she would be taking her neighbor Captain Frank’s meal as well. The three meals and two bags of groceries were so heavy that Marlow lugged them into Cindy’s kitchen. As he turned to drag his overflowing carts down the sidewalk, she whispered that she had something for CWL. It was an envelope with Christmas wishes and a gift to the program. This seventy one year old, twenty year resident of the Senior Center did not have two pots to piss in yet still scrimped to make her donation.

She then offered to assist Marlow in his deliveries. Cindy confided that she had spied him alone unloading his car through her “window on the world” and thought she would offer to help. As many may not know, she was legally blind and quite unsteady on her feet. Just to be safe, Marlow put her in the lead and followed close behind to catch her if Cindy commenced to topple. She was cheerful, fabulous and smiled broadly when many of her neighbors commented on their surprise to see her out and about.

This brought tears to Marlow’s eyes. May it do the same to yours.

Cindy making her rounds

Copyright © 2016 From My Isle Seat