Visiting a Community Kitchen

The saying goes that many hands make light work, and that is exactly what we saw on display on Monday for our first service activity of the week. After their Service and Leadership Workshop, students went to the to the Reffetorio de Merida, a community kitchen serving residents of Merida. 

Upon arrival, students participated in the daily volunteer debrief where they learned more about the organization and how they would be assisting with the lunch service that day. Refettorio de Merida specializes in providing high-quality, gourmet meals at no cost. They have a team of chefs that cultivates a daily main course and dessert menu made from ingredients donated by vendors in the community. The plating and dining experiences are focused on providing dignity to the dining experience. 

Students pulled cards at random to determine their responsibilities during the lunch service. Students helped check in guests, escort them to the tables, serve drinks and meals, clear tables, and wash dishware. Throughout, students had the opportunity to interact with both the local team of volunteers and guests of the Refettorio. Each student embraced their tasks with enthusiasm and were complemented on their ability to quickly learn and execute their roles. This experience demonstrated that service is collaborative and each person’s contributions are vital to helping organizations reach their objectives. 

Students enjoyed this service activity and were impressed by the organization and execution of the lunch service and enjoyed having the opportunity to collaborate with local volunteers.