Mother's Kitchen in D. C.

Serving Meals Bring Joy

Dear Friends,

We in DC were inspired by the letter from Denver to share our experience with Mother's Kitchen here. For the past 8 years, once a month several members of our satsang and some friends provide a home-cooked vegetarian meal for the women who live in a county government-run homeless shelter in Rockville, MD, a suburb of Washington, DC.

This shelter provides a transitional residence for thirty women. Many of these women are mentally ill and have difficulty keeping jobs. The shelter is located in a former storefront in an industrial area. It is a small space with an office for the staff, a room for watching TV, and an apartment-size kitchen with a sink, refrigerator, and microwave, but no stove or oven. There is also a dining area and a sleeping area with bunk beds.

Many community organizations commit to bringing dinners or having food sent to the shelter, but the residents really like having us stay and serve them. The women love the vegetarian food and are always appreciative. Occasionally one of the residents will be disappointed that there is no meat, but usually one of the other residents will tell her the benefits of beans and tofu. The women will tell us when they really like something and will request that we bring it again. Samosas are a favorite, as are ice cream sundaes and fresh fruit salad.

We focus mainly on healthy foods. Many of the women have diets high in fats and in refined carbohydrates. We bring high protein foods, several vegetables dishes, a fresh green salad, and a fresh fruit salad. We always bring a dessert, too---usually homemade cookies and ice cream. We want to stress good nutrition, but just like we love getting candy prasad from Amma, the ladies like sweet treats too.

At Christmas we give each woman a tote bag with personal items. This year, through a generous donation, we were able to give each woman a purse. We filled the purses with a hairbrush and mirror set, emory boards, dental floss, lip balm, a small pad and pen and colored mini-markers. We always have the fun of shopping for the women and thinking about what they would like. We then get together and have the fun of filling the bags and decorating them with brightly colored ribbon and candy canes. These ladies have almost no personal possessions. A tote with these personal items is something they can use even though they have no place at the shelter to keep personal things. We know how much they like the totes because we see them carrying them when we come each month.

It is really our joy to have the opportunity to see how happy the women are to have a home-cooked meal served with Amma’s love, as well as to spend time serving together with our fellow satsang members.

Sincerely,
In Amma ever loving service,
Susan Hoffman
Washington DC Satsang
www.ammadc.org

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