:: Events ::

On July 17,2011 NEMA participated in a charity food service at the Nashua Soup Kitchen, where over 100 people were provided with a lunch of ziti, salad, ice cream, milk, coffee, and juices. The eight adults and 4 kids who represented NEMA, were trained on site by a team of IANH members who have been providing this service once every month for some years now. When our group arrived around 11am there had already been a group of IANH members onsite since 8:30 that morning, to prepare the meal to be served that day. We were warmly welcomed by Mr. Prithvi Kumar, who introduced us to the others. Trays of ziti were already in the oven, salad chopped and ready to be served, tables set, counters cleaned down, and all cooking utensils had been put away. The NEMA team was given a thorough walk-through of the actual process of serving the food, and the clean up required afterwards. Right away it was very appparent that the kitchen is very well organized, and run with care and love.

Located at 42 Chestnut Street in Nashua , the building encloses a long rectangular room with a kitchen and serving counter in the back. Refridgerators store perishables, and non perishables are stored on shelves in a well organized basement. Round tables with chairs are placed around the room, and in the center a long table holds donations of cakes and pastries, fruits, and vegetables which the patrons are free to take with them. There are hooks running along the one unobstructed wall in the room, where clothing for donations can be brought in and hung up. Those who come in for a meal often take what they like and what fits.

Around 11:30 the first of our patrons began to trickle in, and we felt relatively prepared for what lay ahead. A team of four NEMA ladies very capably handled the food station and replenished the drinks, while the kids handed out ice cream sandwiches and cups of milk and juices. In the back of the kitchen, NEMA men and women washed, dried, and stashed plates, cups, and cutlery. It was true NEMA team work and things moved along without a hitch under the guidance of Venu Rao. After the last of our patrons left, we all set about with cleaning up. Tables and counter tops were wiped down, flours were swept, untouched food was labled, dated, and stored in the freezer. The the last stash of dishes were washed, dried and put away, and the garbage was thrown out. With that NEMA's first volunteer food service had come to an end.

The experience had been enriching, and for everyone who participated, one that will draw them back over and over again. The smiles and thank yous we received were bitter sweet; you realize that you are fulfilling a basic need in someone for something that you likely take for granted. For a large number of those who came in, it was likely the only meal they would receive all day. While this weighs on you, and you wish there was a lot more you could do, you also realize you are making a difference in some small way, and it's as simple as keeping at it.