Giving Back: A Community of Caring at NSKS

It was my pleasure to spend the afternoon shift at the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter, working alongside a dedicated crew of staff and volunteers on Tuesday.

I raised my hand as part of a Patch-wide "Give 5" initiative to spend some quality time in the cities and towns we serve, getting to know firsthand what it takes to sustain various volunteer-driven outreaches.

In Nashua, the soup kitchen is a year-round service to the community, providing a warm meal and free donated food to those who are hungry.

During my five-hour shift I found myself humbled by the hard work and preparation that goes into each and every meal.

Kitchen Manager Kyle Fields has been with NSKS for four years, and knows most everyone who comes through the door by name -- even though he never knows exactly how many that might be.

So he is always prepared to serve about 150 meals, give or take, with sandwiches in reserve.

In addition to the two daily meals served, the shelves and tables are piled with donated baked goods, grocery items, and fresh produce, even frozen chicken, all free for the taking.

On Tuesday, a Hudson couple donated six dozen fresh duck eggs, and a woman came in with a grocery bag loaded with cucumbers from her garden. "This week's bounty," she said, before leaving the bag on the table.

Many of the volunteers are from local church groups, although a number or helpers are actually doing community service to work off fines, I learned.

My shift began rinsing out a bucket full of cleaning rags left over from the morning shift, which were then used to wipe down the tables and chairs before the dinner rush.

I helped set up chairs, and make sure everything was in place, before serving two waves of diners -- first family groups, then individuals.

Afterward, we all worked together to sweep, mop, clean up trays and tableware, and then set up for the morning breakfast crowd.

I have served food in soup kitchens before, and in bigger cities where the need is even greater. But as I said, it was a humbling and grounding experience to be able to give freely to those in need, who accepted gratefully all that was offered, no questions asked.

No one wanted to know my motive; and I did not need to know what circumstance had brought them to a soup kitchen. It only matters that in a city of 87,000, a small fraction of people know that there is a place where they can come for a loaf of bread, a family-style meal, a conversation, a glass of milk, a hot cup of coffee, and a smile from a stranger who only came for a chance to serve, and who left fulfilled.

Would you like to help?

Always needed:
Boxed macaroni and cheese
Canned tuna
Pasta
Tomato products/sauce
Peanut butter
Canned fruit
Rice
Instant mashed potatoes
Volunteers

Donations for the annual Backpack Program are being accepted Aug. 12-14, with help needed for distribution Aug. 15,16, 19 and 20. This year's goal is 2,200 filled backpacks.

For more information go to www.nsks.org