Give the needy food they would actually like.

Kamp Katrina is getting dozens of chocolate chip cookies and fresh fruit from me these days. They’re tired of canned food, which is completely understandable.

Later this week I’m going to drop off a bag of clothes I don’t need anymore, partly to make room for new summer clothes and partly because I’m trying to accumulate as few things as possible. Do I really need that electric blue fleece pullover I haven’t worn in years, especially with warmer weather on the way? Probably not, and it would make me happy to come upon a street musician in the Quarter wearing it on one of the last chilly days of a New Orleans spring.

I “make groceries” (as we say in New Orleans) twice a month and I am going to start purchasing $10 worth of food to donate each time. This is just around the corner from where I live and houses homeless street performers, artists, writers, whoever needs a place to stay.

http://www.carnivalesquefilms.com/kamp_katrina.html

Emergency Communities closed yesterday, by the way.

I’ve been spending Saturday evenings serving dinner and engaging in conversation with residents down the Emergency Communities kitchen. Last Saturday I found out they’re closing at the end of November due to a lack of financial resources. This is very disappointing because they are serving a neighborhood that is still very much in need of a community center. They’re still serving around 500 meals a day on weekdays, about 300 on weekends.

Just because it’s been two years does not mean the time for Katrina relief is over.

www.emergencycommunities.org Their Lower 9th Ward site is the one I’m talking about.

I helped prepare and serve lunch at a church soup kitchen this morning. All the other volunteers were older ladies from my church, so my ability to lift heavy objects and stir mac ‘n’ cheese came in handy.

We served about 80 meals. I’m glad I did it, especially the working on the serving line part, but some of my fellow volunteers’ comments bothered me. There seemed to be an “us and them” attitude, that somehow we were better. I don’t believe that, especially not after my experiences at Emergency Communities in New Orleans.

I know the Westminster is different than New Orleans in many ways, but that still gives you no right to judge people.