Thanksgiving Deliveries to First Baptist Church and Shepherd’s Table

Happy Thanksgiving!

On Monday morning, Ani Dara, Anne K, and Noreen all convened in Poolesville to prepare for Thanksgiving deliveries to the First Baptist Church of Silver Spring and Shepherd's Table. 

Step 1: unload turkeys from the freezers to the Buddhist Relief van to bring to First Baptist for their distribution on Tuesday afternoon. 

Step 2: refill the now empty freezer by loading approximately 200 pounds of frozen chickens (picked up by Wib from So What Else on Friday, brought to the Upcounty Hub to be stored in their freezer over the weekend, and retrieved by Noreen that morning to store in our freezers). These will be delivered to our West African friends at the next distribution. 

Step 3: load approximately 114 items of warm clothing, collected by volunteers Alexa, Mary Catherine, and Keith; carefully sorted and categorized by Maura, Yeshe, Michelle G, Yekta, and Victoria, to deliver to Shepherd’s Table. 

With a last minute opportunity to distribute squash to our Silver Spring partners upon us, Anne went ahead to Ani Dawa’s to collect the rest of the frozen turkeys while Ani Dara drove to the Poolesville Little Free Pantry (PLFP) to pick up 261 pounds of butternut squash that PLFP pantry managers Sarah and Mike Defnet had just gathered from a neighbor.

(Note: a few weeks ago, we had connected with a neighbor, Roger, through Poolesville Seniors and Jenny Freeman at Community Farm Share. Roger had planted 2 rows of daikon radishes and needed to harvest and distribute them quickly. We were able to deliver 200 hundred pounds to the Upcounty Hub and some to the PLFP. Roger called us Sunday night to tell us about a friend with an excess of butternut squash that needed to be gleaned. Sarah and Mike went and gathered over 500 pounds and took what the PLFP and WUMCO could use, and needed to empty their pickup truck in order to glean more before the rain and subsequent cold weather hit.)

After collecting the rest of the food at the temple, we met Yekta at the First Baptist Church. Parking in the street due to the height restrictions of the parking garage, we took turns loading and pushing the carts of turkeys and squash into the building and helping unload into the church’s freezers. Their Thanksgiving distribution would be the following afternoon, and gratitude showed in the faces of Jim and Sarah, as well as their words. These octogenarians celebrated their 60th anniversary this past year, and show no sign of slowing down their humanitarian work. They took about half of the squash to distribute, ensuring that each family would get one large one. The turkeys were all donations from sangha members and volunteers. 

Shepherd’s Table is only a quarter mile away, but in a busy bustling area versus a quieter neighborhood. The chef and one of the meal guests arrived in a practiced manner with several rolling bins as we unloaded cases of food, squash, and finally clothing. It was a busy day, with few people available to help and lots to do during a holiday week, but the gratitude on their faces as each bin was filled was evident. The meal guest, Keith, took care to return our hand cart and wagon to the van in a manner so that it wouldn’t roll around as we drove - a thoughtful gesture not only to do the heavy lifting, but to think about our safety on our drive back. 

We are so grateful for this opportunity you have created, Jetsunma - for us to benefit beings in such tangible and immediate ways. May all beings be fed, clothed, and housed - and may there be an end to suffering.