“Can I have some more juice please?”sweetly asked a short boy with messy black hair. Gladly I poured him more juice and watched him walk back to his seat as he concentrated on the full cup of juice, trying not to spill it. After I watched him sip his juice I looked over the room and how many tables were occupied with adults and children enjoying free breakfast.
The Breakfast Club is a program at my church, Orangewood Nazarene Church, where people volunteer to make and serve free breakfast to those in the community who have difficulty getting breakfast. The church is near Washington Elementary School, so the church mainly encourages those kids and their parents to come in Sunday mornings to eat for free. I was soon going to see how many people usually went without a morning meal.
It was the first Sunday of the month and my Sunday school was cancelled. Instead of waiting two hours for the service to start my mom suggested I go with her to help with the free breakfast. I slowly walked down stairs to the kitchen of our church. There were many faces there already. The volunteers were quickly working, making coffee, whisking eggs, and pouring pancake mix on skillets. I started rolling silverware, relieved that I could be helpful. I noticed that not only were there many people but they were all different. A woman who looked to be in her thirties with her two month old baby, a table full of young children, a family of five, and many others. It was hard to believe not only how many people go without meals but the age of those going without meals. Though no one should go without a meal, it was sad to see that two month old baby who if not for the program might have been hungry that day. I was happy that I was a part of something that day that put less worry on parents and gave full tummies to children.
Looking back on my time at the Breakfast Club, I have realized how many people don’t eat every meal and how volunteering once a week when I have nothing else to do can make a difference. I go back to the Breakfast club every once in a while when my Sunday school is cancelled. I am always happy when I recognize faces or when I can put a smile on someone’s face by pouring them a glass of juice