Tonight was First Monday. As tomorrow is St. Nicholas Day, we had a visit from St. Nick himself. He distributed winter socks to our guests, who were treated to a hearty meal of ham, macaroni and cheese, carrots, and cake. We fed more than 150 people and along with our regular group of volunteers, we had several first-timers who enjoyed themselves and said they would be back to help again.

The music was provided by the children of Grace Church, and by our adult choir, who sang a variety of holiday music, Christmas carols and holiday favorites like Frosty the Snowman.

One of our volunteers remarked to me at the end of the evening that the guests were incredibly appreciative of the food and our hospitality. It’s an incredible amount of work, especially the preparation, but it’s also very rewarding. It’s also eye-opening to be reminded of the diversity of homelessness, even among our overwhelming male population.

A couple of pictures: