Sister Act: this could become a habit!

Another day at Waterloo Community Centre, and another list of jobs needing helping hands.

First off, Sally and Pauline began by setting the tables...24 in all. Each table had 2, 4 or 6 chairs, a salt cellar and pepper pot, sugar bowl and spoon and a menu. Each place setting had a knife, fork and spoon, side plate and neatly folded napkin.

Meanwhile, Carol started bagging goodies for the most vulnerable and needy members of the local community. Bread rolls and pastries were divided between food bags, which were then added to a donation bag containing tinned goods, crisps, pasta, biscuits and an assortment of other essentials.

Tables done, Pauline tackled the second raised bed, removing weeds and unwanted plants, to reveal the first green shoots of bulbs that had been lying dormant.

That done, it was out of the cold and back into the warmth to check dates and sort donations. A table is set aside for food items that are free to a needy home...sadly, they are not on the table long. Seven times or more the table is filled...and emptied.

By now the hall is full and soup starters, roast pork dinners, fish pies and more are flying out of the kitchen. There is a steady stream of hot beverages, biscuits and cake as the first set of diners come to the end of their meal. But there is no time for the volunteers to rest - dishes need to be washed and sent back out, to keep up with the demand.

And then, another tower of trays, filled with free food, is wheeled into the Waterloo ‘warehouse’ from the food bank across the way. The post-Christmas clear out of supermarket shelves means that there are lots and lots of mince pies, cake, biscuits and CHOCOLATE! This has to be processed as soon as possible. Some food goes straight out to the ‘help yourself’ table. Items with longer use by dates are boxed and taken up to the store room. More food bags are requested, made up and distributed.

Finally, all of the lunch guests are fed, and leave. Volunteers wash up the last of their dishes and clear away the tables and chairs. Only when the rooms are back to normal, can these local heroes sit down to their own lunch, reflect on the day, and prepare to do it all again next week.