Boston Rescue Mission Fundraising Update

I am thrilled to report that the Tiny Urban Kitchen fund has currently raised over $3700 for the Boston Rescue Mission!

Thanks so much for those of you who donated generously to help those in need. Homelessness is a serious problem in Massachusetts.

On Superbowl Sunday, fellow food bloggers Michelle from Fun, Fearless in Beantown, Elina from Healthy and Sane, Meghan from Travel, Wine, and Dine, and I spent our afternoon cooking and serving our ever-so-popular bacon wrapped pork loin at the Boston Rescue Mission Sunday Community Dinner.



We had a fabulous time. These gals ROCK in the kitchen. Even though there were only four of us, we were able to get everything chopped, prepped, and put in the oven with over an hour to spare.

The guests who came to eat absolutely loved the meal. Some said, "this is the best meal I've had all week." Others were super appreciative, thanking us for giving up our Superbowl Sunday in order to serve them.

I was really touched, hearing from all these folks. It just made me appreciate so much more what the Boston Rescue Mission, along with many other local organizations, are doing to fight homelessness in our city.

Heart for the Homeless Reception, Eastern Bank, Boston

Speaking of other organizations, this past week I also had the wonderful opportunity to attend a reception called "Heart for the Homeless." Ten organizations dedicated to fighting homelessness came together at this event. It was a great chance to meet other supporters, as well as learn a bit more about homelessness in Massachusetts. I was inspired to see so many people who had a heart to solve this problem.

Thanks so much all for your support in trying to continue chipping away at this immense but (hopefully) solvable problem!

The Tiny Urban Kitchen Fundraiser will be coming to a close at the end of this month, so if you're interested in donating, please do so in the next two weeks! You can also check out the really nice article they wrote about Tiny Urban Kitchen here.

To donate please click here or on the image below and click on the "2011 Tiny Urban Kitchen Fundraiser."

A Personal Story: Meet Anthony from the Boston Rescue Mission

This article is part of a larger series of articles about the Boston Rescue Mission, and organization for which I am raising money this winter. Other posts in this series discuss 1) why I decided to start this fundraiser in the first place 2) Why the Boston Rescue Mission 3) The meals we cook and serve while volunteering 4) The recipe for the delicious bacon wrapped pork loin that we cook and serve to the homeless, and 5) A Personal Story from Billy O, a former client

 Happy New Years Eve!

To close out 2011, I've decided to share stories about two people who actually spent some time at the Boston Rescue Mission.

Yesterday we heard a little bit from Billy O, a former client who now runs the kitchen at the Boston Rescue Mission.

Today, I'd like to introduce you to Anthony.

Anthony is one of the nicest guys around. He's sweet, friendly, and funny. He's gone through some pretty tough times in the past, and it's super encouraging to see how far he's come.

I visited the Boston Rescue Mission earlier this year to meet him and hear his story so I could share it with you.

Anthony was born into a 2-parent home, with seven brothers and sisters. He was the middle child, so often he got forgotten a bit. The year Anthony turned thirteen, his father left the family. Soon afterward, Anthony started using drugs and alcohol. For the next twenty years, he struggled with drugs and alcohol.

Then Anthony had a son. Anthony came to the Boston Rescue Mission to get help. His son was only 2 at the time, and he was raising him alone.

"To go from a year to two years of just moving from drinking/drugging to raising a child that has all of these issues - crying all the time, all these things I wasn't familiar with - was frightening at the beginning."  

"But as I got to know people, I started to really see. I was blessed with knowing they've been through this, and I can learn something from them. Through the program here I've learned the patience, the understanding to see if something is wrong or something is good. And it has helped while raising him up."

"This is a spiritual program, which really helped me along because I am a believer in God, and it played a role in my program."

 Soon after Anthony graduated from the program, he came to the Mission asking if he could help out.

"I felt that this was a good fit for me because helping people is something I felt like I needed to do to stay off drugs and alcohol."

I've been working here for about 5 years. I continue to grow with the Mission. It's a great organization. Each and every person here has a story, from John Samaan all the way down to the clients."

"I have a 7 year old son and I am a single dad. I can go to any one of these people here and give them questions about what I should do, like 'is this normal?'"

Anthony says the age-old saying is really true. "It takes a village to raise a child. That has been really really helpful in my life, in my growth at the Boston Rescue Mission."

Anthony has been doing tons of stuff at the Mission. Not only is he head of housekeeping, he is also one of the board members. Last spring, Anthony trained for and ran the Boston Marathon, all to benefit the Boston Rescue Mission.

It's incredibly inspiring to see how he has turned away from a life of drugs and alcohol to one where he is helping others in such profound ways. I'm especially touched knowing that his son will grow up with a father, which is something Anthony himself did not really have.

Thanks so much Anthony for taking the time out to share your story with us.

Giving Back
I am so inspired by people like Anthony and Billy O who, as a result of being blessed, give so much back to the organizations that helped them. Seeing and meeting dedicated people like Anthony and Billy just makes me all the more excited and committed to supporting the Boston Rescue Mission.

If you'd like to partner with me in supporting the Boston Rescue Mission for all of the great work that they are doing, you can donate to the Tiny Urban Kitchen Fundraiser.

Thanks so much everyone! Looking forward to an awesome new year!

To donate, click on the image below and check the box for "Tiny Urban Kitchen Fundraiser." 

A Personal Story: Meet Billy O. from Boston Rescue Mission

Billy O. - the guy in charge of food at BRM

This article is part of a larger series of articles about the Boston Rescue Mission, and organization for which I am raising money this winter. Other posts in this series discuss 1) why I decided to start this fundraiser in the first place 2) Why the Boston Rescue Mission 3) The meals we cook and serve while volunteering and 4) The recipe for the delicious bacon wrapped pork loin that we cook and serve to the homeless.

I got the best news this past week.

It was a perfect early Christmas present from an unexpected source.

Out of the blue, while I was in California for the holidays with Bryan's parents, I got an email from Eric, an organizer at the Boston Rescue Mission (BRM), telling me the Tiny Urban Kitchen fund had raised $3094.19 so far this year!!!

My jaw almost dropped. 

I had initially been really, really discouraged. Two and a half weeks after my initial post about the fundraiser, Eric told me that the fund had only raised about $200, (a chunk of which came from Bryan's parents - thanks Mom & Dad!).

I remembered my quote "I will be over the moon if we reach our $10,000 goal" and wondered whether I had been dreaming a bit too big. $200 felt so so far away from that goal.

Last week's email totally gave me renewed hope. 

Thank you so much, all of you generous donors, for contributing to the fund. It takes a lot to give up a bit of your own comfort and luxury in order to help some pretty needy people. Thank you so much.
 
I am thrilled to be 30% of the way to my goal. 

As a way to end 2011, I will spend the next two days sharing about some really special people from BRM and their stories. 

These are people whose lives came upon hard times. Through the perseverance of the individual, the hard work of the BRM staff, the support of volunteers and donors, and lots of grace from God; these people have been able to turn their lives around in incredible ways.

Today, we'll meet Billy O, who is the official "acting food service manager" at the Boston Rescue Mission, but who I like to call "Executive Chef of the BRM Kitchen."

Cooking for Hundreds of Homeless a Day

I had the privilege of interviewing Billy O right inside the "tiny urban kitchen" in the basement of the Boston Rescue Mission. Billy works at BRM as the acting food service manager. It is in this crazy, tight kitchen that Billy and his team churn out hundreds of meals every single day.

Working at BRM is challenging and full of surprises. First of all, they serve six meals a day - 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners. According to Billy, during the winter months (when more people come), you could be feeding up to 600 people a day. 

Each day, different donations pour in from various sources. You never know exactly what you're going to get. Billy's difficult job is to decide how to combine all these daily donations together to execute enough tasty and complete meals to serve to these hundreds of people.

Though the stress sounds daunting to me, Billy finds it challenging and fun.

"[not knowing what you're going to get] makes it exciting.  Because of our long history here, we get donations from many of the upscale restaurants in area."

Like what?

"Duck breast for example, or jumbo shrimp. Or squid meat balls from the North End."

"I just love, like, when we get donations and we get all these different foods. I just love watching it unfold until the moment when it's time to serve the entire dinner. I've been doing it for so many years it's like second nature to me."


What have you learned from your experience cooking here?

"Keep it simple, keep it basic - that way you're going to reach more people." Don't add too many weird spices. Instead, put the spices out and let people season their own food. A lot of people don't like onions; a lot of people don't like garlic; you'd be surprised."

Sometimes if they run out of food, they end up scrambling like crazy.  It's at these stressful moments when he really needs to think on his feet, creating meals on the fly from available ingredients in the pantry, refrigerators, and freezers.

"We make sure every single person gets fed. No one will be turned away. That's what we've been doing for 111 years."

Volunteers Cooking at the Boston Rescue Mission
Boston Rescue Mission works with several church groups who cook and serve food during their Sunday Community Dinners. I asked Billy O a little bit about his experience with these volunteers.

"Here's the beauty of what I love about the church groups on Sunday nights. They come from all denominations. Pauline from Boston Chinese Evangelical Church comes with her group and they make Chinese food. The Koreans come from the Korean churches and they bring Korean food. And then you have the Baptists and they'll have soul food. Depending on the group that's coming, you basically know what they're going to be cooking."

"We really appreciate the volunteers. We depend on that. What you consider small, to us it's huge."

Turning a New Leaf

Billy O is a recovering alcoholic and went through the recovery program at the Boston Rescue Mission about seven years ago. With help of a great team of professionals, case managers, and others at BRM coupled with Billy O's strong desire to change, he slowly got his life back on track.

Billy attributes the community aspect of BRM as the main driver for his success in the program.

"I could just go and talk to anybody and talk about what was going on. All the doors were open. They makes you feel like you are really a part of the community. It's been years now, and I thank God for this community."

How did you do it?
 
"I approached it with a serious mind and a deep commitment. I did it a day at a time. I realized I didn't have to stay clean & sober for the rest of my life. I just had to do it today. That was a huge relief. I can do today. It's all based on being consistent with the program."

How do you deal with holidays? parties? Times when you're feeling down?

"I go to work! I stay connected here. On a holiday if I'm getting that feeling, I'll just come here and volunteer or do some paperwork. Or I make good friends and things like that."
 
Final Thoughts from Billy
"Our mission from day one has been to help feed and shelter those who have fallen on hard times and who are less fortunate. It's awesome to know that if you know someone who's fallen on hard times, they have a place to go where they can be treated with respect."

"I'm really motivated to give back to a community that gave so much to me, literally gave me a whole new life. It fulfills me to do this, and I genuinely get appreciation and gratitude for doing this."


Thanks Billy O so much for the time you spent sitting down with me and sharing with all of us a little bit about your life, you passions, and the workings of the BRM kitchen!


Giving Back
I am so inspired by people like Billy O who, as a result of being blessed, give so much back to the organizations that helped them. Seeing and meeting dedicated people like Billy just makes me all the more excited and committed to supporting the Boston Rescue Mission.

If you'd like to partner with me in supporting the Boston Rescue Mission for all of the great work that they are doing, you can donate to the Tiny Urban Kitchen Fundraiser.

Thanks so much everyone! Looking forward to an awesome new year!

To donate, click on the image below and check the box for "Tiny Urban Kitchen Fundraiser." 

Boston Rescue Mission: Sunday Community Dinner

This is part 2 of the Post Project Food Blog - What's Next? Series. Other posts in this series: Why Boston Rescue Mission?

Have you ever cooked for 150 people?

Welcome to the Sunday Community Dinner at the Boston Rescue Mission.

Every Sunday afternoon, the Boston Rescue Mission invites volunteers to provide a special meal for both the residents at the Mission as well as hungry people on the streets. Volunteers have free reign of the entire meal, everything from designing the menu, shopping for the ingredients, to executing and serving the meal. All in the span of about 3 hours!

It's challenging, laborious, and stressful at times. However, it's also super fun and tremendously rewarding. There's something really special about being able to personally serve the hungry people who come here looking for a hot meal. Many of the diners are very gracious and personally thank the volunteers for their efforts as well as the delicious meal.

Here's an inside look at the flurry of activity (sometimes mildly chaotic!) that happens in the 3 hours preceding one of these crazy meals!

Sunday afternoon right after church, around 12:45PM, we drive over to Costco to shop for groceries. We know that it takes about half an hour to drive to the Boston Rescue Mission, so we usually split up into two "shopping teams" to speed up the process. If we have time, we'll grab a quick bite to eat at Costco.

2:30PM Arrive at the Boston Rescue Mission, ready to cook!
We only have 2 hours to execute food to feed over 100 people, so usually we get right to work!

2:45PM: Prep Meat and Vegetables
The Boston Rescue Mission is located right in the heart of Boston, where real estate is scarce. As a result, it has a pretty tiny urban kitchen too! In fact, it's so crowded inside the kitchen that volunteers spill out into the eating area in order to find room to slice, dice, and chop!

There's tons of prep work to do - everything from cutting potatoes to seasoning and wrapping bacon around the pork loins.
3:30PM: Start Baking Pork Loins
We've stuck to the one recipe that we've executed successfully on large scale - bacon wrapped pork loin. The bacon protects the pork from drying out and also adds a nice boost of flavor! Plus, you can cook this on large scale pretty easily.  Check out the full recipe here!

3:30PM: Put Potatoes in the Oven!
They have these huge commercial ovens that can cook trays and trays of potatoes at once!
Here's all the pork loin, stacked up ready to be baked.
4:15PM Take pork out of oven and start slicing
As the 4:30 deadline draws closer and closer, you can feel the energy rise inside the tiny kitchen. Is the buttered corn on the stove? YES! Is the salad ready? YES! Make sure to check the pork loin to see if it's done! Can someone lay out the cookies?  
4:30 - Dinnertime for BRM Residents
And then suddenly - BAM! - it's 4:30PM, and the first wave of diners start pouring in. For confidentiality reasons, I can't show any pictures of the diners, many of whom are undergoing various treatment programs at BRM. However, here's a picture of the volunteers passing out the meal we made.

5:00PM - Doors open to the public
After the 4:30PM crowd leaves, the shelter opens the door to the public. Any homeless person can come off the streets to enjoy a nice, warm meal.

This is the largest crowd of the night (usually around 60-80 people). Many of these people are quite hungry. It was both eye opening and humbling to serve them.

We had a rule that no one could get seconds until everyone had been served at least once. The diners were all very, very respectful of the rule. So respectful, in fact, that I almost thought they didn't want seconds.

Boy, was I wrong! The moment we announced, "we are serving seconds now," the ENTIRE room jumped up and got back into line.

People were hungry, yet polite and respectful of their fellow diners.

I was both touched and saddened, realizing how often I take food for granted.

Here's the average plate we served: maple bacon wrapped roasted pork loin, buttered corn, oven roasted potatoes, and mixed salad greens. Good, hearty, and warm food that was delicious, satisfying, and reasonably easy (for amateurs!) to execute on large scale.
 
Observations
It's quite eye opening to serve at a homeless shelter. Though some of the visitors may resemble the disheveled look that we associate with "the homeless", most of the people who come look absolutely normal. They are clean, well-shaven, polite, and intelligent. Some have just had a string of bad luck in their lives. Many are super friendly, and totally happy to chat about all sorts of topics.

Every time I've served there, diners have come up to us and thanked us for the wonderful meal. They are appreciative, polite, and friendly. Of course, there's the occasional complainer, but then, you find those sorts of people in all walks of life.

I've also learned a bit about cooking large scale. Forget trying to achieve a gorgeous crust on all the potatoes or a lovely medium cooked pork. It's just not going to happen. You have to execute everything in two hours and then keep it warm in order to serve people from 4:30PM all the way to 7:00PM. Of course the pork is going to be well done. Of course the potatoes will eventually starts to "steam" and lose their crispiness.  

But don't worry about such trifle things! It's really OK!

For many of these people, this Sunday meal is probably the best meal they are having all week.

As you may know, I'm currently trying to help the Boston Rescue Mission raise money for their various program. If you would like to help support this great organization, please click on the image below and check the 2011 Tiny Urban Kitchen Fundraiser box.

Attention Boston Bloggers!
 If you are a Boston blogger and you're interested in coming to serve with me at BRM sometime in the next few months, please email me at jen{at}tinyurbankitchen{dot}com. I'm organizing a team!

Thanks!

Why Boston Rescue Mission?

This is part 1 of the Post Project Food Blog - What's Next? Series. It's based off of the speech I gave at the Foodbuzz Festival in November (2011) when I explained what I was doing with my Project Food Blog winnings.

I feel really, really blessed.
 
Winning Project Food Blog was an incredible experience, something I will never forget.
 
For a number of reasons, as the weeks of Project Food Blog went by and I continued to advance, I became more and more convinced that if I won the entire contest, I wanted to give the money away to those in need.

Here's a peek inside my brain during that year leading up to the Project Food Blog win: how I came to this decision to donate and why Boston Rescue Mission.

First, a bit of background. 

I grew up sheltered in the quiet, leafy suburbs of Ohio. It wasn't until I moved to Boston that I started to see homeless people on a regular basis. My commute to work involves two subway stations, both of which have needy people asking for help on a daily basis.

I struggled as I walked by these sad and hungry people day-in and day-out. Some days, I would dig up some change to give to one individual. On a rare occasion, I tried buying a sandwich for someone. Most days, however, I just walked on by, muttering "sorry" to those pleas for help.

It broke my heart to say no to so many people, but I couldn't logically figure out a way to help that seemed fair. Do I give money to everyone? If not, how do I choose? What if they use the money for "bad" purposes? Why am I even trying to be the judge? What right do I have to decide who's "good" and who's bad?

These questions perplexed me and made me feel caught, not knowing what to do.

Fast forward to about one year ago, close to the time when Project Food Blog was just kicking off.
First, my a cappella singing group began singing at the Boston Rescue Mission, an organization in Boston dedicated to helping various types of people in need. They feed the hungry, house the homeless, and provide support for those with addiction problems. We sang regularly during their Friday evening worship services.

While we were there, we heard inspiring testimonies from current and former residents of the Boston Rescue Mission (BRM). People shared about how their lives had been changed through the programs at BRM. Men who once neglected their families, trapped by the grips of alcohol, became clean and sober, dedicating their lives to God and their families. The stories were tremendously moving. More than once I found myself holding back tears, marveling at how much these men had overcome.

Second, I started volunteering at BRM's Sunday Community Dinner. I'll explain more in a future post, but essentially, you sign up to provide dinner at BRM on a Sunday afternoon. You design the menu, shop for the ingredients, and cook the food in their tiny urban kitchen (see how crowded we are?).
I was able to see how the Boston Rescue Mission "heals" people in multiple ways. Through their shelter and meal programs, they physically feed the homeless as well as the residents. Through their various addiction programs, they psychologically help clients battle and overcome serious addiction problems. Through the Friday night services and other related ministries, they spiritually nourish the residents.

Finally, through studying the Bible, I began to learn more about Jesus's example and how much he cared about the poor. I knew that this was a segment of the population that I absolutely could not ignore. I started to seriously consider donating the money if I won.

As the weeks went by and I continued to advance in Project Food Blog, I became more and more convinced of this idea. At some points, I almost didn't want to win, afraid that I wouldn't be able to stand up to my commitment.

Thankfully, by the grace of God, I continue to have a passion and commitment to supporting the work at the Boston Rescue Mission. I'm excited about giving away the prize money, and I'm committed to trying to raise more money to continue supporting the great work that they are doing.


I would love it if you would partner with me.

Here's just a few ideas. Participate in the 20/20 Get Together Give Together campaign, where once a month, instead of eating out with friends, get together for a home cooked meal and donate $20 each to a charity. Consider donating a portion (or all!) of your blog earnings this holiday season to a charity. Instead of exchanging holiday gifts with friends or coworkers, donate the money you would have spent.

Of course, I'd be thrilled if you donated to the Boston Rescue Mission, but I'd be equally happy if you gave  to another charity that serves the needy.

Current donations to the Tiny Urban Kitchen Fundraiser are hovering a little over $200, so I have a ways to go before my goal of $10,000 (!). Thanks so much to those of you who have donated already. I sincerely, sincerely appreciate it.

To donate, click on the image below and check the box for "Tiny Urban Kitchen Fundraiser."