This Saturday I had the opportunity to work with Mission U-Too. Founded in 2008, this non-profit organization normally serves the homeless BBQ meals on the weekends, but around the holidays they switch to Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. Mission U-Too’s goal is to feed both the “physical and spiritual” hunger all over the world and is funded through various donations from individuals, organizations and churches. I traveled to a location in Round Rock to serve one of the Thanksgiving-inspired meals for a few hours.

From the moment I arrived, it was apparent that there was a lot to be done. The other volunteers and I were almost immediately instructed to set up over 20 tables, which were then quickly filled with an abundance of food. Car after car pulled up with trunks and backseats filled with home cooked, warm dishes. We unloaded everything and set up multiple stations. One station was for those who wished to eat outside of Henderson Middle School, where we were serving, another was for those who wanted to eat their meals elsewhere. I worked at the to-go station and focused mainly on preparing group meals.

People began flooding in after we finished setting up. It was incredibly windy, so while I was busy packing bread in boxes I also had to hold down all of the food and packaging that was threatening to blow away. We packaged the food non-stop for about two hours. My team and I focused on bread and desserts while the team next to us packaged an assortment of hot mashed potatoes, ham, turkey and stuffing. Someone down the line would yell “Family of four!” and we would assemble a box accordingly. The numbers grew steadily, and one time there was even a family of 24.

The whole experience immersed me back into the holiday feeling. As it is with most volunteer opportunities, it was great to have something to do with my hands as well as to bond with the people serving with me. And, of course, it was extremely gratifying to watch the thrilled faces of those who may have not gotten a Thanksgiving meal without Misson U-Too. The best part about this organization is that anyone can show up and help out. Everyone involved was extremely gracious and kind. For more information, if you ever need hours or want to be involved with a wonderful non-profit, check out https://missionutoo.org/

Image:

Grunfeld, David. Bridge House will serve up a meal on Christmas, as it did on
Thanksgiving, above. The Times-Picayune. Advance Digital, n.d. Web. 24 Nov.
2015. <http://www.nola.com/holidays/index.ssf/2011/12/
bridge_house_will_feed_the_hom.html>.