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For close to two dozen UUPers at SUNY Oneonta, giving back to the community and celebrating solidarity can be summed up with two words: Saturday’s Bread.
Twice a year for the last four years, a troupe of caring UUPers have set aside time to volunteer at Saturday’s Bread, a non-denominational soup kitchen sponsored by the Oneonta First United Methodist Church. The kitchen serves free hot meals every Saturday to anyone who stops in.
UUPers spent the morning and afternoon at the church Nov. 1, preparing about 200 meals of soup and sandwiches for hungry singles and families grateful for a hot meal and friendly faces on a chilly November Saturday. Another 100 meals were prepared for guests to take with them.
“It’s a way for us to reach out and strengthen our ties in the community,” said Oneonta Chapter President Bill Simons, a volunteer. “It also brings our members together, both new and old, to share in something that’s very meaningful.”
The Oneonta chapter began volunteering at Saturday’s Bread back in 2004, when Simons asked Linda Drake, director of the college’s Center for Social Responsibility and Community and a chapter member, to find an organization that UUPers could become involved with. Saturday’s Bread was a perfect fit, she said. This time, members of the local CSEA unit joined UUPers at Saturday’s Bread.
The volunteers arrived at 9:30 a.m., got their assignments and began to make the kitchen hum. Some UUPers started preparing the sandwiches, tossing salads and making desserts. Others pulled out tablecloths, silverware and plates and started setting tables.
When the kitchen opened around 11 a.m., UUP volunteers worked as waiters and waitresses, greeted and seated guests, bussed tables, and served food on the buffet line. Afterward, they cleaned up, scrubbing pots and cleaning dishes.
“I think part of the mission of unionism in America, for UUP and our chapter, is to be an agent of change and to help society,” said Simons. “We have an obligation in our community to extend solidarity beyond the campus perimeters.”
— Michael Lisi