“We needed this,” said Anne, program manager at Compass Broadview. “This has been such a challenging summer and this meal and supply drive is really good for this community.”
More than 30 people showed up for the outdoor community potluck at Compass Broadview. Anne, her case managers, and a team of volunteers set up tables in the parking lot beneath the towering a-frame of Luther Memorial Lutheran Church. The food was diverse, noodle salads, plums, grapes, sliced cheese and ham, giant-orange-soccer-game-sized containers of lemonade, and more.
“We brought the grapes and that noodle salad,” said Mike, a member of the Broadview Neighborhood Meal Team from Union Church. “Those plums are from our backyard tree!”
The Broadview Neighborhood Meal Team delivers meals to Compass Broadview weekly, and our residents look forward to the meal every time.
On a sunny August Saturday, folks from Broadview and the broader community sat outside and enjoyed the meal and togetherness – all while being COVID safe, wearing masks, and maintaining distancing.
After the meal, Anne opened a room that had been filled with donations of back-to-school supplies. One fully masked household at a time shopped the supplies organized by grade.
“We all got the same backpacks!” said Camilla. She and a few friends had all picked from the supplies and of course, they picked complimentary backpacks. They threw them on and ran outside laughing and yelling. It quickly turned into a game of chase and the other kids waiting in line joined in.
While the parents waited for their turn at the supplies, other families took advantage of the professional photographer we had on-site for free family portraits.
“Family photos are expensive,” said Anne. “This is something we wanted to offer. Kids grow up so fast and if you miss a few years, you won’t get it back.”
Some folks went back upstairs to their apartments to “get their faces on” before coming back down and some just had an impromptu gussying up session right in the community room. Either way, it was a great afternoon of building community while also getting practical needs met. It perfectly sums up our philosophy.
Creating community is at the core of what we do, thank you Broadview Neighborhood Meal Team for all you do to help us create community!