By Davin Cheyenne

Food is one of the few items that connects humans together. It feeds the soul and nourishes the body. When a person lacks that source of energy, discouragement and pain soon follow. To not know where your next meal is coming from or when it will be served is fear in itself. However, I do believe it goes deeper than this. Lack of food is a cut into one’s soul. Without the proper nourishment, one feels deprived deep within. Unfortunately this is not just the case for one or two people in the city of Baltimore.

One in four Baltimoreans are living in poverty according to the U.S. Census. Poverty in Baltimore has increased a whopping 20% since 1981. However with an increase of poverty and homelessness, a helping hand has been there to touch the lives of Baltimore’s most neglected. Since 1981, Our Daily Bread has existed as an employment center which provides help to thousands of people every single day, from hunger, homelessness, and unemployment. It is the place people of Baltimore seek for help and support.

I was very excited to find out that The Vegetarian Resource Group would be giving us interns the opportunity to help prepare and donate vegan casseroles to Our Daily Bread. For many people the idea of donating means to give money, which in many ways is a helpful contribution. However, I feel as though to really connect with those who you’re helping is to visit, and volunteer, and to take a few moments out of our day to prepare food or goodies for those in need.

For me, buying the ingredients, and preparing the casserole in my own home, made me appreciate being able to buy these ingredients because there are those who don’t have a dollar to their name. Preparing the casserole on my table, in my home, made an even meaningful impact on my heart because I know that there are many who eat outside near a trash can with fire in it trying to stay warm. As I finished wrapping the casserole and opened the freezer to let it freeze, the chill made me think of those who had to survive the summer’s humidity. The physical experience of making this casserole was only 30 minutes, but it was more than making food for those in need, it was feeding souls, of humans just like me while feeding my soul as well.
Casey and I chose to make the creamy bean and potato casserole!

As our group of interns stepped into Our Daily Bread the morning of June 27th, we had the pleasure of knowing that many of the staff that provide the food are volunteers, and that over 700 mouths are fed every day! Another thing that caught me off guard was that Our Daily Bread served many vegetarian meals, which included a source of protein, 2 sides of veggies, and one side of fruit, and a dessert.

The Our Daily Bread Employment Center is a lifeline for those in need. To know that I helped contribute to an organization that helps serve meals to Maryland’s hungry, assists homeless men to make the transition to employment, stable housing, and self-sufficiency through the Christopher Place Employment Academy makes me a lifelong supporter, and advocate to encourage all of us to help donate vegan casseroles to Our Daily Bread, or any food center in your community.

If you are in the Baltimore area and would like to volunteer, or even cater vegan casseroles to our Daily Bread, the location is 725 Fallsway, Baltimore, MD, 21202, and they can be reached by telephone at (443) 986-9000. You can also visit their website for vegan recipe options (last three) (created by VRG’s Foodservice Advisor Nancy Berkoff) at http://www.catholiccharities-md.org/our-daily-bread/odb-food-service/favorite-casserole-recipes.html

I hope that by reading this you are encouraged to donate, volunteer, or spend a few moments at Our Daily Bread to really know why making these casseroles really is a life changing experience. If you don’t live in Maryland, please prepare and donate these casseroles to your local nonprofit, which feeds the needy.

Davin Cheyenne and Casey Brown, VRG interns.